OU men’s basketball: Three takeaways from Sooners’ win vs. Kansas State

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OU men’s basketball: Three takeaways from Sooners’ win vs. Kansas State

Thu, 01/21/2021 - 05:16
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Jan. 20—NORMAN — Alondes Williams streaked toward the basket and elevated, slamming the ball home just before the buzzer to put a punctuation mark on a big OU run to end the first half Tuesday night against Kansas State.

The Sooners used their defense to set up their offense once again, holding the Wildcats scoreless for long stretches in a 76-50 win at Lloyd Noble Center. OU closed the half on a 15-2

OU closed the half on a 15-2 run after the Wildcats had taken their first lead of the night.

The game appeared to end on a sour note, though, with De’Vion Harmon, OU’s leading scorer with 16 points and a big part of that big run, being helped from the court, unable to put any weight on his right leg as he was carried to the bench.

But after a moment on the bench, Harmon limped to the locker room under his own power, then returned to the floor soon after, still with a limp but moving much more freely.

“Wasn’t any blow or twisting, just a cramp,” Sooners coach Lon Kruger said. “Relieved, after the game. He said he was fine. After a cramp, you’re a little sore. But yeah, it was pretty intense there for a while.”

Here are three takeaways from the Sooners’ second consecutive home blowout win:

Kuath swats, Harmon breaks set up run

Both the first and last buckets for the Sooners in that 15-2 run to close the half started with Kur Kuath blocking a shot at the other end.

The 6-foot-10 post man had a career-high tying five blocks.

Kuath has had multiple blocks in five consecutive games.

“Kur was great,” Kruger said. “Not only did he block five shots, but he changed some others. Blocks turned into transition. Other guys did a good job of running out and pushing the ball ahead.

“Guys were really connected, especially defensively in the second half.”

Kuath finished with 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting, his first double-digit scoring game in Big 12 play during his career. He also added four rebounds, two assists and two steals.

“It feels good to know that the hard work is paying off,” Kuath said. “I’ve been working for a long time trying to get to this level and prove that I deserve to be at this level. So it just feels good to be able to knock down some shots and be able to have an effect on offense.”

It wasn’t just Kuath making things happen on the defensive end.

During that first-half stretch, the Sooners forced a pair of turnovers and helped hold the Wildcats to 1-of-10 shooting to close the half. Before that closing run, Kansas State was shooting better than 50%. Harmon helped fuel the

Harmon helped fuel the run as well, with a trio of fast-break baskets during the stretch.

Manek returns

For the first time since Jan. 6, Kruger had both Brady Manek and Jalen Hill available after both missed the last two games due to COVID-19 protocol.

Kruger stuck with his fourguard starting lineup, with Elijah Harkless starting in Manek’s usual spot.

Manek came off the bench for the first time since March 15, 2018 — the final game of his freshman season, a firstround NCAA Tournament loss to Rhode Island. Tuesday, he entered the

Tuesday, he entered the game about nine minutes in and quickly got off his first shot, a 3-pointer that bounced off the front of the rim.

But Manek took a charge on the ensuing possession to give the Sooners the ball back.

Manek played 11 minutes, finishing with six points, hitting a late 3-pointer.

It didn’t take Hill quite as long to get into the game, entering a little more than five minutes in.

While Hill returned to practice last week and would’ve been available for Saturday’s Bedlam game before it was postponed, Manek didn’t return to practice until Monday and was only a limited participant after being cleared to return earlier in the day.

“Didn’t know if he was going to be able to be out there, but it was good seeing him out there, get his feet wet and get down a shot.”

Hill scored 6 points, a career-high three steals and a block in 15 minutes. “Jalen, I thought in the sec

“Jalen, I thought in the second half defensively, was outstanding,” Kruger said. “His reactions, instincts defensively created some turnovers. Good to get those two back and good to have them around.”

It only gets tougher

After a pair of blowout wins, the Sooners’ schedule hits its second stretch of four consecutive games against ranked opponents.

In the first one, the Sooners went 1-3, with the lone win coming over then-No. 9 West Virginia.

This stretch starts with OU hosting No. 9 Kansas on Saturday, followed by the first meeting of the season with No. 5 Texas on Jan. 26, a home non-conference game against No. 18 Alabama the following Saturday and a trip to Lubbock to face No. 12 Texas Tech on Feb. 1.

“Confidence is improving with each ballgame,” Kruger said. “Our play is improving with each ballgame. And I think our guys understand that has to continue. In the Big 12, if you’re not getting better, then someone else is going past you.”

The Jayhawks beat the Sooners 63-59 on Jan. 9 in Lawrence.