Five Thoughts: Oakland v Texas, At The Half

Many analysts and followers of the Summit League - including myself - thought Oakland could absolutely pull the 13 over 4 upset on Texas in the "second round" (first round) of the NCAA Tournament. While they are down eight, the Grizz are certainly not out of anything. Here are five things OU needs to do to come back in this one.


1) Get back to the run and gun.
Besides one or two opportunities, OU has created nothing in transition. While the high scoring game favors Kampe's game plan, they just haven't created the same chances offensively that are necessary for a true Oakland-style game.

2) Where, oh where, has Keith Benson gone?
Defensively he looks petrified, offensively they've only gone to him a coupe times. If the Grizz are going to get stuck in the half-court offense, why not go to one of the best post players in the nation? On the other end, he's got to be more aggressive. I know he has two fouls, but come on. Try to block the ball!

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3) High scoring is fine, but you've gotta get stops.
The OU defense normally forces a ton of turnovers and gets easy buckets from there, but those have been few and far between. When they could force turnovers, the Grizzlies came within five. Allowing Texas to set up and get decent looks put the Longhorns up 12.

4) More than one guys has got to get hot.
It seems Kampe's guys are getting hot in spurts. Hamilton at the end, Bader early on, et cetera. Getting a couple guys going, especially Benson inside plus someone from the perimeter, would really create pressure for the Texas defense.

5) The crowd is pro-Oakland, so use them!
When OU pulled within five, the crowd was going nuts. Besides the actual Texas fans, everyone is rooting for the Black & Gold. Get them going, get some big shots to fall, and keep pushing.