Oklahoma Men's Basketball clawed back from a deficit, forcing overtime and clinching a semifinal spot with clutch plays and defensive grit
LAS VEGAS, Nev. - In a gritty, hard-fought battle that showcased resilience and timely execution, the Oklahoma Sooners overcame poor shooting and a rebounding disadvantage to defeat the Colorado Buffaloes 90-86 in overtime Wednesday night at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
The victory propelled Oklahoma into the semifinals of the College Basketball Crown tournament, extending their season and marking their third consecutive 20-win campaign.
Despite shooting just 37% from the field for the game and getting outrebounded 45-38, the Sooners clamped down defensively after halftime, limiting Colorado to a mere 25% shooting in the second half and overtime.
Oklahoma improved to 20-15 on the season, winning for the seventh time in their last nine outings, while Colorado dropped to 17-16.
The Sooners received balanced scoring from multiple contributors, with four players reaching 16 or more points. Nijel Pack led the way with a team-high 20 points, including six in overtime, marking his sixth 20-point performance in the last eight games.
Tae Davis added 19 points, Xzayvier Brown chipped in 17, and Kuol Atak delivered 16 points in a standout return to the lineup.
Atak, who had not seen action in Oklahoma’s previous seven contests, drained four three-pointers and came through with two clutch free throws in the final seconds of overtime to help seal the win.
The game featured several momentum swings and highlighted the Sooners’ ability to respond under pressure. Oklahoma trailed by as many as 10 points late in the first half but closed the period strongly. Consecutive three-pointers from Atak and Brown in the final minute trimmed the deficit, sending the teams to halftime with Colorado leading 41-37.
Early in the second half, Brown scored on the opening possession to cut the lead to two points, but the Buffaloes responded with six straight points to push their advantage back to eight. The Sooners refused to fold, mounting a 9-2 run that brought them within one at 49-48 with 13:31 remaining.
Later, trailing 56-50, Oklahoma ignited a decisive 15-2 surge midway through the period. Davis poured in seven points during that stretch, and the run culminated with a 19-foot jumper from Pack that gave the Sooners their first lead of the half at 65-58 with 7:03 to play.
Colorado answered with a quick 6-0 spurt to stay within striking distance, but Oklahoma appeared poised to pull away when Atak knocked down his fourth three-pointer of the night, extending the lead to 74-67 with 1:50 left in regulation.
The Buffaloes, however, showed tremendous fight. They chipped away at the deficit and forced overtime when Barrington Hargess, who finished with a game-high 31 points, converted a driving layup with just 1.6 seconds remaining in the second half.In the extra session,
Oklahoma seized control early. Pack drained three-pointers on the Sooners’ first two possessions, and Davis threw down an alley-oop dunk off a feed from Brown, giving OU an 82-79 edge with 2:40 to go.
From there, the contest turned into a tense free-throw battle. After briefly falling behind by one point, Oklahoma regained the lead at 86-85 when Brown converted a pair of foul shots with 32.8 seconds left.
The Sooners’ defense delivered a massive stop in the closing moments as Pack forced a missed jumper by a Colorado player. Oklahoma secured the rebound, drew a foul, and Atak calmly sank two free throws to push the lead to 88-85 with 3.9 seconds remaining.
Colorado fouled on the ensuing inbound, and Hargess made one of two free throws to cut the margin to two points. Brown then iced the victory by knocking down two more free throws with 2.8 seconds on the clock.
Beyond the scoring, Oklahoma’s defensive effort stood out under Porter Moser. The Sooners held Colorado to 38% field goal shooting for the entire game, made 10 three-pointers compared to the Buffaloes’ seven, and forced 15 turnovers while committing just nine themselves.
Additionally, OU recorded nine blocked shots, which was their highest total in 16 games, with Jadon Jones leading the way with three rejections. Pack and Mohamed Wague each added two blocks.
Wague contributed seven points (all from the free-throw line on eight attempts), a team-high eight rebounds, two assists, and a game-high three steals.
Free-throw shooting proved pivotal as well. Oklahoma converted 28 of 32 attempts (88%), their highest single-game make total of the season, while Colorado went 33 for 39 (85%).
UP NEXT: Oklahoma will now face the winner of the Baylor quarterfinal on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. CT at T-Mobile Arena, with the game broadcast on FOX.
A win there would put the Sooners in the championship, and additional prize money in this unique postseason opportunity.