TULSA — As chants of Woo Pig Suey rang out, the cry of “SEC” came back.
Rally calls met at midfield, and so did the fans, as spectators from Fayetteville and Norman, Arkansas, traveled two hours to get to the BOK Center.
No. 19 OU (9-0) defeated Arkansas (6-4) 79-70 on Saturday in an idea created by former Oklahoma head coach Lon Kruger and championed by current head coach Porter Moser. The final Crimson & Cardinal Classic to be defeated was born.
As the clock began to tick down, giving OU its first 9-0 start since the 2015-16 season, Razorback fans began leaving the arena, afraid to look back as the Sooners slowly increased their lead.
Moser, who suffered an 88-78 loss to Arkansas at the same venue a year ago, couldn’t help but acknowledge the metaphor. After 365 days, the head coach appears to have turned his program into a winning program and one that can overcome challenges such as six technical fouls.
“Obviously they performed very well, so we’re excited,” Moser said after the win. “As I’ve said many times, we strive to be great on our feet today.”
The game saw what Coach Moser already saw in 2021, as Razorbacks head coach Eric Musselman was ejected for arguing with officials with 15:50 left in the second half.
But Moser also experienced something new, seeing six technical fouls called in 20 minutes of play.
“I’ve never been in a game with so many players on the team,” Moser said. “I think they were playing emotionally.”
In a second half in which fluid play was constantly interrupted by the referee’s whistle, sophomore guard Otega Oweh, junior Jaron Moore and redshirt senior Rivaldo Soares were each given technical fouls. Musselman had two technicals, and Arkansas redshirt senior forward Chandler Lawson had one.
Despite the foul, the Sooners were able to take advantage of the frustration and turn it into fuel.
“You know it’s an emotional game,” Moser said. “You can play with emotion, but you can’t play with emotion. But we’ve had a lot of guys step up and (junior guard Javian McCollum) continues to step up. think.”
McCollum, who scored a season-high 20 points on 5-of-12 shooting and 8-of-8 from the free-throw line, has been OU’s primary offensive facilitator this year, adding to the speed and speed that Moser has emphasized from the beginning. He embodies a long style of play. For the 2023-24 season.
He continued his impressive rebounding performance against Providence and scored five points against the Razorbacks against Arkansas after transferring from Siena. But while McCollum’s impact on the game was undeniable, it was Sam Godwin who caught Musselman’s attention.
“Godwin is a great complementary piece,” Musselman said. “He’s one of the best vertical players in college basketball. He’s one of the best players who can impact the game without the ball in his hands.”
The senior forward understands his role and embodies it. From grabbing offensive boards to running the rim, Godwin has been filling gaps that teams need to fill. Godwin, who scored seven points, went 2-of-3 from the floor and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line and continued to attack the glass, grabbing four rebounds.
He understands his place on the 15-man roster, but the starter also understands the ebbs and flows of the sport, and moments like the one in Saturday’s game are part of the game. I also understand that it is just a .
“Basketball is a run game. You’re throwing punches and getting punched,” Godwin said. “So when things got heated, especially in the first four minutes of the second half, we just stuck together and calmed the guys down.”
Playing in an environment like the BOK Center is important as OU continues to move up the rankings and rack up wins against teams like Arkansas, and as the Sooners finished their last Cardinal and Crimson Classic, Moser is enjoying the opportunity.
“We’re doing it three years in a row, so it feels like an NCAA regional,” Moser said. “You see the band, you see both teams, you see all the colors. When you walk into the beautiful arena, I thought he had an NCAA regional feel for his last three years here.”
After a trip to Tulsa, the Sooners return to Norman to take on Green Bay (4-6) on Dec. 16 at 8 p.m. at the Lloyd Noble Center on ESPN+.
This article was edited by Colton Salley.