3/15 | Oklahoma Sooners | 12:15PM | CBS (NCAA 1st Rd.)

Unread post by **TruePoint** » 6 years ago

University of Rhode Island vs. University of Oklahoma

NCAA Tournament - Opening Round
PPG Paints Arena
Pittsburgh, PA
Thursday, March 15, 2018
12:15PM
CBS

Unread post by **TruePoint** » 6 years ago

Media

TV: CBS

Stream: https://www.ncaa.com/march-madness-live/watch, March Madness app

Radio: 101.5 FM (B101) or iHeart Radio App

Previews:

Vegas: URI -2

Opponent

Record:
18-3, 8-10 in the Big 12
Neutral: 3-2

Rankings:
RPI: 49
BPI: 42
KenPom: 47

Leaders:
Points - Trae Young, 27.4
Rebounds - Khadeem Lattin, 6.0
Assists - Trae Young, 8.8

Last Five (2-3)

3/7/18    OKST    L  71-60 (Big 12 Tournament)
3/2/18    ISU     W  81-60
2/27/18   @BAY    L  87-64
2/24/18   KSU     W  86-77
2/19/18   @KU     L  104-74

Roster and Statistics

Coaching Staff
Lon Kruger, Head Coach (7th Year) - Kansas State '75
Chris Crutchfield, Assoc. Head Coach - Nebraska-Omaha '92
Carlin Hartman, Asst. Coach - Tulane '94
Kevin Kreiger, Asst. Coach - Arizona State '06

Preview

There is a lot about Oklahoma that is pretty scary. The Sooners have wins against Oregon, USC, Wichita State, TCU (X2), Texas Tech and Kansas. They have the second most productive offense in the country, behind only Villanova, and they've done it against KenPom's second hardest schedule. They're led on the sideline by a veteran, proven coach in Lon Kruger, and they are led on the floor by this year's "it" player, freshman Trae Young.

Young burst on the scene for me when he had 22 assists in a December game against Northwestern State, to go along with 26 points. He followed that up with 31/12/2 against Northwestern and capped it off with 39/14/4 in a road win against #10 TCU. Young has been brilliant this year, averaging 27.8/8.8/3.9. Through 16 games, Young was averaging an unreal 30.1/10/4.3 and, at 14-2, Oklahoma was the #4 team in the land.

So why is URI the higher seed and favored to win both in Vegas and in brackets across the country? Whether it was Young hitting a wall or the rigors of conference play catching up to them, Oklahoma has not looked like a tournament team very often since their OT win against TCU in Norman on January 13th, never mind the #4 team in the country. After losing their next two - at K-State and against rival Oklahoma State in Stillwater - they did bounce back with a huge win at home against eventual Big 12 champ and #1 seed Kansas. In retrospect, that win probably saved their season, because what followed was not pretty. They won just three more games in their last 12 tries, with the only wins coming at home: against Big 12 doormats Baylor and Iowa State and their return engagement with NCAA tournament team K-State. Young's numbers dipped a bit, averaging 24.5 points per game (including two of 48 and 44), 7.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds - not bad by any stretch, but apparently not enough to carry Oklahoma's otherwise uninspiring lineup. For anyone disappointed in URI's 4-4 finish, at least it wasn't Oklahoma's 4-11 finish. Oklahoma lost to more non-tournament teams in the season's final week (2) than URI did the entire year (1).

As I mentioned up top, Oklahoma scores a ton of points. URI has prided itself on the defensive end under Dan Hurley, so you could regard that as a strength-on-strength matchup. Just going by raw point totals, Oklahoma's 85.2 points scored per game is good for #2 in the country and URI's 67.9 points allowed is 55th, but the advanced metrics say the matchup is a bit closer: URI's defense and Oklahoma's offense are both #38 in adjusted efficiency per KenPom.

To the extent the teams' strengths counterbalance each other, though, there are what I see as clear advantages for Rhode Island in this game.

1. While Young might be the best player on either team and is for sure the best pro prospect that will play in this game, URI's backcourt has been called one of the best and the deepest in the country this year. The deep stable of good defenders at the guard spot that URI can throw at Young in waves will allow them to give him significantly different looks - combinations of long, physical, pesty, quick, aggressive - while staying relatively fresh as Young (hopefully) wears down over 35+ minutes on the floor.

