OK Sports Report

High School Basketball Changes

There are many things to love about Oklahoma High School Basketball. For example the David vs. Goliath match-ups at The Tournament of Champions, the tradition of The Big House, and the crazy exclamatory statements uttered from the spectators that make you remember that Oklahoma is a football state.
 
However, nothing is ever perfect. Below I've identified four changes that would improve Oklahoma High School basketball.

Most would guess that the first change in high school basketball would be the implementation of a shot clock. However, small schools across the state wouldn't be able to afford the installation and maintenance of a working shot clock. Many schools already have trouble keeping the lights and scoreboard operating . Adding one more piece of equipment to manage (even if it's meant to speed up the game) the effect in many cases will be a slower game due to stoppages of play from a malfunctioning shot clock.   This list will only outline realistic changes that can be made

1. Switch from 4 eight minute quarters to 2 sixteen minute halves 
One of the least spectator friendly sequences in a high school basketball game is when a coach decides to turn the last two minutes of a quarter into the last possession of the quarter. The team stalls the ball by passing and dribbling on the perimeter until there is only enough time on the clock for one final shot. By switching from four quarters to two halves, it will substantially reduce such instances from occurring and the game will have an overall better flow.
 
Of course if this change was implemented each team would need to be given another timeout.
 
2. Have Three Referees for Every State Final Game
 
The 6A and 5A state finals already have three officials referee their games. However, every other classification is sticking with the standard two officials for their state title games.
 
Last year I posed this question to one official who stated that the small school coaches don't want three officials.  Many of the smaller schools can't afford the cost of an extra referee during the regular season and the coaches think that three officials for playoffs would change the game they have been playing all year.
 
I don't understand this. Wouldn't another referee on the court just increase the accuracy of the officiating crew's calls?
 
I can respect their decision if the coaches want to sacrifice a higher degree of accuracy in the officiating in order to duplicate the in-game environment from all their other games. But I've seen many state title games and the coaches do not come down any easier on an official for missing a call. Hey Coach, maybe if there were three referees then that call might not have been blown.
 
Just because a certain way is different, doesn't mean it's not better.
 
3. Increased Accountability From Fans, Students, and Parents
 
As much amusement as I get out of the ridiculous remarks by a completely biased crowd, it seems more and more statements are crossing the line of decency. (I once sat in front of a player's mom who cussed more than any sailor I've ever met.)
 
Even worse is there isn't a concrete way to solve the problem. The best solution is to create a culture in the school that doesn't tolerate parents and "adults" heckling high school kids. 
 
4. Increased Credibility for the All-State Team
 
The OSSAA does not choose the All-State Basketball Team. The Daily Oklahoman and the Tulsa World both choose an All-State Team but the All-State Team chosen by the Oklahoma Coaches Association (OCA) is widely recognized as "the" all-state team. 
 
When Mike Soap wasn't on the 2008 Boys Basketball All-State team it was obvious the selection criteria had to include factors other than players' on-court production. The voters should make their All-State selections based solely on the their play and not on the popularity and campaigning of his or her coach (or any other factor).  
 
Dustin Talley can be reached at DTalley@oksportsreport.com.

Posted by Dustin Talley at 1/5/2009 | View Comments (3) | Add Comment

Beckman, We Hardly Knew Thee

When I was a teenager I worked at the small-town radio station of AM 1240 KOKL out of Okmulgee, OK.   In my time there I "produced" (it sounds glamorous but all I did was play comercials and count backwards from five to the guys broadcasting the games) sporting events, hosted the hit show "Tradio" (We dominated the over 85 demographic) and answered the phones. Several times a week I would get a phone call from someone requesting a certain song be played to commemorate an anniversary or a loved one's birthday. Then I would have to explain to the caller that the voice they were hearing does not originate from Okmulgee, OK and their favorite country music disc jockey doesn't shop at the same Boy Howdy store they do. I would then break the news to the dejected caller that KOKL uses a satelite feed and it was not within my power to play Tennessee Whiskey by David Allan Coe.

