The recollections of the game are still fresh. Oklahoma?s and Villanova?s opinions on what happened Dec. 7 at Bloch Arena in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii haven?t evolved in four months.
The Sooners? 78-55 victory was a defining game in multiple ways. It launched OU into the discussion as a possible Final Four team. The Wildcats saw it as a wake-up call.
They?ll find out if anything has truly changed when they meet at 5:09 p.m. Saturday at NRG Stadium. Their NCAA Tournament matchup serves as the Final Four?s tipoff.
The Sooners have downplayed the significance of the first meeting since both teams advanced last Saturday.
?They are a completely different team right now than they were back in December,? said OU guard Buddy Hield, who could hardly move anywhere but the court without a swarm of reporters engulfing him. ?They have a lot of confidence now ? It?s going to be a tough battle and I?m looking forward to it.?
The Sooners (28-7) would much rather face the Villanova squad it faced in December. The Wildcats (33-5) had all the same players then. The experience was missing.
Early non-conference games have a different feel than anything after the New Year. The NCAA Tournament is an entirely different animal regarding detailed preparation.
In early December, most teams? scouting more reports are based on returning players from last season. Villanova?s game plan was to slow Hield. It was effective. The OU guard, who wouldn?t become a national sensation for another month, scored 18 points that day. He needed 17 shots to do it.
The plan didn?t bother the Sooners. Isaiah Cousins scored 19 points and handed out 10 assists. He was 4 for 4 from 3-point range. The only starter who didn?t score in double figures was Khadeem Lattin. The Sooners put on a jump-shooting clinic, going 14 for 26 from 3-point range.
?We know how good all the other guys are, because the other guys hurt us in that game,? Villanova coach Jay Wright said. ?Cousins was incredible, Woodard, Lattin played well, Spangler. Our guys know. I think our guys have a different perspective on this Oklahoma team than maybe the national fan base that just watched Buddy put up big numbers.?
There was another factor in that game in Hawaii that won?t be present Saturday. Bloch Arena wasn?t air conditioned. OU forward Khadeem Lattin compared it to playing in a summer league game in Houston.
?It was hot,? Villanova forward Daryl Reynolds said. ?It was weird because there was a fan going, but it was humid. Our attitude was everyone was playing the same condition.?
The Wildcats won 26 of their 30 games that followed. The last one grabbed OU?s attention like a boa constrictor wrapping around your neck. Villanova took down Kansas in last Saturday?s Midwest Regional final.
?They beat Kansas, and we lost to them twice,? OU guard Jordan Woodard said. ?They have to be doing something right.?
Where Villanova was deficient was scoring four months ago. It shot just 31.7 percent from the field and just 12.5 percent from 3-point range.
?The first thing that comes into my mind is us shooting 4 for 32 from 3,? Villanova guard Ryan Arcidiacono said. ?After watching film, we were not really connected defensively. We didn?t know exactly how to defend certain personnel. I think with this experience throughout the season I think we have gotten a lot better knowing which guy to take 3s away from and which guy to close out on.?
The Wildcats watched the game in small pieces, beginning on Tuesday. The Sooners have too. But what OU?s focused on differs. OU coach Lon Kruger doesn?t show the score. The attention is on the personnel. Villanova?s victory over Kansas magnified the point he?s tried to make since practices resumed Monday.
?They didn?t make shots, we did. That?s kind of it,? Kruger said. ?I was watching film. I was hoping to see a bigger difference than that, but it wasn?t anything bigger than that. They just didn?t shoot the ball very well.?
They?ll likely shoot it better Saturday. The Sooners will likely connect at a lower rate than it did in December.
The teams? opinion on the four-month-old game stayed the same. Their evolutions as teams will be on display at NRG Stadium.
--John Shinn
The Sooners? 78-55 victory was a defining game in multiple ways. It launched OU into the discussion as a possible Final Four team. The Wildcats saw it as a wake-up call.
They?ll find out if anything has truly changed when they meet at 5:09 p.m. Saturday at NRG Stadium. Their NCAA Tournament matchup serves as the Final Four?s tipoff.
The Sooners have downplayed the significance of the first meeting since both teams advanced last Saturday.
?They are a completely different team right now than they were back in December,? said OU guard Buddy Hield, who could hardly move anywhere but the court without a swarm of reporters engulfing him. ?They have a lot of confidence now ? It?s going to be a tough battle and I?m looking forward to it.?
The Sooners (28-7) would much rather face the Villanova squad it faced in December. The Wildcats (33-5) had all the same players then. The experience was missing.
Early non-conference games have a different feel than anything after the New Year. The NCAA Tournament is an entirely different animal regarding detailed preparation.
In early December, most teams? scouting more reports are based on returning players from last season. Villanova?s game plan was to slow Hield. It was effective. The OU guard, who wouldn?t become a national sensation for another month, scored 18 points that day. He needed 17 shots to do it.
The plan didn?t bother the Sooners. Isaiah Cousins scored 19 points and handed out 10 assists. He was 4 for 4 from 3-point range. The only starter who didn?t score in double figures was Khadeem Lattin. The Sooners put on a jump-shooting clinic, going 14 for 26 from 3-point range.
?We know how good all the other guys are, because the other guys hurt us in that game,? Villanova coach Jay Wright said. ?Cousins was incredible, Woodard, Lattin played well, Spangler. Our guys know. I think our guys have a different perspective on this Oklahoma team than maybe the national fan base that just watched Buddy put up big numbers.?
There was another factor in that game in Hawaii that won?t be present Saturday. Bloch Arena wasn?t air conditioned. OU forward Khadeem Lattin compared it to playing in a summer league game in Houston.
?It was hot,? Villanova forward Daryl Reynolds said. ?It was weird because there was a fan going, but it was humid. Our attitude was everyone was playing the same condition.?
The Wildcats won 26 of their 30 games that followed. The last one grabbed OU?s attention like a boa constrictor wrapping around your neck. Villanova took down Kansas in last Saturday?s Midwest Regional final.
?They beat Kansas, and we lost to them twice,? OU guard Jordan Woodard said. ?They have to be doing something right.?
Where Villanova was deficient was scoring four months ago. It shot just 31.7 percent from the field and just 12.5 percent from 3-point range.
?The first thing that comes into my mind is us shooting 4 for 32 from 3,? Villanova guard Ryan Arcidiacono said. ?After watching film, we were not really connected defensively. We didn?t know exactly how to defend certain personnel. I think with this experience throughout the season I think we have gotten a lot better knowing which guy to take 3s away from and which guy to close out on.?
The Wildcats watched the game in small pieces, beginning on Tuesday. The Sooners have too. But what OU?s focused on differs. OU coach Lon Kruger doesn?t show the score. The attention is on the personnel. Villanova?s victory over Kansas magnified the point he?s tried to make since practices resumed Monday.
?They didn?t make shots, we did. That?s kind of it,? Kruger said. ?I was watching film. I was hoping to see a bigger difference than that, but it wasn?t anything bigger than that. They just didn?t shoot the ball very well.?
They?ll likely shoot it better Saturday. The Sooners will likely connect at a lower rate than it did in December.
The teams? opinion on the four-month-old game stayed the same. Their evolutions as teams will be on display at NRG Stadium.
--John Shinn
