A key Oklahoma bat will get rewarded for an enormous weekend.
After hitting .750 for the sequence together with an enormous efficiency within the Sunday rubber match, Sooners outfielder/designated hitter Brett Squires was chosen because the Huge 12 Co-Participant of the Week on Monday.
Within the sequence, Squires went 6-for-8 on the plate together with an enormous 4-for-4 outing within the finale with a house run and a walk-off RBI single to finish the seven-inning run-rule.
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His .700 on-base and 1.250 slugging share performed a significant position in Oklahoma choosing up an enormous sequence win to maintain them mathematically alive for a Huge 12 title going into the ultimate weekend of the common season.
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That is the primary participant of the week choice for Squires in his collegiate profession.
He shares the consideration with TCU’s Luke Boyers, who picked up the opposite Co-Participant of the Week nod after hitting .412 with eight RBIs within the Horned Frogs’ sweep of Kansas.
The Sooners return to motion on Monday evening touring north to Eck Stadium to battle Wichita State on the highway earlier than getting again to league play at No. 6 Texas Tech on Thursday evening in Lubbock.
Despite being on a championship contender and the best team in the Western conference, Ajay Mitchell has been a relatively prominent feature in an Oklahoma City Thunder rotation that has double-digit players logging over 10 minutes per game. The second-round draft pick is currently sitting at 13.9 minutes per game, more than third-year player Ousmane Dieng and over double what first-round pick Dillon Jones is averaging.
He’s been making the most of these minutes all season long, averaging 4.8 points, 2.0 assists and one stock (steals plus blocks) on 62.6% true shooting in those 14 minutes. These aren’t just garbage-time minutes either, he’s getting legitimate playing time in select games, one of those being on Friday night versus the Houston Rockets. In 20 minutes (including eight non-garbage time minutes, as categorized by PBP Stats), Mitchell logged 12 points, seven assists, and thee steals while shooting 4-for-4 on twos and 1-for-2 on threes.
His pace has distinctly popped and is something that’s translated to the NBA from UC Santa Barbara. He possesses special change of pace and change of direction abilities, with shiftiness somewhat reminiscent of Jalen Brunson coming out of Villanova. Of course, he’s not anywhere near the level of shotmaker Brunson was, but he still has great touch that shows in his interior finishes, floaters, and jump shots, all of which pair beautifully with his pace.
While it may seem that way, the translation to the NBA wasn’t seamless by any means for Mitchell though. And as a rookie, he still hasn’t fully figured it of course. He mentioned that he’s still learning how to pace himself and read defenses at this level, and that he’s learning a lot from teammates Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams.
Ajay Mitchell says the pace is what’s struck him most about this level. Mentioned he’s learning to read defenses from SGA and Jalen Williams.
Asked what those film sessions look like: “It’s crazy how they dissect the game.” pic.twitter.com/aTZFliwYoz
Learning from those two as a creator with his innate intersection of functional athleticism (flexibility, stability, change of direction) and touch is exciting to think about, and the early returns have already been amazing.
Despite being drafted with the 38th overall pick, Mitchell seems to be yet another win for Sam Presti and the Oklahoma City Thunder, as they add another potential win-now guard with tons of creation upside. The Thunder proves yet again why every draft pick matters and why winning on the margins matters. Keep in mind this is the team that drafted Aaron Wiggins at No. 55 in 2021, who just signed a five-year, $47-million contract this past offseason and is currently sixth in minutes per game and fourth in points per game on the team.
Who’s to say Mitchell won’t be in a similar position three years from 2024?
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Northwestern State Demons (1-1) at Oklahoma Sooners (1-0)
Norman, Oklahoma; Monday, 8 p.m. EST
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BOTTOM LINE: Oklahoma hosts Northwestern State after Jalon Moore scored 22 points in Oklahoma’s 93-60 victory against the Lindenwood Lions.
Oklahoma went 20-12 overall with a 14-4 record at home during the 2023-24 season. The Sooners averaged 75.4 points per game while shooting 46.4% from the field and 34.5% from 3-point distance last season.
Northwestern State finished 9-23 overall a season ago while going 3-13 on the road. The Demons shot 43.2% from the field and 31.7% from 3-point range last season.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Oklahoma officially will have two more weapons added to the offensive arsenal for tonight’s game at No. 24-ranked Missouri.
Wide receivers Jalil Farooq and Deion Burks are both off the pregame SEC Media Availability list, released 90 minutes before kickoff, giving the OU offense and quarterback Jackson Arnold two of his top weapons for the first time in almost two months.
Farooq, a senior from Lanham, MD, went into this season with 86 career catches for 1,229 yards and seven touchdowns, but he suffered a broken foot on the second play of the 2024 season, a 47-yard catch from Arnold.
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Burks, a transfer from Purdue, had 55 career catches for 635 yards and seven TD catches before coming to OU and burst out in the Sooners’ spring game with two long touchdowns. Burks had 26 catches for 201 yards and three touchdowns before his injury against Tennessee.
Both players also are dressed out for the game and fully participated in all pregame warmups.
The Sooners and Tigers kick off at 6:45 p.m. OU is 5-4 overall and 1-4 in SEC play, while Mizzou is 6-2 and 2-2.
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