Last Thursday I checked my facebook account, and on my wall I saw the words "Bart Ives is wondering why OSU coach Tim Beckman would want to leave and go to coach Toledo? Sounds like a topic for OKSR."

What do these two stories have to do with eachother? While AM 1240 KOKL in Okmulgee doesn't take requests, OKSportsReport.com does.

The last two years Tim Beckman transformed Oklahoma State's defense from laughing stock to a decent respectible unit. As the level of athletes OSU was successfully recruiting increased, Cowboy fans expected Beckman's defense to make another leap from decent to good. However Beckman bolted from OSU for the browner pastures of Toledo.

In some ways Beckman is like that investor that sold their stock long before it reached maximum value. OKSR was one of the first to proclaim Texas A&M the new Baylor. Why can't Oklahoma state at least become the new Texas A&M (with Baylor becoming the new Oklahoma State)? The desireabilty of a coordinator is largely based on the success of their teams and the longevity of that success. Beckman would've been on more athletic director's wish lists if he would've stayed at least through the Zac Robinson era. He could have stayed and waited on an offer from a BCS conference school.

One thing that is certain is that Beckman didn't leave for a big payday. Oklahoma State is second among Big 12 schools in assistant salaries. Oklahoma State was paying Beckman $303,000 per year. At Toledo he'll reportedly make 360,000 per year plus incentives.

Two in state coordinators that recently left for mid-level head coaching jobs are the recently fired Chuck Long (9-27 in three seasons) and the currently mediocre (6-6 at Southern Miss) Larry Fedora. Combine that with the fact that Toledo just fired a coach that went to four bowl games and won two MAC Championships in eight years, and it certainly is difficult to understand the reasoning behind the decision.

If it were me I would stay in Stillwater at least a few more years until I was offered a position at a BCS conference school. At the rate some BCS programs are going through head coaches, Beckman's name is likely to come up at some point.

It's reasonable to assume this was a family decision. Beckman is from Ohio. He went to high school and college in Ohio. He coached in Ohio for the eight years prior to coming to Oklahoma State. Maybe he's moving closer to both his parents and his in-laws. If Beckman's move was a decision for his family, then despite all the mitigating factors I really can't fault him.

 Dustin Talley can be reached at DTalley@oksportsreport.com.

Posted by Dustin Talley at 12/8/2008 | View Comments (3) | Add Comment

College Football Week Fourteen Preview

39 - 33.com
Last night the Texas Longhorns had the national stage to state their case as to why they should be ranked ahead of Oklahoma and get the tiebreaker to earn a birth in the Big 12 title game. The game itself didn't do much to bolster Texas' chances. Texas A&M is awful and the Horns' victory over the Aggies isn't any more impressive than the 66 - 28 beating OU gave them at Kyle Field. However, the Horns' were trying to brand 45 - 35 in the minds of everyone who would pay attention to them. ESPN even interviewed the creater of the facebook group "Texas did beat OU 45 -35, lest we forget." The Texas fans are right. In the event of a two-way tie for the division lead the tiebreaker should ALWAYS go to the winner of the head-to-head matchup.

So that settles that...

However, the Big 12 South doesn't have a two-way tie, but a three-way tie. Simply comparing head-to-head results will not give you a clear cut answer. Texas beat Oklahoma 45 -35, Texas Tech beat Texas 39 - 33, and Oklahoma beat Texas Tech 65 - 21. The Texas athletic department and their fans need to realize there are three teams in the mix, not two.

Texas' flawed arguement was best exposed in the ESPN interview with the creator of the pro-Texas to the Big 12 Championship facebook group.

Chris Fowler: What if Texas Tech wants to make a 39 - 33.com?

Student: Uhhh.....?

With the system that is in place, there is no right answer to the three-way tie. Both Texas and Oklahoma seem to have a legitimate claim with Texas Tech falling behind due to a recent lopsided loss and a weak nonconference schedule. Maybe the Horns' effort will work and the voters will forget that there is a three-way tie. Or maybe the voters will be annoyed at the Texas constituency for thinking the voters didn't remember the result of one of the biggest games of the year.

