NCAA 2015: Oklahoma Melenggang ke Sweet 16

Oklahoma Sooners (24-10, 12-6 Big 12) menggapai babak Sweet 16 pada turnamen NCAA 2015 wilayah Timur. Bermain di stadion Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio, Sooners menang 72-66 (34-32) atas Dayton Flyers (27-9, 13-5 A 10). Sooners unggulan ke-3 sementara Flyers ke-11.

Pertandingan berlangsung ketat sejak babak pertama. Sooners hanya unggul 2 angka saja. Hal itu terus terjadi di babak kedua. Tiga steal di akhir-akhir babak kedua menjauhkan keunggulan Sooners. Blok Buddy Hield menjauhkan keunggulan Oklahoma.

Defense Hield dan Jordan Woodard menjadi kunci kemenangan Oklahoma. Menurut pelatih Lon Kruger, tidak aneh jika ada kombinasi defense dari biasanya dengan tujuan meraih kemenangan.

"Kami tetap menggunakan konsep defense yang sama untuk tim. Masalah pengembangan defense secara individual, itu sifatnya situasional," kata Kruger kepada ESPN. Kruger adalah pelatih kedua yang membawa empat tim berbeda ke Sweet 16 yakni Kansas State, Florida, UNLV, dan Oklahoma).

Oklahoma, yang unggulan ketiga, berjumpa Michigan State, Jumat nanti di Syracuse, New York.

"Kami gagal mencetak angka," ucap Jordan Sibert, shooter andalan Dayton. Sibert hanya mencetak 7 angka di gim ini. "Inilah bola basket. Beberapa tembakan kami tidak jalan."

Empat pemain Dayton mencetak angka dobel digit yakni Scoochie Smith 16 angka, Darrell Davis 15, Kendall Pollard 13, dan Dyshawn Pierre 10. Dari Sooners, skor terbanyak dibuat Jordan Woodard 16, Buddy Hield 15, dan Frank Booker 12. Ryan Spangler berkontribusi 9 angka 12 rebound untuk Sooner.

Catatan Pertandingan:
* Oklahoma outscored Dayton 17-12 in transition, including 10-0 in the second half. Coming into the game, Dayton allowed 8.3 transition points per game, fewest in the Atlantic 10.
* Lon Kruger is the first coach to take four different schools to the Sweet 16.
* Oklahoma rebounded 34% of its missed shots compared to 14% for Dayton. The Sooners outscored the Flyers 9-2 in second-chance points, tied for the fewest Oklahoma has allowed in the last four seasons.
* Oklahoma and Dayton combined to shoot 20-of-39 from the 3-point line (51.3%), the best combined 3-point field goal percentage in an NCAA Tournament game since Wisconsin and Syracuse combined to shoot 52.8% in the Sweet 16 in 2012.
* Trailing 56-49 with 10 minutes remaining, Oklahoma closed the game on a 23-7 run, including a 13-0 run over a 9:04 stretch. The Sooners scored nine points off five Dayton turnovers in the final 10 minutes.