Oklahoma
Freeze the Philosopher on Oklahoma Regrets and Georgia Bulldogs Focus
Hugh Freeze can read a situation in hindsight. The Auburn coach fully understands the magnitude of the mounting losses. After a 2-3 homestand to start the season, the Tigers head to Sanford Stadium to play the Georgia Bulldogs.
Auburn heads deeper into their SEC schedule with more questions than answers. During media availability, Freeze tried to answer a variety of them.
Regrets
The Oklahoma game presented an opportunity to shock a good team. In hindsight, Freeze recognized this. Now, that doesn’t make anything more palatable. The Auburn coach lays out a few occasions where the game needed to go far differently.
“Let’s start, that first half, it easily could’ve been 24-7 at half,” said Freeze. “We get down to the one or two, and two shots from there we went with a package that we’ve worked on for several weeks. I truthfully regret not giving it to Jarquez (Hunter) down there at least once.
You’re going to miss some field goals, but it’d have been nice to have gotten that one right before half, for sure. Certainly, (Towns McGough) is very capable of making those, but that happens. The first half, it’s really not scoring the touchdown, and I thought the offense did a good job getting us in field position to kick a field goal. I thought that was a really good drive. This was a weird situation, but the play right before we had to go mayday, and it was good to see us execute mayday really well.”
Of all of the above stated, the Hunter piece stands out most. Hunter, by far, the most talented back on the roster needed to touch the ball more, during the entire afternoon. Veering away from a proven back for a gimmick formation with a quarterback who hasn’t taken any live snaps all year sinks into the realm of overthinking the obvious.
The Long Plan
Prevailing thought resides with those that believe Auburn will completely fall apart and struggle to make even the most tertiary of bowl spot. Yet, those games still need playing. Similarly, like most coaches, Freeze attempts to assess the situation, finding a common enemy.
“The media is into this spiraling and keep them together. If that is a question about your team, then you probably are not going to have a whole lot of success,” said Freeze. “In life, you don’t get the chance to spiral and then have success, and it’s the same way in football. That will be my lesson today that I have planned since the summer, which I think is perfect for our moment, and I am going to give some real-life examples of myself.
“At times in life you have to draw the line on what am I really in this for and what did I really sign up for? What happens when you sign up for a job and it doesn’t go the way you want, do you spiral? There is not another option. We get the opportunity this week to go play one of the top teams in the country with a really young, building team, and we see it as a another great opportunity.”
Overview
Auburn lost a game which they should’ve won, plain and simple. Yet, they still need to go on and play and win some games. Regardless of what words uttered or written, the onus stays with the ability of winning more games. Now, the team needs to compartmentalize the ancillary and stick to the matter at hand.
One game at a time is a cliche for a reason. The focus for the Auburn Tigers is Georgia, not trying to play the entire schedule this week.
The Oklahoma City Thunder were shocked by the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night in Paycom Center, losing 124-97. This is OKC’s second loss in as many days, losing last night in Phoenix to the Suns 108-105.
The Thunder’s record is now 30-7 and they are 6-6 in their last 12 games. The No. 1 seed in the Western Conference is playing its worst stretch of basketball in over two years.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 21 points on 7-of-21 shooting to keep his 20-point streak alive. OKC shot a rough 28.2% from three-point range and 66.7% from the charity stripe.
Here are three takeaways from the Thunder’s 27-point home loss.
1. Inability to Make Shots
The glaring struggle for the Thunder tonight was on offense, with the team shooting 36.6% from the floor and 28.2% from three-point range. It’s difficult for any team to win shooting that poorly in a game.
The Thunder found open look after open look across the perimeter, but were unable to convert at a high rate. The Hornets were able to consistently help off of perimeter shooters to bring more defensive attention around Gilgeous-Alexander and inside the paint.
Poor shooting creates poor spacing and poor spacing creates ugly offensive execution. Poor spacing and shooting defined OKC’s woes against Charlotte.
2. Young and Hungry Hornets
Charlotte was by far the more energetic team in its win, amped up on both ends from start to finish, flying in for every loose ball. The young team came in looking to send Loud City home unhappy and they succeeded.
The Thunder were on the back end of an away/home back-to-back, having to quickly fly in from Phoenix to prepare for the game. The Hornets smelt blood in the water early, taking the game from their very first run.
After the game was tied at 33 at the end of the first quarter, Charlotte blazed into a 23-7 run throughout a large part of the second quarter to grasp a firm control of the flow of the game. The Thunder’s struggling offense could not find any momentum to claw back into the hole they fell into.
Charlotte’s shooting performance was remarkable from distance. With a plethora of shots taken with great difficulty, the Hornets managed to shoot 51.4% from three-point range.
The Hornets came in hungry and caught the reigning champions by surprise.
3. Gilgeous-Alexander Keeps Streak Alive Amid Struggles
Gilgeous-Alexander scoring above 20 points, with 21, to keep his historic 20-point streak alive, is the lone positive from a rough loss. Despite struggling through constant full-court pressure and double teams from the Hornets, the reigning MVP was able to muster just enough to keep his hunt for the record alive.
Gilgeous-Alexander shot 7-of-21 from the floor and 1-of-6 from three in the loss, adding six assists to his totals. He was OKC’s only 20-point scorer on the night.
The Canadian’s streak of scoring 20-or-more points now sits at 108 games, 18 behind Wilt Chamberlain’s record of 126.