Week Fourteen Picks

Arkansas vs. LSU

Nathan Dick showed promise against Mississippi State in throwing for 333 yards and 3 touchdowns. LSU has shown itself to be vulnerable the last two games but with Michael Smith out with an injury, I don't think the Hogs have enough firepower to capitalize on the opportunity.
LSU  38  Arkansas  21

Tulsa at Marshall

Passing offense? What passing offense? Last week Tulsa handed the ball off 59 times versus just 13 pass attempts as Tarrion Adams racked up 323 yards on 33 carries. Not only can TU be an effective balanced offense, they've shown they can have an effective run heavy or pass heavy offense. Marshall will have to wait to get revenge on Tulsa for stealing its "We Are" chant.
Tulsa  63  Marshall  17

Oklahoma at Oklahoma State

I was one of the fortunate 85,646 people in the Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium for the OU vs Texas Tech game. The  stadium was 95% full 45 minutes before kickoff, with the crowd screaming and yelling, and they didn't stop yelling until the final gun. Since witnessing first hand the difference the Norman crowd made in one of the biggest games of the year, it's even more mind boggling that Oklahoma State is not going to play this game in front of a sellout crowd. Mike Gundy and the rest of the OSU football team will do their best to take down Oklahoma. It's too bad that Mike Holder and the OSU administration are not doing everything they can to have a better home field advantage in the biggest game of their season.

When Oklahoma State is playing they're best football, they're easily a top five team. But when Oklahoma is playing they're best, OU is unbeatable.
Oklahoma  42  Oklahoma State  31

Posted by Dustin Talley at 11/28/2008 | Add Comment

College Football Week Thirteen Preview

Bradford to Gresham...for the Dunk
Last week John Pelphrey confirmed rumors that former Arkansas star wide receiver Marcus Monk would join the Razorback basketball team. In honor of this footballer who's making the transition to college basketball, I'm picking the OKSR All-Area Football Basketball Team. This team is comprised of football players from the area colleges (Oklahoma, Tulsa, Oklahoma State, and Arkansas) that would make the best basketball team.

PG  Sam Bradford,  Oklahoma

Bradford would be a very smart, athletic, point guard that would be able to find open teammates with his excellent court vision.

SG  Brennan Marion,  Tulsa

Marion has six touchdown catches of 40 yards or more, so you know he can score from far out. His range should be able to stretch the defense.

SF  Dez Bryant,  Oklahoma State

On the football field, Bryant has displayed his ability to go up and get the jump ball in traffic. He should have no problem throwing down some alley-oops from Bradford.

PF  Jermaine Gresham,  Oklahoma

With a 6'6" 261 pound monster down low named Jermaine Gresham, the OKSR All-Area Football Basketball Team will be strong inside.

C   Jonathon Luigs,  Arkansas

Luigs is the only player on this team who doesn't even need to change the name of his position between the two sports. This team will need the All American center to rebound, set hard screens, and do the dirty work inside. Luigs is accostumed to being undervalued so he should fill this role nicely.

Week Thirteen Picks

Tulsa vs. Tulane

Tulsa piled up an 8-0 record heading into their two toughest games of the year but lost both. The 2-8 Tulane Green Wave should be bad enough to cure Tulsa's ill.
Tulsa  45  Tulane 20

Arkansas at Mississppi State

Bobby Petrino is cultivating some sibling rivalry as he contemplates a switch at quarterback from Casey Dick to his brother Nathan Dick. The Hogs still have a shot at a bowl game and hopefully for Arkansas the competition will bring the best out of the dueling Dick brothers.
Arkansas  27  Mississippi State  17

Oklahoma vs. Texas Tech

The Gameday crew should have bought a house in Rubottom, Oklahoma before this season began. All the biggest games this year are in Texas and Oklahoma.  (Actually that might not be a bad reality show. Can you imagine cameras following around Corso and Herbstreit as they fight over who will get first pick of the 4H babes?)  If OU can run the ball and get a pass rush then Graham "Cracker" Harrell might crumble under the pressure. You might want to put some more time on your recorder if you're DVR'ing this one.
Oklahoma  49  Texas Tech  45

Posted by Dustin Talley at 11/21/2008 | Add Comment

College Football Week Eleven Preview


With 95 Percent of Precincts Reporting...
On Tuesday our country made history by electing our first African American. In the spirit of the democratic season, I polled the OKSR writers about various topics pertaining to College Football. However this voting process more resembled a dictatorship because OKSR currently has only one writer.

