The 2023 Masters was just as thrilling and exciting as it had been advertised all year. The most famous and prestigious major was set in Augusta, Georgia once again and had all of the storylines in the anticipation. Would Scottie Scheffler return for a second straight Masters win, or maybe the fan-favorite Jordan Spieth would return to his former glory. However, all of those storylines were trumped by the world number one ranked player, Jon Rahm. Rahm did not have the start that he was hoping for after a four putt on the very first hole put him at two over. From that point on, Rahm was on the attack, rising above other players who had fast starts, such as Victor Hovland and the amateur Sam Bennett. Eventually, Rahm entered the final round down two strokes to Brooks Koepka. Rahm then played a phenomenal round, finishing with a 69 (-3) while Koepka crumbled under the pressure, finishing with a 75 (+3). This gave Rahm his 11th career win and the overall number one world ranking as he brings the green jacket back to Spain.
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The 2022-23 UConn Huskies were immortalized on Monday, April 3rd as they won their fifth basketball national title. The Huskies entered the tournament as a four seed, but they didn’t play like one. The blew out each of their opponents by double digits and seemed to be in perfect synch each and every game. The Huskies were lead by big man Adama Sanogo and playmaker Jordan Hawkins, who both declared for the NBA draft shortly after the game. The Huskies final game was against the 5 seed, San Diego State Aztecs. They had come off a thriller against Florida Atlantic University where Lamont Butler hit a game winner to win 72-71. However, the championship game was not as thrilling as UConn demolished San Diego State 76-59. This put coach Dan Hurley in elite company as the third national winning coach in UConn history, joining Kevin Ollie and Jim Calhoun. This UConn team will be remembered as one of the greatest teams in college basketball history and is a true testament to how getting hot at the right time is all you need to win a championship.
The 2023 Men’s NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament has been nothing but spectacular and jaw-dropping. There were upsets galore and no lack of games that left fans on the edge of their seats. But now, there is only four teams that remain and these teams were not the names everyone expected. The four teams still competing are the Miami Hurricanes, Florida Atlantic Owls, San Diego State Aztecs, and the UConn Huskies. UConn is the only team that has played on this stage as the other schools had never reached the final four. Shockingly, only 37 brackets of the 20 million submitted correctly predicted these teams to remain. The teams all had very different and difficult roads to the final four. The FAU Owls is the lowest seed that is still in the running, a nine seed, and they would be the lowest seed to ever win the tournament. San Diego State, a five seed, had many close games, including Creighton and Alabama, and is the first team from the Mountain West Conference to make it to the semifinals. The UConn Huskies, a four seed, had a surprisingly smooth route to the final four as they had defeated each of their opponents, including Gonzaga and Arkansas, by over 15 points. The final team, the Miami Hurricanes, a five seed, had won many upsets as they won three games against a four seed, a one seed, and a two seed in order to reach the final four. These games will be the climax of the tournament and it will be very intriguing to see which storyline and program will prevail.
The Oklahoma men’s basketball team ended a particularly disappointing 2022-23 campaign with many questions about the roster and its future. The Sooners bowed out to the Oklahoma State Cowboys for the third time this season in another double-digit loss against their in-state rival. Attentions immediately turned to head coach Porter Moser as he enters his third season which may be a make-or-break year for his position on the Oklahoma basketball team’s staff. The transfers have already began their leave as guards Benny Schroeder, C.J. Noland, and Bijan Cortes have already announced their departure from the Oklahoma squad. While these players were all role players, they are spots that need to be filled by the portal. This is also true for seniors Tanner and Jacob Groves. The Sooners are hoping that leading scorer Grant Sherfield will use his COVID year to possibly return for one last year. Incoming freshman Jacolb Cole and Kaden Cooper will also help to bring some size and athleticism to next year’s squad. This offseason will be a particularly interesting one for Moser and company in hopes that the Sooners may return the NCAA Tournament form.
