They didn’t keep the students off the court at Norman as the unranked Oklahoma Sooners defeated the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide 93-69. Less than a week after being blown out by TCU in Fort Worth, Porter Moser’s side needed a big win.
You have it.
While Alabama struck first after a few Brandon Miller free throws, the Sooners took the lead a few minutes later on a Tanner Groves layup. OU led for the rest of the game.
The Sooners put on a sensational performance on both sides of the floor. They shot 57% from the field and 69% from three-point range. Meanwhile, Alabama barely had room to breathe. The Sooners held the Crimson Tide to 37.9% from ground and 27.3% from three-point reach.
Grant Sherfield was just fantastic. Every time he got his hands on the ball, there was an audible buzz in the air. He had a great day on offense with 30 points and six assists. Jalen Hill was also fantastic, amassing 26 points on 9 of 11 shots. He was also 6 of 7 from the free throw line and 2 of 2 of three.
An unsung hero, if you could call him that, would have to be Tanner Groves. The elder Groves was all over the place, dominating on the glass and amassing 12 rebounds. Groves also scored 14 points, giving him a double-double.
It was just a perfect performance by an OU squad. Their shooting was fantastic for 40 minutes, and although Alabama appeared to be the bigger team, the Sooners held their own around the glass, especially when Tanner Groves was down. The Tide held a 15-6 edge on the offensive glass, but Oklahoma minimized that impact with their fantastic shooting performance. Despite the big difference, Oklahoma still edged out Alabama 36-35 on the boards.
The Oklahoma Sooners desperately needed this win. It was their first win over a No. 1 or No. 2 team in the AP poll since beating No. 1 Kansas in 2002. This has the potential to be a season- and program-defining win for Porter Moser and the Sooners, after struggling for the past few weeks. With Oklahoma falling into the NCAA tournament bubble, this win has a chance to catapult them back into the March Madness field.
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter and like our page Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today. You can also follow Ben on Twitter @bendackiw.
Story originally appeared on Sooners Wire