Oklahoma Sooners MBB | Three Things We Learned In 78-53 Win Over SLU

The Oklahoma Sooners opened their season with a 78-53 victory over SLU in Lloyd Noble. Finally getting a chance to witness TaShawn Thomas in action, here are three things to take away.

Buddy Hield Proves To One Of Best In Conference

In the season opener, Buddy Hield showed the rest of the Big XII exactly why the junior guard is considered to be one of the best in the league, if not the nation. On the afternoon, the star poured in 25 points on a career best and conference tying record on 7-of-7 shooting from behind the arc in just 28 minutes of play. That's certainly a far cry from the attack mentality many thought Hield would carry into the season saying "you can't turn down a wide-open shot."

TaShawn Thomas May Not Be Who We Thought

The Houston transfer came in with the label as "the savior" of this squad. Hoping TaShawn Thomas would provide a spark underneath the basket in terms of scoring, the senior dropped in four points along with pulling down 3 rebounds. Not exactly the outing fans expected to see. However, the bright side remains that Thomas has leadership skills as he was vocal while directing traffic. Give the forward a bit of time to get back into shape and gel with the rest of the starting group before passing judgement.

Shooting Poorly, Oklahoma Can Still Score

Although the Sooners shot a mere 38.7% from the field they nearly broke the 80 point barrier in 40 minutes. Last season, Oklahoma averaged 81.9 points per contest while eclipsing the 80 point mark 18 times. The potential to repeat the performance is there especially with all the talent on the roster.