Report Card: Sooners take care of business against South Carolina

Oklahoma had to have a win over South Carolina and they got it, winning 86-74. The victory makes it five straight wins and moves them to 7-2 in their last nine games. The Gamecocks came out hot and at one point led by 13 points in the first half, but the Sooners rallied back and ended with a comfortable win on the first night of the SEC Tournament, keeping their NCAA Tournament hopes alive.

They were led by Nijel Pack and Derrion Reid, who were two of the four players to score in double figures on the night. Here’s how Pack, Reid, and the rest of the Sooners graded out in the win that moved them to 18-14 on the season.

Starting Five

Guard: Xzayvier Brown — 92 — 14 points, five rebounds, and three assists on 6-7 shooting from the field and 2-3 shooting from behind the arc in 29 minutes of play. He had a solid night and was very efficient. Ten of his 14 points came in the second half and he was a steady scorer for Oklahoma in this one.

Guard: Nijel Pack — 94 — 24 points, five assists, and four turnovers on 7-14 shooting from the field, 5-10 shooting from deep, and 5-6 shooting from the free throw line in 31 minutes. Just an impressive night from him. We have gotten very accustomed to these types of performances but this is exactly what the Sooners need if they want to make a run. Not sure how South Carolina lost track of him so many times.

Wing: Derrion Reid — 96 — 20 points and four rebounds on 6-8 shooting from the field, 2-3 shooting from deep, and 6-8 from the free throw line in 31 minutes. We saw all of his potential on full display. Reid showed why he has a tremendous ceiling. He was excellent on the defensive end but also great offensively. He knocked down the corner threes and also scored in the paint. This was probably his best game in an Oklahoma uniform. It feels like his confidence is at an all-time high. You could see why he was a five-star prospect out of high school.

Wing: Tae Davis — 89 — 18 points on 7-10 shooting from the field, 1-2 from behind the arc, and 3-6 from the free throw line in a team-high 33 minutes of action. He was great in the first half as an aggressor. He scored 15 of his 18 points in the first period and even drilled a big three. In the second half they really did not need him to score, so overall this was a really good night from him. He did not force anything either and played well as a small-ball five.

Center: Mohamed Wague — 87 — 3 points, six rebounds, four assists, a block, and a steal on 1-1 shooting from the field and 1-1 shooting from the free throw line in 27 minutes. A quiet but good night from him. He only recorded one foul and it occurred in the final 10 seconds of the game. Wague was able to stay on the floor and he did an amazing job in the short roll finding the shooter on the wing.

Starting Five Average Grade: 92

Bench

Wing: Jadon Jones — 90 — 7 points, five rebounds, three steals, and two assists on 3-6 shooting from the field and 1-4 shooting from behind the arc in 26 minutes. If you want to see a player have a tremendous impact on a game without necessarily scoring a ton, watch Jones’ performance in this game. He was a spark and really instigated Oklahoma’s run to turn this game around. He was incredible defensively on Meechie Johnson and also was good offensively. This is the third straight game where he has been really impressive.

Guard: Dayton Forsythe — 72 — 0 points and four assists on 0-4 shooting from the field and 0-3 shooting from behind the arc in 20 minutes. He had some really nice passes and was a good playmaker but his shot was not there in this one. He just did not have it despite getting some open looks. The more this team wins, the more difficult it will be on him due to the ankle injuries he is fighting through. Two games in two days will be tough.

Bench Average Grade: 81

Overall Grade: 85

Up next, 11-seed Oklahoma, now 18-14 on the season, will take on Texas A&M at approximately 8:30 on SEC Network on Thursday night. The Sooners need a win, which would be their first two-win conference tournament since 2003, if they want a shot at a bid in the NCAA Tournament.

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