Every college basketball fan’s favorite weekend has finally concluded after four straight days of thrilling and nail-biting basketball was played. The NCAA Men’s and Women’s tournament took place among various regions, and it is safe to say that March did not disappoint once again. There were many games that were neck and neck and multiple Cinderella stories that captured America’s hearts. Whether it was the astounding comeback from the 13 seed Furman Paladins over Virginia, or the Sweet 16 run that the Princeton Tigers miraculously achieved, underdogs reigned supreme once again. But there was one underdog that nearly every fan fell in love with. This was the 16 seed Fairleigh-Dickinson squad that pulled out most likely the biggest upset in tournament history as it knocked off the number one seeded Purdue in a game that went to the wire. The passion displayed by the players as well as the very likable coach, Tobin Anderson, the Knights were a team that anyone could cheer for. Unfortunately, their run was cut short by the Florida Atlantic Owls by a score of 78-70. This does not take away the story of that team and they will be etched in men’s basketball lore forever.
The Oklahoma Sooners Football Team is set to start spring practice on Tuesday. This is a crucial time for the incoming freshman and transfer players to learn the playbook and culture that head coach Brent Venables hopes to instill in his team. Excitement is high around the program for Venables second season as the head ball coach, especially for the defensive side of the ball. The Sooners were big players in the transfer portal in the winter, landing some big-name players, such as linebacker Dasan McCullough, defensive end Trace Ford, and wide receiver Andrel Anthony Jr. The Sooners also landed their biggest recruiting class of all time totaling three five-star recruits, including quarterback Jackson Arnold, defensive end PJ Adebawore, and safety Peyton Bowen. All of these players will make their debut in crimson and cream on April 22, at the annual spring game. Sooner nation is also very eager for this game, as last year they set the record for attendance at a spring game. Football season will be here in no time and the first step in getting there is the preparation in the spring.
Sunday afternoon, Paycom Center was packed with eager fans awaiting to see a prime-time performance. The opposing Phoenix Suns boasted a 38-32 record and the fourth seed in the Western Conference Having one of the best rosters in the league, Phoenix posed a serious challenge to Oklahoma City in a must-win game for the Thunder for their playoff chances. The Thunder came into the game as the 9th seed but only two games behind the six seed, meaning every game is critical to make it to the postseason. I personally attended the game with some of my friends and I could feel the energy from the stadium as soon as I arrived at my seat. The game began on the wrong foot as the Suns opened the game with a quick double-digit lead and star guard, Devin Booker, was hot from the mid-range. He stayed hot throughout the whole game, finishing with 46 points in a stellar performance. This was enough to carry the Suns to a six-point advantage heading into the fourth and final quarter. It was then when the Thunder went on an 18-2 run that gave them a 10-point advantage and got the home crowd loud. The Thunder survived a final comeback attempt to win the game 124-120 and move up to number 8 in the western conference. The Thunder’s playoff chances increased even more as well as they have the second easiest schedule left. The Thunder return Tuesday night as they travel to Los Angeles for two straight games against the Clippers.
This past weekend, the Sooners opened up conference play at L. Dale Mitchell Park. the opponent was the 11th-ranked TCU Horned Frogs, who had started off their 2023 season exceptionally. The Sooners entered the weekend on fire as well, touting an 11-6 record and winners of eight of their last ten games. The Sooners were a bit slow to start the series Friday night as the Horned Frogs routed the boys 13-5 in a blowout. The Sooners rallied the pitching staff for a shutdown performance the following night, holding TCU to only two hits and one run. In the Sunday afternoon rubber game, the Sooners had to wear their rally caps as TCU was up 5-3 in the seventh inning. The Sooners then exploded, scoring four runs in the bottom of the inning, which would prove to be enough to secure the series to open Big 12 play. The Sooners will host a midweek game against Dallas Baptist before traveling to Manhattan, Kansas for another weekend series with the Kansas State Wildcats.
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.
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.