2. Relatedly, Oklahoma as a team and Young as an individual player do not take good care of the basketball. While URI is 10th in the country in defensive assist/turnover ratio, Oklahoma's offense is 115th. Oklahoma is 218th in turnovers per game (first = fewest), and by my count only Alabama and Lipscomb turn it over more among teams in the field. URI generally causes a lot of opponent turnovers - 15.9 per game, good for 11th nationally. In Rhody's three recent losses to tournament teams, Bonaventure and Davidson took care of the ball, limiting URI's defense to 10 turnovers per game in the three contests all decided by one possession. Young alone gives the ball away 5+ times per game, in part because he has the ball so much and is responsible for generating so much of their offense. But still, he was the most turnover prone player in the country this season, and URI is the type of team that can take advantage.

3. While Oklahoma's prolific offense may be a wash against URI's stingy defense, the same cannot be said on the other side of the court. While Rhode Island's respectable 76.2 points per contest are good for 87th best in college basketball, Oklahoma's opponents average 81.6 points per game. That is really bad - specifically it is the 334th best in college hoops. There are only truly dreadful basketball teams to be found around the Sooners in the defensive scoring rankings. Part of their problem is that they cannot rebound the basketball. While they accumulate a decent amount of defensive rebounds over the course of a game (20th most def reb/gm), a lot of that is just due to the pace they play at - they allow more than 10 offensive rebounds per contest, 331st in the country. URI, meanwhile, gets almost 10 rebounds per game (9.8), good for 69th best. While URI is an elite ball security team, in the top-20 in both turnovers per game (19th) and per play (16th), Oklahoma is mediocre with respect to its ability to turn the other team over, ranking 218th in TOs per game and 102nd in TOs per play.

4. Oklahoma has not won a game outside of the bustling metropolis of Norman in 2018. Its last one came on Dec. 30th, 2017 at TCU. URI has won nine games away from home in that time. Everyone that will play significant minutes for Rhody, except Fatts Russell, has played in memorable games in the PPG Paints Arena, where the Rams took down the A10 tournament just over a year ago. URI's roster, again with the exception of Russell, has been in this environment before, won a game and almost took down a Final Four team. Of Oklahoma's key contributors, James, Odomes and McNeace went along for the ride on Buddy Hield's run to the Final Four in 2016, but only James made meaningful contributions off the bench. The guy they rely on more than any other team relies on any player is a freshman. While he didn't play terribly in his only other comparable game, if Young repeats his performance from the Big 12 tournament against URI (22 points on 21 shots, 5 assists and 4 turnovers), Oklahoma will be in trouble.

Unread post by **TruePoint** » 6 years ago

Trae: Beware the Ides of March

URI'21 · Unread post by **URI'21** » 6 years ago

Main concern I have is that OU might have the Syracuse mentality of 2016 and use the "they don't deserve to be here" mantra as fuel for a deep run

brady1 · Unread post by **brady1** » 6 years ago

WOW f’n Rambone class of 21.
And f’n Okie’s not concerned!

GO RHODY!

PlayMikeMotenMore · Unread post by **PlayMikeMotenMore** » 6 years ago

URI'21 wrote:Main concern I have is that OU might have the Syracuse mentality of 2016 and use the "they don't deserve to be here" mantra as fuel for a deep run

I would think URI is worried less about OU's mentality and more about the on-court matchups and execution. I would say OU is a team that a lot of teams would love to play in the 1st round. They are clearly not playing well and were playing better early in the season than they are currently. So would URI rather be playing a team that's hot and on the cusp of something big (like Houston, New Mexico St.) or a team that has struggled like OU?

I see this is a really good matchup from a personnel standpoint. URI's strength is guard play (it's a team of 1's and 2's) vs. another team with strong guard play who likes to chuck up jumpers. OU is not very reliant on their bigs in the post...they're mainly rebounders and guys who get dunks from dump offs, as well as a frosh (Manek) who likes to step out in shoot the 3. Love URI's chances in this game. This is a very favorable matchup.

Potential game #2? That's another story.

URI'21 · Unread post by **URI'21** » 6 years ago

PlayMikeMotenMore wrote:
URI'21 wrote:Main concern I have is that OU might have the Syracuse mentality of 2016 and use the "they don't deserve to be here" mantra as fuel for a deep run
I would think URI is worried less about OU's mentality and more about the on-court matchups and execution. I would say OU is a team that a lot of teams would love to play in the 1st round. They are clearly not playing well and were playing better early in the season than they are currently. So would URI rather be playing a team that's hot and on the cusp of something big (like Houston, New Mexico St.) or a team that has struggled like OU?

