Sooners shock No. 24 Arizona to advance to Battle 4 Atlantis championship game

In the first of three games, the Sooners defeated Providence with a 79-77 victory. Kobe Elvis led Oklahoma with a game-high 26 points in the win. The win over the Friars was huge as the Sooners needed it to secure a matchup against Arizona, which would significantly improve their strength of schedule.

To upset Arizona, the Sooners needed two players to step up and score. Yesterday it was Elvis and Jeremiah Fears. In this game, it was the two players who were considered a dynamic duo all offseason: Fears and Jalon Moore. The two together amounted to 50 points.

Fears had 26 points, five assists, five rebounds and just three turnovers (after having eight against Providence). He shot 7-17 from the field, 4-7 from three-point range and 8-8 from the free throw line while playing 33 minutes. He hit several big throws and was the go-to guy for Oklahoma.

The Sooners pulled off an upset over No. 24 Arizona with an 82-77 victory to advance to the Battle 4 Atlantis championship game against the Louisville Cardinals, who defeated the No. 14 Indiana Hoosiers on Wednesday and West Virginia today . For more on Oklahoma’s win over the Wildcats, check out some stats and notes:

– The Sooners led by as many as 13 points, but the Wildcats stormed back and cut the deficit to five with 1:44 left. After a defensive stop, Oklahoma missed a three-pointer from Glenn Taylor, but Luke Northweather grabbed the rebound. Instead of being patient, the Sooners charged, resulting in a missed shot, a foul by Oklahoma and two free throws by Arizona, cutting the lead to three points with 55 seconds left.

On the next possession, Fears missed a two-point attempt, giving Arizona another chance. Caleb Love missed a three-pointer, and after Arizona grabbed the rebound and drove inside, Northweather made a crucial block. The Wildcats got the ball back but missed another three-pointer. Fears grabbed the rebound and sank two free throws to secure the win.

– Sam Godwin started but played only 10 minutes and finished the game with zero points despite not making any field goal attempts. He struggled with foul trouble and finished the game with four fouls. Since Godwin had to take a break, Northweather competed again.

Northweather contributed 10 points and seven rebounds on 3-for-5 shooting from the field, including 2-for-4 from three-point range. He logged 21 minutes. After redshirting his freshman year, seeing inconsistent minutes last season and limited opportunities through the first four games of this season, Northweather rose to the occasion when his team needed him most.

– It was a quiet night for Kobe Elvis, who scored just two points on 1-4 shooting from the field, although he did contribute four assists. Brycen Goodine also struggled, going 0-5 from three-point range.

– After using 11 players in the opening game, Oklahoma reduced the rotation to nine players in this game. Neither Dayton Forsythe nor Jacolb Fredson-Cole logged minutes. Without the bench, Northweather played 21 minutes, Taylor 27, Goodine 12 and Mohamed Wague just six minutes.

– Jalon Moore bounced back from a quiet game yesterday with an outstanding performance, scoring 24 points and seven rebounds. He shot 7-15 from the field, 2-3 from three-point range and 8-9 from the free throw line.

– The Sooners were once again without Jadon Jones, who is dealing with a back injury.

– Oklahoma now plays its third game in three days in the Battle 4 Atlantis Championship Game against the Louisville Cardinals. Louisville defeated No. 14 Indiana on Wednesday and West Virginia earlier today to secure its spot in the title game.

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