- Colt McCoy was voted player most likely to have his name borrowed by a Western Romance novel.

- Bo Pelini was voted the coach most likely to be ejected from a game for strangling his own players.

- Mike Leach was voted most likely to have a side job as a department store Santa during the holidays just for the heck of it.

- Texas Tech was voted the school most likely to petition the state of Texas to change its state tree from Pecan to the Crabtree.

- D.J. Williams was voted the best player nobody's talking about.

- OSU A.D. Mike Holder was voted the Athletic Director most likely to be positive and look at the situation with a "stadium half-full" mentality as opposed to a "stadium half-empty."

Week Eleven Picks

Arkansas at South Carolina

Razorback freshman Jarius Wright had a breakout game against Tulsa last week with 5 catches for 112 yards. The Hogs will be very tough to beat if they can get their freshman players to have a good game all at once. They'll have to play a complete game to have a chance against a good defensive team like South Carolina. The Hogs can't expect to be spotted 17 points from a nervous team this week (as they were last week against Tulsa).
South Carolina  31  Arkansas  20

Oklahoma at Texas A&M

Through eight games Texas A&M has scored 35 points or more only one time. Last week against Nebraska OU scored 35 points in the first quarter.
Oklahoma  63  Texas A&M  24

Oklahoma State at Texas Tech

OSU should bring out the blueprint from the Missouri game to pull this one out. That is, running the ball, controlling the clock and having Mike Gundy ignore the defense and scribble on a clipboard. Robinson, Hunter, and Toston will need big games on the ground.
Oklahoma State  30  Texas Tech  28

 Dustin Talley can be reached at DTalley@oksportsreport.com.

Posted by Dustin Talley at 11/7/2008 | Add Comment

College Football Week Ten Preview

Fake College Football News
I’ve always enjoyed the Weekend Update segment of Saturday Night Live in which cast members poke fun at network news anchors by delivering the “fake news.” So I thought I would use my medium to deliver the fake college football news.
 
1. In the past week, sales for home entertainment equipment in Arkansas has skyrocketed. The high demand for televisions can be linked to the 1:45 mark in the Razorbacks’ football game against Ole Miss. In that Arkansas telecast, Ole Miss fans were heard chanting “Hou-ston Nutt, Hou-ston Nutt, Hou-ston Nutt”, at that point an estimated 400,000 feet kicked in 400,000 television screens.
 
2. This week DeMarco Murray spoke out publicly asking OU play-by-play announcer Bob Barry to “please stop calling me Rhett Bomar.”
 
3. Rich Rodriguez responded to Lou Holtz’s statement that compared Rodriguez’s leadership style to that of Adolf Hitler, by comparing Lou Holtz’s speech to that of Daffy Duck.
 
4. Lucas Films announced they’re going to remake Star Wars using only college football players, coaches, and broadcasters. They intend to cast Tim Tebow as Luke Skywalker, Erin Andrews as Princess Leia, Jim Tressell as C-3PO, Kirk Herbstreit as Han Solo, Lee Corso as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mark May as Darth Vader, Joe Paterno as Yoda, and Mark Mangino as Jabba the Hut.
 
5. Earlier the week it was reported that Mark Sanchez is considering entering the 2009 NFL Draft. Later, the rumor was discovered to only be a negotiating tool by Sanchez to get a raise from USC.
 
6. The University of Texas team trainers are treating QB Colt McCoy for a serious condition called Drapersonafoulitis. Drapersonafoulitis is most prevalent in quarterbacks and affects their equilibrium and balance when they are out of bounds and a defender makes even the slightest amount of contact with the infected individual. When someone with this disease is touched by a defender out of bounds, their motor skills are replaced with that of an awkward baby deer wearing roller skates that is standing on a big block ice. The team first became aware of the possibility of drapersonafoulitis during the October 11th game against Oklahoma. The trainers stated the disease will not have any long term negative effect on McCoy, but they are worried about the state of college football.
 