I see this is a really good matchup from a personnel standpoint. URI's strength is guard play (it's a team of 1's and 2's) vs. another team with strong guard play who likes to chuck up jumpers. OU is not very reliant on their bigs in the post...they're mainly rebounders and guys who get dunks from dump offs, as well as a frosh (Manek) who likes to step out in shoot the 3. Love URI's chances in this game. This is a very favorable matchup.

Potential game #2? That's another story.

Couldn't agree more. OU is our dream matchup - as many have posted this season. Just nervous about the 'Cuse storyline repeating. This of course has no factual basis and I better be worried for nothing. Time for Trae Young to meet the nation's deepest backcourt and get the fuck out of our way

adam914 · Unread post by **adam914** » 6 years ago

My favorite stat I have come across for this game so far...

"Without Young on the floor, per hooplens.com, Oklahoma has registered a meager 0.97 points per possession, a mark that would position the Sooners at No. 322 in unadjusted offensive efficiency, per ESPN Sports Analytics."

reef · Unread post by **reef** » 6 years ago

Another good thing is we played 3 games in A row at around the noon and 1pm start time so that's familiar to us could be a slight advantage??

rhodylaw · Unread post by **rhodylaw** » 6 years ago

reef wrote:Another good thing is we played 3 games in A row at around the noon and 1pm start time so that's familiar to us could be a slight advantage??

We’ll take whatever we can get! Also familiarity with playing in Pittsburgh can’t hurt. Game 1 we should have the crowd advantage.

mjg13x · Unread post by **mjg13x** » 6 years ago

The timing is unfortunate for me.

RhowdyRam02 · Unread post by **RhowdyRam02** » 6 years ago

Well this is the matchup a lot of us have wanted since the top 16 reveal last month, and do you think the team wanted it? The reaction at the start of the PC reaction video certainly seems to line up to them being surprised Oklahoma is in and then the eruption when it was announced we get them.

As others have said, it seems like we're a great matchup. It feels like we have multiple people we can have defend him reasonably well, which should mean we can keep a fresher defender on him and hopefully frustrate him as the game goes on. Another potential key is a good start. If we let them take control and build up a lead they could get confident and have the "we knew all along we belong" attitude. Really need a game like the Creighton game last year were we seemed to be in control throughout

RhowdyRam02 · Unread post by **RhowdyRam02** » 6 years ago

mjg13x wrote:The timing is unfortunate for me.

The timing is unfortunate for my employer, but they knew this was a possibility

rhodyruckus · Unread post by **rhodyruckus** » 6 years ago

adam914 wrote:My favorite stat I have come across for this game so far...

"Without Young on the floor, per hooplens.com, Oklahoma has registered a meager 0.97 points per possession, a mark that would position the Sooners at No. 322 in unadjusted offensive efficiency, per ESPN Sports Analytics."

I know Dan and staff will be on this, but we need to avoid Trae being our "sole focus". It is a fool's errand anyway, because sometimes he'll take stupid shots that fall no matter how well you defend. The guys need to make sure the supporting cast doesn't feel comfortable and get their confidence built up.

Rhode_Island_Red · Unread post by **Rhode_Island_Red** » 6 years ago

For me, it comes down to one question: Can Oklahoma play a zone?

Seawrightspostgame · Unread post by **Seawrightspostgame** » 6 years ago

Short flight down to Pittsburgh. Make it a great weekend.

Love how EC showed up big yesterday. Tons of hustle plays.

We play better fast. Early offense. Get it and go. Stops are key to that. But the made break is not a novelty.

Da_Process_Survivor · Unread post by **Da_Process_Survivor** » 6 years ago

URI'21 wrote:Main concern I have is that OU might have the Syracuse mentality of 2016 and use the "they don't deserve to be here" mantra as fuel for a deep run

if they had any talent outside of Young, maybe.

but that team is turning down a CBI invite if not for Young and the hype.

keep young in check and you win. no one else on that team can step up.

keep a combo of Stan, Terrell and Dowtin on him and he wont get free with the length and physical play. and when they need a break, stick Fatts on him and he wont be able to out quick him.

HASwatTeam · Unread post by **HASwatTeam** » 6 years ago

It's important to see if Terrell can have a big game, since his A10 tourney performance was non-existent at times.

Also, due to both the start time being the first game of Round 1 and it being a game with Trae Young, EVERYONE will be watching. Great time to showcase who we are.

