`D' HARMON-Y
Sooners shut down Wildcats in tuneup for another four-game stretch vs. Top 25 foes
NORMAN—Al on des Williams streaked toward the basket and elevated, slamming the ball home just before the buzzer to put a punctuation mark on a big OU run to end the first half Tuesday night against Kansas State.
The Sooner sus ed their defense to setup their offense once again, holding the Wildcats scoreless for long stretches in a 76-50 win at Lloyd Noble Center.
OU closed t he half on a 15-2 run after the Wildcats had taken their first lead of the night.
Harm on, who scored a game- high 16 points, was carried off the court with about six minutes left by a pair of OU assistant coaches, not putting any weight on his right leg as he made his way to the bench.
After a moment there, he limped to the locker room under his own power.
However, after the game, coach Lon Kruger said Harmon had a leg cramp and is expected to be fine.
Here are three takeaways from the Sooners' second consecutive home blowout win:
Kuath swats, Harmon breaks set up run
Both the first and last buckets for the Sooners in that 15-2 run to close the half started with Kur Kuath blocking a shot at the other end.
The 6-foot-10 post man had a career-high tying five blocks.
Kuath has had multiple blocks i n five consecutive games.
It wasn't just Kuath making things happen on the defensive end.
During that stretch, the Sooners forced a pair of turnovers and helped hold the Wildcats to 1-of-10 shooting to close the half. Before that closing run, Kansas State was shooting better than 50%.
Harmon helped f uel the run as well, with a trio of fast- break baskets during the stretch.
Manek returns
For the first time since Jan. 6, Kruger had both Brady Manek and Jalen Hill available after both missed the last two games due to COVID-19 protocol.
Kruger stuck with his fourguard starting lineup, with Elijah Harkless starting in Manek's usual spot.
Manek came off the bench for the first time since March 15, 2018 — the final game of his freshman season, a firstround NCAA Tournament loss to Rhode Island.
Tuesday, he entered the game about nine minutes in and quickly got off his first shot, a 3-pointer that bounced off the front of the rim.
But Manek took a charge on the ensuing possession to give the Sooners the ball back.
Manek played 11 minutes, finishing with six points, hitting a late 3-pointer.
It didn't take Hill quite as long to get into the game,
entering a little more than five minutes in. Hill scored six points in 15 minutes.
It only gets tougher
After a pair of blowout wins, the Sooners' schedule hits its second stretch of four consecutive games against ranked opponents.
In the first one, the Sooners went 1-3, with the lone win coming over then-No. 9 West Virginia.
This stretch starts with OU hosting No. 9 Kansas on Saturday, followed by the first meeting of the season with No. 5 Texas on Jan. 26, a home non-conference game against No. 18 Alabama the following Saturday and a trip to Lubbock to face No. 12 Texas Tech on Feb. 1.