Rush The Court

Eli Linton is a RTC correspondent. He filed this report after Oklahoma’s 73-63 win over Baylor.

Saturday’s premier matchup — and the country’s only game between ranked opponents — featured #22 Baylor at # 18 Oklahoma in what amounted to two of the nation’s top defenses, and possibly the two best frontcourts in the Big 12. Baylor was the underdog surprise of the season going in. The Bears were selected to finish sixth in the Big 12 preseason poll, but came into Saturday’s Big 12 opener sporting an 11-1 record, including six straight wins. This was the perfect opportunity to showcase their great talent that has helped them rise above expectations. Instead, what we ended up watching was total control by Oklahoma, who won 73-63. The Sooners are starting to pile up wins against quality teams, and are looking more like one of the NCAA’s elite.

Oklahoma has been beating up on Baylor seemingly forever, leading 42-11 in the all-time series between the two programs. The Sooners have been even more dominant when the contest is played in Norman as Oklahoma has won 21 of 25 all-time meetings. Still, this was a matchup of two teams that were considered very close by comparison. Baylor, like Oklahoma, plays tough defense and relies on its talented forwards, junior Rico Gathers and freshman Johnathan Motley. But the touted Baylor zone couldn’t stop Sooners’ guard Buddy Hield or forward TaShawn Thomas, who found a way to lead their team to 73 points again a Bears’ defense that hadn’t allowed more than 66 points in a game all year.

Before Saturday, there were questions about whether Thomas, a Houston transfer, would be ready for the physicality of the Big 12, or if he could handle the talent of Baylor’s bigs. He answered with 24 points to lead all scorers. Hield also imposed his will on the big stage and tallied his second career double-double by posting 20 points and 10 rebounds. Isaiah Cousins added 19 points to give the Sooners 63 combined from their top three scorers. In big games like this, a team’s strengths and weaknesses can really be magnified, and it was Oklahoma that looked like the more complete team. Hield deservedly is going to get some serious consideration for Big 12 Player of the Year. He is the main leadership on the floor for Oklahoma, and he is going to be in the national spotlight soon. On Saturday, he stepped up in a big way, dominating on defense and offense. He was the best player on the floor, and we could be saying that a lot as the season progresses.

After a convincing win like this in the NCAA’s toughest conference, should Oklahoma now be considered a top-10 team? We may need to wait and see what they do against Texas on Monday for a verdict. Looking at their non-conference results, with losses to Creighton and Washington, the Sooners seem to be properly ranked. But based on the way they handled Baylor, and the way their defense has played all season, they may be headed that way. KenPom has them ranked in the top 10 as the best team in the Big 12, with a top-five adjusted defensive rank before the win against Baylor. They are second in rebounds per game, and arguably have the best frontcourt/backcourt combo in the conference with Thomas and Hield. There is a case to be made for it, and we will see how the Sooners fair against other top Big 12 opponents in the coming weeks.

I think Baylor will be just fine going forward. Their defense and athleticism will keep them in the NCAA Tournament conversation. This conference sent seven teams to the Dance last year, and Baylor will likely finish fourth or fifth, with potential for more if they work through some of the issues that Oklahoma exposed. They struggled to move the ball in the second half. A lot of times the ball would stop after one pass, guys would try to take the Oklahoma defenders one-on-one, and that was not going to end well with their stifling defense in the post. The Bears’ offense was not working, and they didn’t have the same rhythm or chemistry that Oklahoma was showing on the court. Baylor got beat badly in transition, and it really cut down on the effectiveness of that zone. Oklahoma has to deal with Texas on the road this week, and West Virginia the following, but after what we have seen to this point of the season, a Big 12 championship is not out of the question. It is definitely something on everyone’s mind in Norman.

“That’s in every teams head in the Big 12,” said Hield after Saturday’s win. “Everybody wants to be a champion. That’s our goal.” The Big 12 hasn’t been won by anyone but Kansas for 10 years, and the level of competition in the conference has once again made it the toughest to win, but Oklahoma is off to the start they need, and now have the defense, the right players, and the confidence to take the next step. “Well, like Buddy said, every player in the country wants to win a championship,” said head coach Lon Kruger, “but the teams that get better day to day and through conference play are the ones that are going to have a chance at the end. There are going to be good teams that aren’t going to be [at] the top of the division. We just have to get better and I think our guys understand that.”