Rhodymob05 · Unread post by **Rhodymob05** » 6 years ago

Flights to Pittsburg just got EXPENSIVE

rhodysurf · Unread post by **rhodysurf** » 6 years ago

I love this start time and matchup. And the announcing pair. Love it all

Rhodymob05 · Unread post by **Rhodymob05** » 6 years ago

Unfortunately I think its too (Soon)ers for me to take the trip, but I'll be taking a long lunch. LETS GET IT!

eli#10 · Unread post by **eli#10** » 6 years ago

The forecasted snow storm has caused a cancellation of plans to go to Pittsburgh.

A bigger problem is how is the team going to get there? With a game on Thursday they would normally fly out on Tuesday which will be in the middle of the storm. Looks like they will probably fly out Wednesday with a game at noon on Thursday which is far from an ideal situation.

We catch a break with a game site that is not too far away and the snow storm screws everything up.

Rhodymob05 · Unread post by **Rhodymob05** » 6 years ago

Can they fly out today?

wpbrown8267 · Unread post by **wpbrown8267** » 6 years ago

i could see them moving the flight out tonight/evening.

The storm is supposed to start late tonight and really get bad throughout tomorrow

flying out wednesday morning is still tricky cause there is still clean up, delays, etc. from it ending late on tuesday

PillPushr · Unread post by **PillPushr** » 6 years ago

Does anyone know (not to look ahead), but if we win, will the Duke game be the standalone first game Saturday at Noon?

Da_Process_Survivor · Unread post by **Da_Process_Survivor** » 6 years ago

wpbrown8267 wrote:i could see them moving the flight out tonight/evening.

The storm is supposed to start late tonight and really get bad throughout tomorrow

flying out wednesday morning is still tricky cause there is still clean up, delays, etc. from it ending late on tuesday

yeah, gotta expect they get out of town today. even if its just down to the NY/NJ area and continue to Pitt tomorrow

eli#10 · Unread post by **eli#10** » 6 years ago

The NCAA provides the charter flight. The question is whether or not they can move fast enough to get a plane here today to get them to Pittsburgh today or tonight. You never know for sure but I would doubt it.

SmartyBarrett · Unread post by **SmartyBarrett** » 6 years ago

PillPushr wrote:Does anyone know (not to look ahead), but if we win, will the Duke game be the standalone first game Saturday at Noon?

That's usually the case, yes. And I think with Duke being who they are, they would work well in a stand-alone slot from a ratings perspective.

DC_Rams · Unread post by **DC_Rams** » 6 years ago

Please let’s keep all focus on Oklahoma. They are still a very tall order for a team that has played the best in the country.... and this is truly a who wants in more matchup.

Ramtastico · Unread post by **Ramtastico** » 6 years ago

Who do we play after Duke? The second weekend is where the fun begins.

Seawrightspostgame · Unread post by **Seawrightspostgame** » 6 years ago

Ramtastico wrote:Who do we play after Duke? The second weekend is where the fun begins.

Great post after someone says to stay on topic.

NYGFan_Section208 · Unread post by **NYGFan_Section208** » 6 years ago

The vivid seats prices make the $100 Section 103 Rhody tickets look like a serious bah-gin....

Justns11 · Unread post by **Justns11** » 6 years ago

I just got 2 full strip tickets on StubHub for rounds 1 and 2 (All sessions on 03/15 and 03/17) in section 116 for $99/each ($246 total with fees). I've just been refreshing the page all morning trying to get the cheapest tickets that show up. I missed out on some in 116 for $50 each about an hour ago.

It'd be great to be in section 103 for $100/pp/session, but after buying flights and the hotel for me and my wife I need to save as much $$ as I can.

Here's the page for those that are interested: https://www.stubhub.com/event/9860619?sort=price+asc

URI'21 · Unread post by **URI'21** » 6 years ago

Can't wait for our rematch with Virginia in the championship

PeterRamTime · Unread post by **PeterRamTime** » 6 years ago

Hope the tickets come on time!

Nevermindd got me ones I could print

Seawrightspostgame · Unread post by **Seawrightspostgame** » 6 years ago

Our guys don't make any contact on offense. They run around each other and the other team doesn't have to fight through too much contact. It was glaring against Davidson bc every time URI had to run through several walls just to sniff the ball. I would like for them to be more physical on offense. Cant slip every screen.

3point defense has been URI's thing since EC got here. Shut this Trae Young DOWN.

NJ03 · Unread post by **NJ03** » 6 years ago

PeterRamTime wrote:Hope the tickets come on time!

Just got 4 tickets in 117. Opted for the stubhub pickup window because I couldn’t risk sweating out UPS before Wednesday.

