Sooners’ Young is One Shining Ratings Moment

Once Trae Young was being presented to the nation as college basketball’s Steph Curry and Oklahoma’s games were being televised nationally as often as Golden State Warriors games you knew how this could play out in March.

Not even eight losses in its last 10 games, including a 30-point loss at Kansas, could keep Oklahoma and Young out of the NCAA Tournament. The Sooners finished with a losing record in the Big 12 and were knocked out of their conference tournament in the first round and yet they still received an at-large bid over more deserving schools like USC, St. Mary’s and Notre Dame.

Why? Trae Young. He is the biggest name in college basketball this season with an NBA game, drawing comparisons to Curry.

The One Shining Moment tournament needs stars and that’s where Young comes in. And the NCAA, along with CBS and

However, Nowitzki is still a contributing player and leader for an organization that is rebuilding. He has missed just one game this season while starting the other 66. Durability has been one of his strengths. In non-lockout seasons, Nowitzki has appeared in less than 73 games just twice. He has not ruled out playing next season.

Staying healthy has been a challenge for Porzingis, who suffered a season-ending knee injury last month. Coming into the season, Porzingis missed 26 TBS, were not about to throw a party for 68 teams and not have Young be among its invited guests.

Here was the explanation from Bruce Rasmussen, the athletic director at Creighton, who is in his first year as chairman of the selection committee: “We look at the entire body of work. So we look at all the games. The games in November, December count the same as the games in February and March. And Oklaho- ma had six wins against top 35 RPI (teams). They had some absolutely great wins. We know that they stumbled down the stretch, and that certainly affected their seeding, but they had enough on their resume to get in.”

Sure, games in November and December certainly do count. But Oklahoma lost 11 of its last 15 games. They’ve yet to win a road game in 2018. USC finished second games over two years.

“Dirk loves to play and he loves to compete,” Harper said. “He holds every franchise record except for assists and steals. He told me the other night he was coming for my record and the next thing you know he’s throwing dimes all over the court.”

Dirk has come a long way from the player Harper remembers training with during the summer lockout in 1998. It was the summer prior to Harper’s last season and Dirk’s first.

“Every time he had the ball he in the Pac-12 and was runner-up in their conference tournament and gets snubbed.

For you conspiracy theorists out there, USC is also one of the bubble schools being investigated by the FBI. The committee says the federal case had no bearing on the at-large bids. If so, the FBI should investigate the committee for giving Oklahoma the nod over three programs currently on the government watch list: Louisville, Oklahoma State and USC.

St. Mary’s was ranked 19th in the country last week. Oklahoma once got as high as No. 4 before the wheels fell off. But the Sooners have Young, the good looking, baby-faced, streak shooting point guard.

The NCAA Tournament is a television show. Television needs stars and Young is certainly that.

He’s averaging 27.4 points and 8.7 was trying to be the facilitator,” Harper said over the telephone. “I asked him a simple question: ‘what is the strength to your game?’ He told me ‘I’m a shooter.’ So I said ‘than shoot. Don’t (bleeping) pass.’ And he’s never stopped shooting.

“This kid changed the game. Now everybody wants a stretch this or a stretch that. That’s why everyone wants to find the next Dirk. And they should. That’s what makes Porzingis so intriguing. He could be that guy.” assists over 31 games. Those are impressive numbers for a freshman. Young, expected to be one-and-doner, is a lottery pick.

But his numbers have gone down as teams properly scouted Oklahoma and designed their game plans to harass Young. In three of his last eight games — all losses — Young shot 7-for-21 in each game. In his last three games he shot a combined 8 for 33 on 3-pointers.

As Young struggled, Oklahoma lost. But in the end, they won.

“It’s almost unjustifiable," said ESPN’s Jay Bilas.

Actually, it is very justifiable. The NCAA wanted its biggest star, so the record and the way Oklahoma finished didn’t matter.

Trae Young University received its atlarge bid in November. That was the moment he became college basketball’s biggest television star.