Basketball
Oklahoma’s first season in the SEC hasn’t gone as planned thus far.
The No. 17 Sooners fell 72-62 to Georgia on Saturday. The loss comes after defeats against No. 5 Alabama and No. 10 Texas A&M to open OU’s first season in the SEC.
The Sooners, after finishing 13-0 in the non-conference portion of their schedule, are 0-3 in SEC play.
Here are three takeaways from the game:
The Sooners couldn’t keep up with the Bulldogs in the second half.
In just about every aspect of basketball, Georgia outplayed OU in the second half on Saturday. The Bulldogs had the advantage in rebounding, offensive rebounding, points in the paint, blocks and field-goal percentage, which allowed them to escape with their 10-point win.
Rebounding was again a struggle for the Sooners.
Oklahoma collected only 33 rebounds to Georgia’s 41. The Bulldogs also snagged 12 offensive boards to the Sooners’ 10.
Oklahoma led the Bulldogs 36-33 at halftime before eventually clinching their 10-point victory.
Freshman guard Jeremiah Fears is one of the best players in college basketball, and opposing teams have caught onto that.
Entering the game averaging 18 points per game, Fears scored just two against the Bulldogs on Saturday. The freshman guard went 1-of-11 from the field and committed four turnovers in his 22 minutes on the floor.
Fears has been a staple for OU thus far, winning SEC Freshman of the Week Twice.
He was named to the Wooden Award Top 25 Watch List this week, meaning he was one of the 25-most impressive players in the nation during the first few weeks of the season.
But Saturday’s dismal performance will almost certainly be a wake-up call for the freshman. With his team now winless in league play, he will know the importance of every game going forward.
After going 13-0 in the non-conference portion of their schedule, the Sooners are 0-3 in SEC play.
Oklahoma’s Saturday loss comes after defeats against No. 5 Alabama and No. 10 Texas A&M.
The Sooners are now just one of five SEC teams winless in conference play, along with Texas, Arkansas, LSU and South Carolina.
Next for Oklahoma is the Red River Rivalry. The Sooners will host Texas on Wednesday, looking for their first SEC win in franchise history.
Though Texas is 11-5 overall, the Longhorns have struggled thus far in their first season of SEC basketball. The Longhorns lost their SEC opener to No. 10 Texas A&M before dropping their next two games against No. 2 Auburn and No. 1 Tennessee.
Tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m., and it is planned to be broadcast on SEC Network.
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