OKLAHOMA UPENDS KANSAS; MCNEACE FIGHTS THROUGH ANKLE INJURY,
NORMAN — Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger earned Tuesday’s 85-80 Sooners win over Kansas.
After the game, Kruger wanted to point to everything else his team did correctly down the stretch —big 3-pointers by Christian James and Brady Manek, terrific facilitating by Trae Young, uncanny free-throw accuracy by Rashard Odomes, strong defense in slowing down Devonte’ Graham.
“Kansas is the best at scoring late — late-game situations,” Kruger said. “It worked out fine. More importantly, our guys made shots on the other end.”
But make no mistake, Kruger’s decision to throw out the “Hack-a-Dok” strategy in repeatedly fouling Udoka Azubuike was among the biggest factors in turning around Oklahoma’s recent tough fortunes and keeping the Big 12 race interesting for at least another week or two.
“We definitely needed those,” James said of the extra possessions created by the decision to go after Azubuike. “Coach had a great strategy for that to get us a couple of possessions back. I feel like we capitalized on that.”
With 3:46 left and the No. 5 Jayhawks leading by two, Kruger looked down the bench at Lloyd Noble Center and called on sophomore forward Matt Freeman to enter the game in place of Khadeem Latin.
It was a role Freeman hadn’t played all season but Kruger needed a big body with fouls to give to close out the game.
Freeman’s minutes had dwindled of late and he finished with a season-low in minutes but he’d never made as big of a contribution as he did against Kansas.
No time came off the clock before Freeman found his intended target — Azubuike, Kansas’ 7-foot big man.
In less than two minutes, Freeman jogged off the floor to a hero’s ovation after having picked up his fifth foul.
“It was definitely frustrating because we didn’t really get a chance to run anything,” Graham said of the repeated trips to the free throw for the Jayhawks’ big sophomore.
“But I guess it was pretty smart on them doing it.”
Freeman missed his only shot — a 3-pointer — and turned the ball over once but played as big a role as anyone in helping the Sooners regain some momentum in their turnaround season.
Azubuike missed all five free throws he took after Kruger sicced Freeman on him, giving the Sooners four possessions leading to just one free throw but turning the tide of the game.
The Sooners outscored the Jayhawks 9-2 from the time Freeman entered the game.
Kruger used four players in the middle against the Jayhawks, forcing them to alter their rotation even well before Freeman was called off the bench.
Jamuni McNeace was limited to 14 minutes after rolling his ankle in Saturday’s loss against Oklahoma State.
So Kruger was forced to instead go with freshman Hannes Polla as the first big off the bench. It was Polla’s first appearance since the first Bedlam game Jan. 3.
Trae Young’s brilliance for much of the season has taken plenty of the focus away from Kruger’s decision-making.
Tuesday — like other days — Kruger would’ve rather shined the light anywhere else but at himself, but the someday Hall-of-Famer outdueled the coach who recently entered the Hall of Fame.