OU point guard Javian McCollum a 'game-time' decision
OU basketball has probably done enough to earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament, but we don’t know the status of point guard Javian McCollum.
McCollum missed Tuesday’s win vs. Cincinnati with a shoulder injury. Head coach Porter Moser said Friday it will be a game-time call for Saturday at Texas.
“It’ll be a game-time decision for Javian, based on his pain tolerance,” said Moser when asked by SoonerScoop. “We’ll see how that feels. But he’s progressing, for sure, and it will be a game-time decision.”
McCollum injured his shoulder during Monday’s practice. Moser said after Tuesday’s game that there is no structural damage and the X-rays came out negative. The key? It will be about the free range of motion. McCollum didn’t have it Tuesday, so it wasn’t worth risking.
This is an interesting game for OU just because it would be great to win, but not sure it moves the needle much either way. Win or lose, it sure feels like the Sooners and Longhorns will match up again Wednesday in Kansas City in the Big 12 tournament.
Obviously, OU will need Milos Uzan to play a lot better than what he did vs. the Bearcats. That was the worst performance of Uzan’s two-year career at OU. But there was a spark in the form of super senior Maks Klanjscek.
“Absolutely. He had a great stretch,” Moser said. “He had, I think, seven points in a row. His confidence, you can only build on that because he hasn’t been thrust into those situations where the game’s been on the line very often.
“But he is older. He’s really confident. He goes against Javian and ‘Los every single day, so he’s confident. So absolutely. I thought he made some key plays to help us win that game, and we definitely have confidence in him to help us tomorrow.”
OU lost at home to Texas earlier this season. Moser is 0-5 vs. the Longhorns in his three seasons in Norman.