7. The authorities were called when John Daly passed out drunk at a Hooters restaurant in North Carolina.

Okay, so I actually didn't make that last headline up.
 
 
Week 10 Picks
 
Tulsa at Arkansas
 
Normally, Arkansas’ SEC caliber athletes would overwhelm Tulsa’s C-USA athletes. However, this is not a normal Arkansas team and this is not a normal Hurricane team. After the game I think Bobby Petrino needs to give a Rick Pitino-esque “Darren McFadden isn’t coming through that door” speech.
Tulsa  48  Arkansas  35
 
Oklahoma State vs. Iowa State
 
It seems OSU gained more national respect in last week’s close loss to Texas (as evidenced by their regionally televised game against a sub par Iowa State team). Iowa State at home won’t prove to be much of a challenge.
OSU  52  Iowa State  17

Oklahoma vs. Nebraska

OU and Nebraska once tried to claim the game of the century in 1971. In 2008 they can't even claim "game of the 7:00 central time slot" (which they share with Texas at Texas Tech). Oklahoma should have an easy time with Nebraska if they can contain return men Niles Paul and Nate Swift.
Oklahoma  42  Nebraska  21

 Dustin Talley can be reached at DTalley@oksportsreport.com.

Posted by Dustin Talley at 10/31/2008 | View Comments (2) | Add Comment

College Football Week Nine Preview

There Are No Words
Every week I try to come up with new superlatives to describe Tulsa’s offensive dominance. This week I’m just going to list a few mind blowing stats from last week’s UTEP game.

1. Tulsa’s offense rolled up 791 total yards.
2. If you take out the last two Tulsa offensive possessions (where the objective was to just run the clock out), TU averaged 10.7 yards per play. That equates to a first down every time Tulsa snapped the ball
3. The Hurricane had scoring drives of 82, 75, 61, 63, 69, 73 yards and none of those drives took longer than three minutes.
4. Despite all the short drives, TU snapped the ball 26 more times than UTEP.
5. Earlier in the year Texas scored 42 points on UTEP. Tulsa's margin of victory over UTEP was 42 points.
6. TU had nine plays that gained 25 yards or more.


Little Mr. Sunshine
I’ve talked with many Arkansas fans that view Bobby Petrino’s first season as what I call a “Little Miss Sunshine” season. Let me explain. The movie Little Miss Sunshine is a comedy in which the entire movie is built around one joke near the end of the movie. If that joke fails, the movie fails (I won’t reveal the joke for those who haven’t seen it).

A large percentage of Arkansas fans see the upcoming game against Houston Nutt and the Ole Miss Rebels as their one game season. If the Razorbacks lose this game then the next day food won’t taste as good, the sun won’t shine as bright, and their bowl of Captain Crunch won’t have quite as many crunch-berries. For Arkansas, whether this season is deemed a success or failure will be determined in three hours on Saturday.

Week Nine Picks

Tulsa vs. Central Florida

TU finally gets an opportunity to perform on national T.V. on Sunday night. The Hurricane can’t dazzle the voters with their quality of competition, so they’ll have to do it with big blowouts.
Tulsa  63  Central Florida  27

Oklahoma State at Texas

Texas’ Colt McCoy is completing 81% of his passes. Through eight weeks, there are 31 starting quarterbacks that don’t even have 81 completions.
Texas  24  Oklahoma State  20

Arkansas vs. Ole Miss

Mississippi will key on Michael Smith running the ball. It will be up to Casey Dick and the passing game to win this one. If Arkansas can end every possession with either a punt or points then they should squeak this one out. However Casey Dick has thrown five interceptions in the last three games.
Ole Miss  28  Arkansas  21

Oklahoma at Kansas State

OU should be aware of the “trap game” potential Kansas State brings. DeMarco Murray will have his post-injury breakout game against the 101st ranked rush defense.
Oklahoma  45  Kansas State  14

 

 Dustin Talley can be reached at DTalley@oksportsreport.com.

