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Sooner Hoops Yields 104-76 Victory In Up-Tempo Debut

By M. Hofeld
USA TODAY Sports
"This is the pace we want to play at. Coach has emphasized it from the summer. We need to play fast and the guys who were in the game needed to play fast. We are going to play as we go and keep playing fast and see if we can run it as well." -Buddy Hield

While the jury is still very much out on the 2013-14 Oklahoma Sooners a couple of things we did learn from Saturday's exhibition opener is that they will be pushing the pace this season and there's no shortage of players who can score. A total of eleven players scored for Oklahoma, in the 104-76 victory over Washburn, and five guys scored in double figures.

The biggest unknown was how this team would look in a fast paced attack. The initial answer is that they look pretty good. Oklahoma's size and athleticism lends a hand to them playing a break-neck speed and Washburn couldn't keep up. The Sooners only scored eight fast break points but they also forced Washburn into 15 turnovers with their press defense.

Fun Stats

The Sooners shot 55.2% from the floor and 43.5% from three-point range. Oklahoma recorded 25 points off of turnovers, and produced 42 points in the paint. A team that has concerns about rebounding going into the season, OU won the battle of the boards 46-30 which produced 21 second chance points. OU also recorded six blocked shots and forced fifteen turnovers.

Not So Fun Stats

The Sooners turned the ball over 16 times which led to 22 Washburn points. The Oklahoma bench was also outscored 44-31 by Washburn.

Top Performers

How can you not like what Oklahoma got from senior Cameron Clark? Shooting 8-13 from the floor, Clark scored a game high 23 points and shot 3-5 from three-point range.

"I've been adjusting pretty good. Coach has been running plays for me. My teammates get me open shots and I just have to be able to knock them down." - Cam Clark

Sophomore Buddy Hield contributed 21 points to Oklahoma's effort by shooting 7-11 from the floor.

Three other Sooners scored in double figures. (Ryan Spangler, 10, Jordan Woodard 15, Tyler Neal 12)

True freshman Jordan Woodard was impressive in his debut by dishing out four assists and grabbing five steals.

What's Next

The Sooners are back in action Monday night when they host Oklahoma Christian in the Field House. As they grow into their new scheme of playing basketball, they'll need to develop to the point of taking care of the ball a lot better than they did on Saturday. I would imagine that is one of Coach Kruger's primary objectives in Sunday's meetings and practices.

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