Oklahoma Knocks Off Kansas...Somehow

College basketball fans around the country were treated to a great Big 12 matchup between the Kansas Jayhawks and the Trae Young-led Oklahoma Sooners. (5) Kansas headed into Norman boasting a 5-game winning streak and looking like the clear favorites in the conference. (12) Oklahoma, meanwhile, looked shaky heading into tonight's game, having lost their last two games to unranked opponents. There were also a lot of questions about just how effective Trae Young really was. Even though he poured in 48 points against Oklahoma State, he did so on 39 shots and had 7 turnovers. 

On Tuesday we saw a new Trae Young. One that was calmer, smarter and more poised emerged and led his team to a 85-80 victory. Young had a beautiful statline in what might have been his best performance all season. The freshman had 26 points on 7/9 shooting (2/3 3pt; 10/12 FT) with 9 assists and 4 rebounds. Furthermore, Young only committed 5 turnovers, which is an improvement given his current numbers. I, unlike most people, am not sold on Trae Young being NPOY just yet, but if he keeps churning out these performances, then it really won't be a contest come the announcement. 

Kansas should've won this game. The Jayhawks were up 10 points with 9 minutes to play, but then a a critical tactical error spoiled their game. With about 4 minutes left in the game, Oklahoma started to hack sophomore center Udoka Azubuike whenever he touched the ball, forcing the 41% free throw shooter to #makehisthrows for Kansas to stay in the game. He did not. Azubuike went 0-6 during this stretch and finished 1-7 for the game. Hack-A-Doka worked brilliantly for the Sooners, as they were able to climb back into the game and take the lead for good with a minute left. This is on Coach Bill Self. Sure you can get mad at Azubuike for missing the free throws, but Bill Self has to get him as far out of the game as possible in that situation. Kansas wasted four key offensive possessions with Azubuike bricks, and that cost them the game. 

Overall, my opinions of these two teams don't really change much after this game. I still think Kansas will win the Big 12, and I still think Oklahoma will flame out in the tournament. It was a really impressive win for the Sooners, but this style of play just isn't sustainable in March. With Kansas, I am falling into the trap again. I promised myself that I would never pick Kansas to get to the Final Four after they disappointed me last year, but here I am again singing their praises. Whatever. I still have 6.5 weeks to get my mind out of Phog Allen Fieldhouse.