Three weeks into the season, college basketball is down to just 13 undefeated teams. We’ll be in for a treat tonight when two of those teams, Oklahoma and Villanova, square off at the Pearl Harbor Classic in Hawai’i. When people talk about the Sooners, they generally lead with the play of All-American Buddy Hield, and with good reason. The story of his transformation from Bahamian sleeper recruit to National Player Of The Year candidate on a top 10 team is worth telling.
Buddy Hield leads Oklahoma against Villanova in tonight’s clash of unbeatens. (David K Purdy/Getty Images)
While the Sooners aren’t lacking for weapons outside of Hield, he’s taken an even bigger role in his team’s offense and he’s only improved (albeit against suspect competition). His true shooting percentage, which measures collective efficiency on two-point shots, three-pointers and free throws, has risen from 54.5 percent to 62.0 percent this season, largely on the strength of improved accuracy from beyond the three-point line and the foul line. He has also done a better job of involving his teammates in Lon Kruger‘s offense, as his assist rate has improved from 13.2 percent to 16.2 percent this season.Additionally, Oklahoma’s opponents are struggling to contain the senior, fouling him an average of 7.1 times per 40 minutes.
As special as Hield has been, Oklahoma’s complementary players are worth much more ink than they’ve received. Ryan Spangler keeps the Sooners’ inside game steady with consistent rebounding and finishing down low, and Khadeem Lattin and Akolda Manyang have provided the help needed to fill the void left by TaShawn Thomas’ departure. As a sophomore, Lattin is making life miserable for opposing forwards with his rebounding and shot-altering ability despite only playing about 15 minutes per contest; meanwhile, the seven-foot Manyang has been a shot-blocking force in limited opportunities as he’s adjusted to the college level.
Perhaps the one dimension where Oklahoma has transformed itself the most, though, has been with its three-point shooting. Opponents always have had to respect Hield’s ability to light it up, but deadly accuracy from Jordan Woodard (55 percent, including a stretch last Thursday where he hit six treys over a 3:30 span) and Isaiah Cousins (45%) have made the Sooners’ three-point arsenal the sixth-most potent unit in the country at 44.6 percent. While long-distance shooting hasn’t accounted for much of Oklahoma’s offense in the grand scheme of its attack (Just 31.5% of their shots have come from deep, 252nd nationally), it’s been an incredibly effective element of the team’s production this season.
The opposite is true of Oklahoma’s opponent tonight. A staggering 50.3 percent of Villanova’s shot attempts this year have come from deep, although at just 30.9 percent shooting, the three-heavy orientation hasn’t been quite as potent as its heavy usage might suggest. Still, Oklahoma will need to keep a close watch on Ryan Arcidiacono, Josh Hart and Kris Jenkins, each of whom can get hot at a moment’s notice.
When the Wildcats aren’t firing at will, they’re excelling at the pick-and-roll. As revealed by SI.com‘s Luke Winn, Villanova is averaging 1.30 points per possession out of pick-and-rolls facilitated by freshman guard Jalen Brunson. Big man Daniel Ochefu likes to finish on those plays, so it will be important for the Sooners’ backcourt to keep watch on screens and for Spangler and Lattin to stay at home, making it tough for Ochefu to convert at the rim. The Sooners will face off against what is easily their toughest competition of the season to date (Villanova ranks #1 in KenPom). Their chances of remaining unbeaten hinge on staying close to Villanova’s shooters and utilizing their muscle inside, which they should be able to do.