The Sooners have added reinforcement to their backfield for the 2026 season in the form of Colorado State transfer Lloyd Avant.
The rising junior has committed to Oklahoma, and will join the program with two years of eligibility remaining. He’ll add explosiveness and versatility to an OU running back corps headlined by returning workhorses Xavier Robinson and Tory Blaylock.
It’s a return to the Sooner State for Avant, who spent his freshman season at Tulsa in 2024. He signed with the Golden Hurricane out of high school as a three-star recruit. At the time, TU’s head coach was Kevin Wilson, who’s now on staff with Oklahoma as an offensive analyst.
Avant made an immediate impact at Tulsa as a true freshman, rushing for 259 yards and a TD and adding a kick return touchdown. But after Wilson’s dismissal, the 5-foot-10, 200-pounder elected to enter the transfer portal and eventually landed at CSU. There, he became a weapon in several facets for the program during his lone season with the Rams. He totaled over 900 all-purpose yards, 417 of which came on the ground and 261 of which came via pass reception. He scored six total TD’s and averaged nearly six yards per touch.
Upon Avant’s second portal entry, the Sooners quickly emerged as the team to watch in his recruitment. He visited campus Sunday and didn’t take long to lock in his decision.
A native of Humble, Texas, Avant gives Oklahoma six scholarship running backs heading into the new season. He joins Robinson, Blaylock, Andy Bass, and a pair of incoming freshmen in Jonathan Hatton and DeZephen Walker. It’ll also be of some intrigue to see whether OU offers him the chance to return kicks. As a team, the Sooners attempted just two kickoff returns in 2025, opting almost exclusively for fair catches. That philosophy could change with a proven special teams weapon like Avant in the stable.
Not a subscriber? Join OUInsider now and get your first week for just $1. No, this deal is NOT too good to be true! Take advantage today and get the market’s best Oklahoma football and recruiting intel!
Click HERE to subscribe today!
Charlotte Hornets (12-23, 12th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (30-6, first in the Western Conference)
Oklahoma City; Monday, 8 p.m. EST
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Thunder -15.5; over/under is 232.5
BOTTOM LINE: Oklahoma City hosts Charlotte looking to continue its three-game home winning streak.
The Thunder have gone 17-2 at home. Oklahoma City scores 121.9 points while outscoring opponents by 14.7 points per game.
The Hornets have gone 5-13 away from home. Charlotte ranks fourth in the league averaging 15.1 made 3-pointers per game while shooting 36.7% from downtown. Kon Knueppel leads the team averaging 3.6 makes while shooting 42.8% from 3-point range.
The Thunder’s 13.6 made 3-pointers per game this season are the same per game average that the Hornets allow. The Hornets are shooting 45.6% from the field, 2.5% higher than the 43.1% the Thunder’s opponents have shot this season.
The teams square off for the second time this season. The Thunder won 109-96 in the last meeting on Nov. 16. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 33 points, and Miles Bridges led the Hornets with 15 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Chet Holmgren is averaging 18.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks for the Thunder. Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 25.0 points over the last 10 games.
Bridges is averaging 20.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists for the Hornets. Brandon Miller is averaging 4.0 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Thunder: 6-4, averaging 118.9 points, 42.5 rebounds, 24.7 assists, 9.9 steals and 5.7 blocks per game while shooting 48.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.3 points per game.
Hornets: 5-5, averaging 118.7 points, 45.6 rebounds, 28.8 assists, 7.6 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 45.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 117.8 points.
INJURIES: Thunder: Nikola Topic: out (groin), Thomas Sorber: out for season (knee), Ousmane Dieng: out (calf), Jaylin Williams: out (heel), Isaiah Hartenstein: out (calf).
Hornets: Mason Plumlee: out (groin), Grant Williams: out (acl), Ryan Kalkbrenner: day to day (elbow), Tidjane Salaun: day to day (ankle), Moussa Diabate: day to day (wrist).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Popular Detroit sports columnist announces stage 4 cancer diagnosis
Claims in lawsuit against Great Highway park dismissed by San Francisco judge
Dallas church stands firm with rainbow steps art win
Man shot during $22,000 gold chain robbery at Supreme store in Miami’s Design District; Atlanta suspects arrested
Best of Boston Weddings 2026
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
Federal officials to halt more than $10B in funding to 5 states over non-citizen benefit concerns: report
US critics and allies condemn Maduro’s abduction at UN Security Council
Maduro seized, norms tested: Security Council divided as Venezuela crisis deepens
Video: Welcome to Rennie Harris’s Dance Floor
Fraud fallout forces Democratic Gov Tim Walz to abandon Minnesota re-election bid
-
World1 week agoHamas builds new terror regime in Gaza, recruiting teens amid problematic election
-
Indianapolis, IN1 week agoIndianapolis Colts playoffs: Updated elimination scenario, AFC standings, playoff picture for Week 17
-
Politics1 week agoMost shocking examples of Chinese espionage uncovered by the US this year: ‘Just the tip of the iceberg’
-
News1 week agoFor those who help the poor, 2025 goes down as a year of chaos
-
World1 week agoPodcast: The 2025 EU-US relationship explained simply
-
Business1 week agoInstacart ends AI pricing test that charged shoppers different prices for the same items
-
Politics1 week ago‘Unlucky’ Honduran woman arrested after allegedly running red light and crashing into ICE vehicle
-
News1 week agoWinter storm brings heavy snow and ice to busy holiday travel weekend