PeterRamTime · Unread post by **PeterRamTime** » 6 years ago

Ncneese could be a problem as well. Athletic big guy.

I watched a lot of Oklahoma this year.
They don't play much defense.

Da_Process_Survivor · Unread post by **Da_Process_Survivor** » 6 years ago

PeterRamTime wrote:Ncneese could be a problem as well. Athletic big guy.

I watched a lot of Oklahoma this year.
They don't play much defense.

yup, noticed the same watching them on ESPN a few times this year. Whoever Young is on will have a very easy day on offense

PeterRamTime · Unread post by **PeterRamTime** » 6 years ago

Da_Process_Survivor wrote:
PeterRamTime wrote:Ncneese could be a problem as well. Athletic big guy.

I watched a lot of Oklahoma this year.
They don't play much defense.
yup, noticed the same watching them on ESPN a few times this year. Whoever Young is on will have a very easy day on offense

Yeah he's small and not aggressive at all on defense.

If we do our thing on defense and actually make some damn shots then we can take this.

URI'21 · Unread post by **URI'21** » 6 years ago

What's Young's track record when it comes to committing fouls? I'd imagine he gets star treatment on the other end of the floor, but no reason we can't keep driving at him and have him pick up a few quick ones.

NYGFan_Section208 · Unread post by **NYGFan_Section208** » 6 years ago

The Oklahoma message board is something else. If you just read that board, you'd think OU lost every game, all year long, and has no hope of ever winning another one....

RAM67 · Unread post by **RAM67** » 6 years ago

Just read where JT was listed as one of the top 68 players in the NCAA's. Mentioned the POY snub. Aldridge and Adams are also listed.

PeterRamTime · Unread post by **PeterRamTime** » 6 years ago

NYGFan_Section208 wrote:The Oklahoma message board is something else. If you just read that board, you'd think OU lost every game, all year long, and has no hope of ever winning another one....

Good hope the team doesn't believe in themselves either and we shallak them.

RIFan · Unread post by **RIFan** » 6 years ago

And the computer says:

And if you're looking to gain an edge on your competition, a good place to start would be to take No. 10 seed Oklahoma to knock off No. 7 seed Rhode Island in the first round.

Oklahoma has had an up-and-down season, to say the least. The Sooners were ranked as high as No. 4 in the nation, but catastrophically collapsed down the stretch, losing 11 of their last 15 games. However, they will have the the best player on the court. Oklahoma star point guard Trae Young, the nation's leader in both scoring and assists, is averaging 27.4 points and 8.8 assists.

Don't fall into the trap of believing Oklahoma doesn't belong in the 2018 NCAA Tournament bracket. Pick them to win in the first round.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-baske ... ter-model/

Bulletin Board material...

Ramulous · Unread post by **Ramulous** » 6 years ago

Got a reasonably priced flight out of Boston direct to Pittsburgh....but one stop in Detroit on the way back to Providence.....was worried about getting to the game on time.....was gonna go Thursday morning until I found our start time was noon.....not taking a chance.....leaving late Wednesday night...

...got a reasonably priced hotel a little distance away.....I wasn't feeling $400 a night for better access to the arena....not after dropping a lot of $$$ for the DC trip.....rented a premium rental for @$100 for four days.....basically to get from the airport to the hotel and maybe into town....gonna be paid off with just that alone....

...got nose-bleed tickets from Stubhub for under $50 before fees with immediate download of the tickets.....every NCAA tourney game I have ever been to has had me in the nose-bleed section so I don't care......I just want to be in the building....

Rhodymob05 · Unread post by **Rhodymob05** » 6 years ago

So I know OU finished terribly but they absolutely belong in the tourney looking at their resume. I saw it compared to Notre Dames and it wasn’t even close.

KMar970 · Unread post by **KMar970** » 6 years ago

RhowdyRam02 wrote:
mjg13x wrote:The timing is unfortunate for me.
The timing is unfortunate for my employer, but they knew this was a possibility

agrred im leaving work at 1145 n going to the dave n busters up the street--got approval today

RhodysRelevant · Unread post by **RhodysRelevant** » 6 years ago

I'm fortunate enough to be off from work wife and I debated going but I really can't justify it financially and I've got to work all weekend. Guess I'm happy I'll be able to watch on tv!

ElmCityRhody · Unread post by **ElmCityRhody** » 6 years ago

Jay Bilas and Jalen Rose love Oklahoma and how RHODY doesn’t know what they are in fir against trae young

EFF THEM

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