No. 4 Missouri sneaks by Oklahoma
Marcus Denmon scored 25 points and No. 4 Missouri claimed first place in the Big 12 by edging Oklahoma 71-68 on Monday night.
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No. 4 Missouri holds on to beat Oklahoma (AP)
Marcus Denmon scored 25 points, Ricardo Ratliffe added 15 points and 10 rebounds and No. 4 Missouri claimed first place in the Big 12 by edging Oklahoma 71-68 on Monday night. Oklahoma (13-10, 3-8) had the ball with a chance to tie with 5 seconds left. Romero Osby was fouled with 2.5 seconds left and missed both free throws, and Steven Pledger missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer when the offensive…
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Oklahoma City Thunder: Forget Starting, James Harden Needs to Finish
From the time children are able to play organized basketball to the time the lucky ones are playing in big arenas making big money, being named as a starter is a hot topic.
While it’s much more emotional as a teenager, even professional athletes aspire to hear their name called by the announcer during the pre-game festivities.
When it comes to the NBA, however, any coach will tell you—balance off the bench is often more important for team success than having the best talent in the starting lineup. It’s one of the reasons why the league recognizes the most significant performance from the bench in the form of the sixth man of the year.
For the Oklahoma City Thunder and talented third-year guard James Harden, his role continues to be a topic of discussion. Here’s four reasons why he’s more important on the floor during winning time than when the starters are announced.
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No. 6 Baylor edges Oklahoma State on road
Quincy Acy provided the go-ahead basket and a key offensive rebound down the stretch and No. 6 Baylor edged Oklahoma State on Saturday.
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Oklahoma State’s Markel Brown Should’ve Thought Twice Before Getting Ejected
It’s been 15 months to the day of my last post on Bleacher/Report, so I figured it was a good enough time as any to announce my intentions on coming back to annoy you with more rants about how everyone is wrong and I’m right (because we all know that I am).
So, for all of those who have been eagerly anticipating just that (I’m guessing none of you), here is my re-debut into the world of online writing:
By now I’m sure most of you sports fans have seen the video of Oklahoma State’s Markel Brown jumping out of Gallagher-Iba Arena during the Cowboys’ upset win over No. 2 Missouri on Wednesday night. If not, you must watch it below.
One of the reasons that this dunk has been getting so much attention (besides the obvious), is that Brown was ejected from the game after staring down the Tigers’ Matt Pressey who was kindly introduced to the sophomore’s junk via some major hops.
One of the referees called a technical foul for the celebration, which was Brown’s second violation of the game, resulting in the Cowboys’ fourth leading scorer and second leading rebounder to spend the rest of the big matchup from the locker room.
I’m usually pretty liberal when it comes to guys showboating, especially when they do something that makes my jaw drop, but Brown should’ve known better. There are many officials out there that wouldn’t have called the fouls, but Brown already had a first-hand encounter with the refs just 88 seconds into the game when he was given his first technical after a block on Missouri’s Ricardo Ratliffe.
Due to the importance of the game for Oklahoma State as well as Brown’s significance to his team, he should’ve learned from his mistake and never been ejected. The Cowboys trailed by three after his slam and there were still seven minutes remaining in the contest.
Then again, how could someone tame their emotion when these kind of stare-downs are routine at every level and nearly every sport?
These celebrations aren’t necessarily praised by the media, but when Chandler Parsons can find himself all over ESPN for giving a menacing look to Blake Griffin after this, then why wouldn’t highlight-reel makers like Brown feel the need to do the same just for a little publicity?
Granted, he is no rookie when it comes to being shown on SportsCenter, but who doesn’t like seeing themselves doing incredible things (although I can’t say that I know the feeling)? The problem lies in the self-control that someone must have when they A) know the magnitude of the event that they are a part of, and B) understand that the officials are going to be stingy.
Maybe all athletes need to take a short three week course taught by Buckingham Palace guards or 13-year old Australian Open ball boys on how to contain such emotion.
To be fair though, it is pretty fun to watch.
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Oklahoma State’s Brown dunks, gets ejected
Oklahoma State’s Markel Brown’s dunk on No. 2 Missouri fired up the Cowboys. And got Brown ejected.
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Missouri Basketball: No. 2 Tigers Upset by Hot-Shooting Oklahoma State
That wave of momentum Missouri enjoyed on their way to becoming the No. 2 team in the nation has been destroyed by an Oklahoma State that played a hot hand on Wednesday night.
A four-game winning streak and defeat of a No. 3 Baylor is all a distant memory after Oklahoma State secured a 79-72 upset at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
The Cowboys shot 59.6 percent from the field and saw freshman Le’Bryan Nash go off for 27 points on 12-for-18 shooting.
The love was spread all over the floor for the Cowboys, with Kelton Page finishing with 12 points and five assists and guard Brian Williams chipping in 22 points of his own.
The player of the night was Nash, as the Tigers couldn’t find any consistent measure to corral the budding superstar. He was even precise from beyond the arc, going 3-for-4 from three-point land.
For Missouri, they now have to pick up the pieces and answer for a one-dimensional offense that relied too heavily on big man Ricardo Ratliff.
The forward had 25 points and 12 boards, but the troubles came on the defensive end as well as from beyond the arc.
The No.2 Tigers, who will no doubt tumble, finished the night 4-for-19 from beyond the three-point line and only had four points off the bench.
Things don’t get any easier with a treacherous February that sees them play No. 5 Kansas on the 4th and a grudge match with Baylor on the 11th. There will be no hitting the cruise control into what is a rough part of the year.
Oklahoma State can savor this as the victory of the year. A season of mediocrity has a memorable game to get them through the rest of the season.
A usually hot-shooting Missouri was undone by a team that was on fire Wednesday. A season of upsets and fine finishes continues with yet another top-tier team failing to live up to expectations.
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Oklahoma State upends No. 2 Missouri
Le’Bryan Nash scored a career-high 27 points and Oklahoma State knocked off No. 2 Missouri 79-72 on Wednesday night.
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Oklahoma earns first Big 12 win, upsets No. 18 Kansas State
Andrew Fitzgerald led four Oklahoma players in double figures and the Sooners got their first Big 12 win under coach Lon Kruger.
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Thunderstruck: 6 Reasons Kevin Durant and Oklahoma City Are Ready to Take over
The song “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC is an unbelievable heavy metal hit that brings high energy and has a tendency to pump up even a 77-year-old grandmother.
The Oklahoma City Thunder brand of basketball is similar. They’ve been highly explosive for three seasons now and are ready to challenge the Miami Heat for the NBA crown this summer.
After a devastating loss in the Western Conference Finals to the Dallas Mavericks, the Thunder now have higher expectations. They are experienced, talented and ready to meet those lofty expectations set up not only by themselves, but by the media and the city.
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