Posted by Dustin Talley at 10/24/2008 | Add Comment

College Football Week Eight Preview

He’s just like a real running back…except smaller
Last week 5’7” 173 pounds of Michael Smith touched the ball 38 times for 232 all-purpose yards as he carried Arkansas to an upset victory over Auburn. Play after play Smith took on physically superior Auburn defenders and come back for more. (I suppose he’s rested up after spending much of the previous two years on the bench watching Felix Jones and Darren McFadden.) With last week’s performance Michael Smith undoubtedly nabbed the title of “Arkansas’ Best Player” from D.J. Williams.
 
Week Eight Picks
 
Tulsa vs. UTEP
 
TU is 6-0 for the first time since Glenn Dobbs was taking snaps in the single wing formation (A.J. Whitmore currently takes the snaps for TU in the single wing-type package called Wildcat). Tulsa, which is known for their prolific passing offense, has established balance the past two games with 707 yards rushing.
Tulsa  45  UTEP  28
 
Arkansas at Kentucky
 
The Razorbacks’ offensive and defensive lines will have to duplicate the job they did at Auburn to pull the upset. Arkansas’ defense will continue to gain confidence as Rich Brooks has never had a good offense without Andre Woodson.
Arkansas  28  Kentucky  21
 
Oklahoma State at Baylor
 
Last week the Cowboys took down the ambiguously bigheaded Chase Daniel, but this week looks like a classic let down game. OSU plays Baylor right after a big win and right before another huge game at Texas.
Oklahoma State  38  Baylor  27
 
Oklahoma vs. Kansas
 
Don’t expect the ball to hit the ground in this game as both quarterbacks have above a 70% completion percentage. This week Kansas will meet an angry Oklahoma team.
Oklahoma  35  Kansas  20

 Dustin Talley can be reached at DTalley@oksportsreport.com.

Posted by Dustin Talley at 10/17/2008 | Add Comment

The NBA: Where Thunder Happens

On Monday night as my evening was about to fade to black, I got a call from my friend, Chummy, who offered me one of the his two tickets to Tuesday’s Thunder preseason game vs. L.A. Clippers that he won through The Sports Animal. It took me 1.53 seconds to accept his offer.

Even though I’ve been watching NBA basketball for years, I had never experienced a live game before (I had never even seen a professional sports team play except for the 2006 USC Trojans football team). 
 
Here’s an account of my observations and reactions to the game in chronological order.

6:40 p.m..: I arrived at my rendezvous point a little early and struck off urgently looking for a place to lift the bladderial pressure that had built up during the drive from Tulsa. I passed up an opportunity to use the worst smelling PortaJohn in the country and was saved by the Bricktown Sonic.

6:45: I met up with my friend, Chummy, and had to wait on him as he used the worst smelling PortaJohn in the country.

7:02: I entered the Ford Center and realized there is a huge difference between the nicest college basketball arena and an average NBA arena. The Ford Center is bigger and better than I thought an arena could be and Oklahoma City just passed a tax to renovate the arena to catch up to the other NBA arenas.

7:07: Chummy and I climbed to the third level and took our seats next to a fan who seemed to think  he  was the head coach and think all the players can hear him clearly. He even yelled “HELP, HELP” when Earl Watson was being trapped by two Clippers. I bet he warned them about that at least thousand times in practice.
The player introductions were a little subdued (Later I read they were holding a few things back for the regular season opener). I know that it is the P.A. announcer’s job to try and inspire enthusiasm with everything he says, but how can someone get too excited when he says “JOOOOHHAAN PETRO!!!”

7:10: Apparently Chris Wilcox desperately wants to be the answer to a trivia question as he scored the first Thunder basket on Oklahoma soil Monday against the Rockets and at the first home game against the Clippers.

7:30: During the first quarter I tried to pay attention but there are a ton of distractions at an NBA game. There is music playing while the game is going on, a guy with a microphone running around during timeouts, and the over-the-top P.A. announcer. I’m not sure how someone with ADD would finish a sentence at an NBA game. I wondered if I might have liked the NBA of the 1960’s better than today’s NBA experience. In the 1960’s an NBA game was viewed by a bunch of guys in suits trying to see the action through cigar smoke.

