Oklahoma
Mike Gundy blasts Oklahoma State critics: 'When they go to bed, they're the same failure they were before'
As Oklahoma State is headed for its worst season since Mike Gundy took over in 2005, the coach had a message for his critics. Expectations were high entering the year as the Cowboys returned most of their starters from a team that finished runner up in the Big 12 in 2023.
However, with just three games remaining on the schedule, OSU has still yet to win a conference game. The Cowboys have not failed to make a bowl game in the past 18 seasons, but would need to win out to become bowl eligible this year.
Gundy and the team have rightfully faced criticism as there seems to be little explanation as to where things went so wrong. In his press conference on Monday, the coach came back with a strong response.
“This place has had tremendous success for 18-and-a-half years,” he said. “Unfortunately in life, most people are weak and as soon as things start to not go as good as they thought, they fall apart and they panic. Then they want to point the finger and blame other people. You see it happen in every day life. That’s why I refuse to watch the TV and watch the news because I get tired of people complaining and bitching about this and that versus just doing something about it and trying to figure out a way to make it better. That’s what happens in college athletics.
“In most cases when people are negative and voice their opinion, they’re the same ones that can’t pay their own bills. They’re not taking care of themselves. They’re not taking care of their own family. They’re not taking care of their own job that they have an obligation to speak out and complain about others because it makes them feel better. Then in the end when they go to bed at night, they’re the same failure they were before they said anything negative about anybody else.”
Some things have been out of Mike Gundy and Oklahoma State’s control. The Cowboys have lost several key players due to injury on defense and certainly no one is going to blame the coach for that.
However, the quarterback play has also been less than stellar and teams have figured out to how to defend running back Ollie Gordon after his breakout season a year ago. That’s something that falls on Gundy and the coaching staff to fix and so far they haven’t found a solution.
Gundy continued to say he is urging his team to continue to fight until the end of the season regardless of the circumstances they find themselves in. He also urged fans to continue to supports the Cowboys and assured them that while things might look bleak at the moment, he has a plan to make sure the future of the program is in good hands.
“I think what’s important for all the Oklahoma State fans to know is this: We’re very aware of what’s going on and at some point in life, we all have to put trust in somebody,” he said. “I think they need to trust that we have a good plan for what’s going on here in the big picture and we have answers. Sometimes they’re not short term. Sometimes they might be long-term answers. Then secondly, in the end, the very best thing that people can do is 100% buy in. You’ve gotta be on somebody’s team. You can’t go through life by yourself.
“I’m gonna go into a meeting at 1:30 and have a similar conversation with the team, but it will only last about two minutes because they’ve heard this from me 1,000 times during their career and they understand. So what I’ll tell them is that we as a staff and me as a head coach have been working over the last two days to give you guys a plan. Now we’re asking you to buy in and execute this plan and then on Saturday go play and turn it lose and have some fun and compete. What we and I are looking for is guys that are willing to do that. That’s called being a team. That’s called being part of an organization. It’s really that simple for us.”
It’s a lengthy explanation for the team’s struggles this year but only results and the field will truly cause the critics to cease. OSU will look for its first Big 12 win when it hits the road to face TCU on Saturday.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are taking on the Phoenix Suns in Game 2 of their opening-round series. The OKC Thunder are hoping that they can repeat their Sunday afternoon performance in this contest. Game 2 will be an interesting test with the Suns having more time to prepare.
Phoenix was up against a rock and a hard place in the series opener. The Oklahoma City Thunder not only have the talent advantage but the rest advantage as well. Phoenix punched their ticket to the NBA Playoffs on Friday night by staving off the Golden State Warriors on Friday night before landing in Oklahoma City on Saturday and playing on Saturday afternoon to the tune of a 119-84 blowout Thunder victory.
The NBA has seen plenty of upsets already. The Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers and Portland Trail Blazers have all stolen games from the higher seed. The Thunder know they have to keep the foot on the gas in this contest.
“These series are unpredictable. No 2 games are the same. The minute you make an assumption, you are overconfident, or the minute you go down and you’re overly urgent, that can impact your ability to be present in the next game,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said pregame on Wednesday night.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are seeing the Suns make an adjustment with their starting lineup by inserting Collin Gillespie to give Phoenix a trio of ball handling scoring options alongside Devin Booker and Jalen Green. This gives the Suns hope to be able to find better shot quality against this stifling Thunder defensive unit.
Oklahoma City is healthier now than they have been all season. The Thunder only are missing rookie Thomas Sorber (ACL) who is out for the year. This allows the Bricktown Ballers to roll out their traditional first five in this contest.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Phoenix Suns, Game 2 Starting Lineup
Oklahoma City Thunder Starting Lineup
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, G
- Lu Dort, G
- Jalen Williams, F
- Chet Holmgren, F
- Isaiah Hartenstein, C
Phoenix Suns Starting Lineup
- Devin Booker, G
- Jalen Green, G
- Collin Gillespie, G
- Dillon Brooks, F
- Oso Ighodaro, C
The series will shift to Phoenix this weekend as the Oklahoma City Thunder hope to head into Saturday afternoon’s Game 3 with a 2-0 advantage in the series.
Stay tuned to Thunder on SI for complete coverage of the NBA Playoff run for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA (KOKH) — The Oklahoma City Fire Department responded to a home fire late Tuesday evening, around 10:42 p.m.
According to OKCFD, fire could be seen from a window of the home located in the 4200 block of N. Phillips Avenue.
Firefighters were able to rescue an adult female from inside the home. No injuries were reported in connection with the fire.
Investigators believe that the fire may have originated from an outlet near the refrigerator that had a power strip plugged in that was supplying multiple appliances.
There was also no smoke detector present within the home.
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NORMAN — The Sooners were behind the eight ball for much of Tuesday’s game against Oral Roberts.
But one swing of the bat got them in a more favorable position.
Shortstop Jaxon Willits blasted a grand slam in the sixth inning to give No. 14 Oklahoma its first lead before eventually winning 7-6.
The Sooners trailed by as many as five runs before they rallied late.
In the first inning, Oral Roberts’ Cooper Combs hit a two-out grand slam to give the Golden Eagles a comfortable cushion. OU infielder Deiten Lachance got the Sooners on the board in the second inning with a solo home run, but ORU responded with a solo shot of its own in the next frame.
The Golden Eagles made it a 6-1 run game in the top of the fourth, and they appeared to be on cruise control. But in the bottom of that frame, OU’s rally began.
Dasan Harris made it a four-run game again with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth before Camden Johnson hit a sacrifice fly of his own in the fifth.
Then, in the sixth, the Sooners took their first lead of the game.
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Harris singled before Kyle Branch and Connor Larkin walked to load the bases. Willits then swung at the first pitch he saw, sending it well over the right-center field fence.
Neither team scored after Willits’ home run, as OU relief pitcher Xander Mercurius retired nine ORU batters in a row to seal the Sooners’ one-run win.
Michael Catalano started on the mound for Oklahoma, but his outing was short-lived — he gave up four earned runs on two hits and five walks in 1 ⅓ innings.
After coach Skip Johnson relieved Catalano in the second inning, six different OU arms entered the game. Reid Hensley collected the win, while Mercurius got the save.
OU improved to 28-12 overall with the win, while Oral Roberts dropped to 23-15. The Sooners are 7-3 in midweek games this season, and they clinched the season sweep of the Golden Eagles on Tuesday.
Next, the Sooners will hit the road for a three-game series against Auburn. The Tigers, ranked No. 11 by D1Baseball, are 10-8 in SEC play and took two of three games against Florida over the weekend.
The series will open on Friday, and first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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