The Oklahoma City Thunder have had a phenomenal season and have far exceeded expectations set in the preseason. At the all-star break, the Thunder sit at 28-29 and in tenth place in the western conference standings. This already surpasses last year’s win total, 24 games, and guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has turned into a superstar and was an all-star this year. In terms of the rebuild, the Thunder are ahead of schedule as they look to make the play-in tournament for a shot at the playoffs. This is without mentioning the number two pick, Chet Holmgren, being injured for the whole season as well as forward, Aleksej Pokusevski missing a major portion of the season due to injury as well. That being said, the team has their work cut out for them as they have four games against the suns, two against the Kings, two against the Warriors, among other tough matchups such as the Grizzlies and the Nets. Even if a play-in spot is not in the cards for the Thunder, this has still been an incredibly fruitful season and the future in Oklahoma City is brighter than ever.
Month: February 2023
Arguably the two hottest programs in Oklahoma athletics are back in action this week. After two astonishing runs to the national championship series, the two squads are set to run it back. The baseball team was one series away from claiming their third ever college world series title. Though disappointed then, it was a miracle run for the Sooners as they were predicted by many baseball analysts to finish 7th in their conference. They ended winning the Big 12 championship and soaring past expectations. Coach Skip Johnson and the boys are ready to run it back as they bring back many key players such as RF John Spikerman, LF Kendal Pettis, 3B Wallace Clark, and infielder Jackson Nicklaus. The Sooners host their first weekend series this Friday as they take on California Baptist. On the women’s side, the most dominant program in all of sports is back and they’re looking for a three-peat. The Sooners swept rival Texas Longhorns to take home the championship in Oklahoma City in a particularly easy fashion. Now the team has a new challenge for the 2023 season, replacing Jocelyn Alo. The all-time home run leader in softball history graduated last year. However, the team is doing just that, reloading instead of rebuilding it seems as head coach Patty Gasso hit the transfer portal hard to upgrade the pitching staff as well as acquiring some heavy hitters. The Sooners show no signs of slowing down anytime soon as they have opened the season 5-0 and face off against Longwood on February 17 in Waco, Texas.
America’s most anticipated sporting event of the year, the Super Bowl, pitted the Kansas City Chiefs against the Philadelphia Eagles. Both teams came in as number one seeds in their respective conferences and were to meet head-to-head in Arizona. This was one of the most highly anticipated Super Bowls in years and the game could have gone either way. The Eagles started out hot, scoring on their first drive thanks to a Jalen Hurts quarterback sneak. The Chiefs responded right away on the next drive with an 18-yard touchdown reception by Travis Kelce. three weeks prior to the game, Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes had sprained his ankle in a victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The injury came flaring back up after Mahomes was tackled on a two-yard scramble and was seen limping off the field. Going into half down 24-14, the world watched to see if the MVP winning quarterback would lead the offense to start the second half. Unsurprisingly, it was Mahomes at the helm and he started with a 75-yard touchdown drive. This sparked a comeback from the Chiefs who eventually took a 35-27 lead over the Eagles. Hurts and the Eagles, however, did not waive the white flag. The next drive Hurts aired a bomb to wide receiver Devonta Smith to the two-yard line where Jalen then ran it in himself to tie the game. The Chiefs once again responded and drove down into the redzone. With a chance for the Eagles to stop the Chiefs and give their offense a chance, cornerback James Bradberry held wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster to give the Chiefs a first down and a chance to run the clock out and kick the game-winning field goal. That is exactly what they did, and the Chiefs took home the Lombardi Trophy for the second time in four years. Controversy followed the game about the final penalty on the Eagles and many fans believed that the Chiefs lucked out to win the game. That, however, should not take away from the fantastic game that was played by both teams, and it is one that will not be forgotten anytime soon.
The Sooners walked off the court with their heads hanging low once again after another humiliating loss in Big 12 play. OU was just blown out by 20+ points at home once again to the mighty Kansas Jayhawks. This is their fourth loss in a row which brings the team’s record to 12-13, (2-10) in conference play. With the team’s recent performances, fans are starting to call into question head coach, Porter Moser’s future as the head coach of the Oklahoma Men’s Basketball program. Assuming this year’s team doesn’t have a miracle turnaround, this will be the second year in a row that the Sooners have failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament. While OU isn’t exactly known for their basketball prowess, NCAA Tournament bids are still expected among fans around the state. There is a bright spot in the program as the Sooners have signed two top 50 recruits for next season, being Kaden Cooper and Jacolb Cole. This may be Moser’s final straw if results are not able to be produced with high caliber talent. Moser has also advocated for building a new stadium for the basketball team as well as upgrading facilities and involving boosters to fund for these renovations. It is true that the current stadium, the Lloyd Noble Center, is falling behind of competitor’s stadiums and OU may be due for a renovation. Athletic Director, Joe Castiglione, will have some decisions to make this offseason regarding Moser’s future as well as the future of Lloyd Noble Center.
This Sunday is America’s biggest game and a bettor’s biggest holiday. The game features the Chiefs and the Eagles while presents a unique matchup for both teams as the league’s best offense and defense statistically, go toe to toe in the biggest game of the year. With the rise of popularity in sports betting, records are already being set by the millions of sports fans in America and around the world. According to the American Gaming Association, it is estimated that 50.4 million people will bet on Super Bowl 57. This will break many records set by last year’s Super Bowl. There are around 146 million people, or 57% of adults in the US, that are active in the sports betting market. This has skyrocketed in the last five years thanks to apps and sportsbooks such as PrizePicks, Underdog Fantasy, and Draft Kings. These apps have made betting simple for those in states that it is legal in, thus leading to the rise in popularity. This will be in full effect Sunday night as America watches football’s biggest game.
The eyes of the sports world have set upon LeBron James as he nears the NBA scoring record. In last night’s loss against the Pelicans, James recorded 27 points which brings him to 36 points away from breaking the record. The record holder is also former Laker center, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who scored 38,387 points in his 20-year career in the NBA. James looks to break the record on Tuesday night in Los Angeles against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Tickets for the game have reached astronomical prices as many celebrities’ plan to attend the game in hopes of league history happening right before their eyes.