At the first quarter ended I broke out of my ESPN Classic stupor as Chummy and I went to get a six-dollar chicken tender basket (Chummy cited his lack of dishes in his apartment as reason to spring for the Thunder souvenir cup). 

7:47: I know this was only a preseason game, but Clippers guard Chuck Taylor played very well. He could be a valuable Bobby Jackson-type bench player.

8:06: After the halftime fan trampoline dunk contest (which included several ringers that were Thunder employees), Chummy and I moved to some vacant seats in the lower section. There was an entirely different type of “fan” in the good seats. I felt out of place because I didn’t have a button-up shirt, khakis, skinny sideburns that connect at a right angle to a skinny beard. I asked Chummy the question “If I yelled at Al Thornton ‘GO BACK TO FLORIDA STATE!’ How many people within earshot would get what I’m saying?” We both settled on about 15%. I’m not sure if this is because Oklahoma City needs time to become true NBA fans or these people were genuinely uninterested in basketball.

8:41: No game is too small for Kevin Durant not to give a good effort.

8:47: No game is too small for Ricky Davis not to gripe out his teammates.

9:02: The crowd got into the game as the Thunder made a run behind Durant, Russell Westbrook, and John Lucas. I saw why the Thunder will have one of the best home court advantages in the league.

9:25: Kevin Durant really asserted himself in the fourth quarter with 10 points. However, Russell Westbrook struggled down the stretch with a missed layup, one turnover, and two missed free throws in the final two minutes.

9:28: Bad News: The Clippers win a close one over the Thunder. Good News: The Thunder player of the game was Johan Petro with 12 points 13 rebounds and 3 blocks. Maybe I’ll clap a little harder next time he’s introduced in the starting lineups.

9:32: As Chummy and I are walking back to our cars he has to stop one more time at the worst smelling PortaJohn in the country.

 Dustin Talley can be reached at DTalley@oksportsreport.com.

Posted by Dustin Talley at 10/17/2008 | View Comments (1) | Add Comment

College Football Week Seven Preview

"We Got a Yard!"
Last Saturday I travelled to Fayetteville, AR to see the Arkansas Razorbacks take on the Florida Gators. For most of the first quarter much of the crowd cheered on their team but with the knowledge of the inevitable Gator onslaught that would be unleashed at any moment. (It was a little like watching a pro wrestling match between two guys named Gargantuoid and Terrance Jennings. Even if you know nothing about the two men, you can figure out that the guy with the plain name has no shot against Gargantuoid). Then the first quarter ended with Florida only leading by a score of only 7 - 0, and 70,000 people similtaneously looked at the scoreboard, paused, then wildly applauded when it hit them that the game wasn't a blowout yet. The scene wasn't dissimilar to the reaction of the parents in the movie Little Giants when the Giants gained one yard.

Week Seven Picks

Tulsa at SMU

Through Tulsa's first five games they are averaging 56 points per game. Last season the Tulsa basketball team averaged 66 points through their first five games. The football team only trails the basketball team by ten points. The rest of Conference USA has little chance at upsetting Tulsa if they run the ball like they did against Rice (386 yards).
Tulsa  60  SMU  24

Oklahoma State at Missouri

Last week Oklahoma State beat up on The New Baylor (Texas A&M) as Dez Bryant built a case that he could be the new Jeremy Maclin with 4 TDs (3 receiving, 1 punt return). Unfortunately for OSU, the real Jeremy Maclin is still around.
Missouri  48  OSU  30

Arkansas at Auburn

Tommy Tuberville showed offensive coordinator Tony Franklin the door earlier this week. Tuberville is going to look very smart this week as the Auburn offense goes against an inferior defense.
Auburn  38  Arkansas  14

Oklahoma vs. Texas

The good news for Texas is they could be the second best team in the nation. The bad news is they're the second best team in the Big XII South.
Oklahoma  34  Texas  28





Dustin Talley can be reached at DTalley@oksportsreport.com.

Posted by Dustin Talley at 10/10/2008 | Add Comment
Older Entries
Newer Entries
Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.