Justice.  After watching the Tony Crocker school of ‘bitching at refs until you get a bogus charge call’, it didn’t look good for Tech.  But OU’s woeful outside shooting came to the rescue.

Quick First Half Thoughts

-          Darko and Lew were huge in the first half, hedging ball screens, busting back down to the block, pulling defensive boards, and contributing on the offensive end.

-          Okorie and Tairu look quick tonight.  Great defensive intensity, and they are really starting to make use of the triple threat with drive and shot fakes.

-          Singletary being patient and letting the game come to him.  He’ll get his looks in the second half.

-          Jeff Capel rolled the dice with zone at about the ten minute mark and got knifed by Mike Davis for a layup.  Great pass from Singletary.  No more zone.

-          If Brad Reese could get just a little more comfortable on the offensive end.  Great steal. and then just rushed the reverse layup.  He looks quick too.

-          Roberts is still not 100%, but I’m glad he’s out there.  His length helps so much on defense.

-          We’ve been fortunate with OU being so cold from three.  Hopefully they won’t get hot in the second half.

Second Half

You had to know OU wouldn’t go away.  Capel went with the press, Crocker got his thug on, and Gallon made a bunch of smart plays in the post.  Meanwhile, just like the OSU game, the press disrupted our offensive rhythm and gave OU the turnovers and stops they needed to give them a chance to win.  It was stressful, and I was on one knee as OU got ready to inbound with 2.5 seconds left.

But the Basketball Gods were watching, and we’re suddenly 4-5 in conference.  If we play like this on Saturday against the Aggies, we’ll have a decent shot to even things up.  That’s some turnaround after our 0-3 start.

Poise

Nothing comes easy on the road.  In the face of more defensive intensity and better execution in the second half, Tech held it together and kept grinding away.  I thought Singletary in particular did an awesome job walking away from two controversial charging calls.  We had just twelve turnovers.  We were very patient and made a lot of extra passes late in the shot clock.  And tonight was our most efficient night from the free throw line (15-16) and beyond the arc (5-8).  All of that was necessary to eek out a 1-point win.  Credit this team for reflecting the demeanor of its coach, Pat Knight.  He stayed composed, and so did his team.

Identity

            I’m not sure how far it’s going to take us, but this team knows exactly how it’s going to go about winning basketball games.  The players have bought in, and I’m seeing some great help defense and lot of confidence in the motion offense.  We’re still not finishing the way I’d like to, but we’re working for good shots.

 On to the fellas:

John Roberson – Eh, another game, another MVP.  22 points on 6-9 shooting, 3-4 from the arc, and 7-7 from the line.  Damn, Son.  There was one loose ball play where Roberson fought like three Sooners before it got tied up.  Little man came to fight.  A couple of tough turnovers in the second half, but John is evolving into the floor leader we need to win close basketball games.

Darko Cohadarevic – Tremendous effort on both ends tonight.  Looks like the suspension worked.  His perimeter shot is looking pretty good, and that will open up the lane for cutters.  Just don’t fall in love with it.

Mike Singletary – Crocker abused him on the drive late in the game, but except for some tired legs versus a quicker player, Singletary let the game come to him, and this team was at its best because of it.  I just feel better when he’s in the game.

Brad Reese – He’s having a tough time on the offensive end, but just keep working, big fella!  He still shuts down anyone he’s guarding, with active hands and the kind of length that disrupts what teams are trying to do.  I wanted him on the floor more in the second half, but I couldn’t argue with Pat’s decision to stick with more reliable offensive players.

Nick Okorie – When we play teams who lack legit shot blockers, Okorie becomes really dangerous.  He had three plays that stuck out in my mind – an offensive rebound/put back, a key defensive rebound in the last few minutes, and the unbelievable challenge of the last shot from Thomas Mason-Griffin.  Great effort.

Robert Lewandowski – Except for this deal where he thinks it’s last year and the defensive philosophy is to foul anyone driving to the basket, Lew is starting to figure out how to help this team.  Five points and five boards in thirteen minutes, and he’s still the most underrated finisher on this team.

David Tairu – Solid minutes and good defense.  Teams have adjusted to his offensive strengths, so he’s struggling a bit right now trying to find his mid-range game, but what I like is that he knows this and is trying to take good shots in the motion offense.

I’m extremely satisfied with this game, despite the nail-biting at the end.  Sure, we could work on our killer instinct, but this was an OU team that beat Texas on Saturday, and we had them unraveled for about 30 minutes.  This game was huge because, as I said in the pre-game, OU is one of the teams we have to leap-frog in order to have a chance at a tournament bid.  This win pulls us even with OU and OSU.  I’m thoroughly happy about sweeping OU this year.  Suck it, Sooners.  We stomped you in football and swept you in hoops.  It doesn’t make up for last year’s football debacle in Norman, but it’s a start.

Sorry about the pics interspersed throughout.  As my buddy Jones says, “If putting hot, large-breasted students behind the opposing bench becomes commonplace in the Big XII, then I approve.”