3 takeaways from win against Creighton
NORMAN — Lloyd Noble Center was supposed to stage a shooting showcase Tuesday night.
Creighton came to town as the nation’s best 3-point shooting team. But the Bluejays were just 7 of 30 from deep and their leading scorers, guards Ty-Shon Alexander and Mitch Ballock, left Norman with little to show for on the stat sheet.
In what has become the norm, it was defense that carried Oklahoma as it beat Creighton 83-70 in front of a crowd of 4,480. The Sooners moved to 10-1 with just one game remaining before Big 12 play begins.
After trailing 10-4 to start the game, the Sooners went on a 20-2 run. Oklahoma never relinquished the lead after that.
Brady Manek led OU in scoring with 18 points on 7 of 10 shooting. Five Sooners finished in double-figures.
Here are three takeaways from the game:
Odomes tallies season highs
Rashard Odomes knew Joe Castiglione was in his usual seat along the south baseline.
So when Odomes drove for an and-1 with 13:19 left in the game, the senior forward celebrated by walking over to Castiglione and giving him a high-five.
It was a rare athleteathletic director in-game interaction.
“We gotta get it right next time,” a smiling Odomes told Castiglione in the tunnel after the game. “You almost missed it.”
Odomes played his best game of the season Tuesday night. He logged a season-high 13 points on 6 of 8 shooting in a season-high 23 minutes off OU’s bench.
Odomes had a highlight reel stretch in the first half when he scored eight consecutive points for the Sooners.
After starting 55 games in the last two seasons, Odomes has come off the bench every game this season.
He's not always a scoring threat, but Odomes has established himself as a lockdown defender.
Doolittle shines in different role
For the first time this season, junior forward Kristian Doolittle wasn’t in OU’s starting lineup.
Coach Lon Kruger started Aaron Calixte, Miles Reynolds and Christian James in the backcourt with Brady Manek and Jamuni McNeace in the frontcourt.
Doolittle didn’t seem to mind.
Like Odomes, Doolittle notched season-highs in points (13) and minutes (34) Tuesday night.
He attacked the rim against smaller Creighton defenders, shooting 4 of 7 from the field and 5 of 6 from the free throw line. Doolittle and Odomes made their biggest impacts on the defensive end,
using their length and quickness to crowd Creighton's shooters.
Defending the perimeter
The Bluejays came into the game shooting 45 percent from three. They made just 7 of 30 (23 percent) long-range attempts against the Sooners.
Creighton guard Mitch Ballock, a 50 percent 3-point shooter, was 0 for 9.
“If he throws in three or four of those, it’s a different game,” Creighton coach Greg McDermott said.
Ty-Shon Alexander, Creighton’s leading scorer, was scoreless at halftime and finished with just nine points.
Oklahoma’s defense is able to switch any matchup thanks to athletic forwards such as Odomes and Doolittle. Creighton's shooters couldn't get comfortable.