Oklahoma falls to No. 21 Gonzaga on the road with an 83-68 loss
Going on the road against Mark Few’s Gonzaga Bulldogs, who rank No. 8 in KenPom, in just the second game of the season was always going to be a tough task. The Sooners ultimately fell 83-68, dropping to 1-1 on the season.
The first half was rough for Oklahoma. The biggest key for this team all season will be keeping Mo Wague out of foul trouble. He wasn’t able to do that Wednesday night, and the Sooners never settled in. They trailed 49-30 at halftime and were outscored 38-4 in points in the paint during the first half.
Oklahoma actually outscored the Bulldogs 38-34 in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the disastrous opening period. Gonzaga’s All-American center Graham Ike led the way with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Xzayvier Brown was Oklahoma’s leading scorer with 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field. Nijel Pack posted 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field and 2-of-9 from three. Here’s a look at some takeaways from the loss in Spokane.
Wague got in early foul trouble
It’s going to be a theme for Oklahoma all season long. Wague simply can’t get into early foul trouble. When he was on the floor, he actually played well, but he picked up two fouls before the first media timeout, which is exactly what Oklahoma can’t afford.
That forced the Sooners to turn to true freshman center Kai Rogers, who is still working his way back from a knee injury, for his collegiate debut against one of the best frontcourts in the country. It was a recipe for disaster, and that’s exactly what happened.
Wague’s absence allowed Gonzaga to dominate in the paint and on the glass. When he was on the floor in the second half, those issues were far less apparent. It will be something to monitor all year. Oklahoma needs Wague, who has battled foul trouble throughout his career, to stay on the floor.
Rough night for Davis
The expectation was for Tae Davis to be one of the Sooners’ most complete players this season. That wasn’t the case in this one. Davis finished with 8 points and 8 rebounds on 3-of-10 shooting with three turnovers in 31 minutes. Only two of his points came in the first half.
When Oklahoma struggled to settle in, Davis was one of the players expected to provide stability. Instead, he couldn’t get much going on either end of the floor. It wasn’t just the lack of scoring, he also struggled to rebound effectively in the first half.
Davis has proven he can score at this level, but Oklahoma will need him to be much better moving forward. It seems like he’s the type of player who has to get involved early in order to find rhythm. The Sooners needed him tonight, and he didn’t deliver.
A lot of turnovers, very few assists
Allowing 49 first-half points was the biggest issue, but Oklahoma’s offense didn’t help either. There was far too much isolation and too many forced shots as the Sooners tried to erase a double-digit deficit in one possession.
Oklahoma finished the night with just five assists and 16 turnovers, which is not a winning formula. Xzayvier Brown, who scored 21 points, had five turnovers. Nijel Pack and Tae Davis each had three.
This team will need time to gel, but the Sooners have to take better care of the ball and create easier looks through ball movement. Right now, the offense isn’t doing enough to make things easier on their scorers.
Final stats
The Sooners will return to action on Tuesday, November 11 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff inside McCasland Field House at 7:00 p.m. on SECN+. Next Saturday, they’ll travel to Sioux Falls to face Nebraska at 6:00 p.m. on Big Ten Network in what will very much be a game Oklahoma needs to have.
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