The Final Score 61 - 43 | Game Defining Stats

On the season, the Oklahoma Sooners now sport a 6-0 record when playing at home. Defeating the George Mason Patriots by a final score of 61-43, Lon Kruger and company close out the non-conference portion of the schedule and must now focus on Baylor and the rest of the Big XII.

Before we jump into conference play, it's time to take a look back at Wednesday's game defining stats.

• Buddy Hield scored 15 of his 17 points in the first half. Only twice, both occasions during the Battle 4 Atlantis, has the star guard been held under the double-digit barrier. I think it's safe to say, Hield never left but felt the pressure of performing in front of family and friends for the first time during his collegiate career in the Bahamas.
• George Mason fired up 14 shots from behind the arc. Unfortunately for the Patriots, they walked away with a 0.00% performance from three-point land and an 18-point loss. Looks like the switch on every screen helps drastically.
• Not a single Patriot scored in double-digits. However, Isaiah Jackson and Shevon Thompson came close with nine each. As a team, GMU shot a mere 29.5% from the floor.
• Jordan Woodard continues to work on limiting turnovers. The work appears to be paying off as the point guard totaled three turnovers during the past three games. By comparison, the sophomore racked up 12 assists over the same period of time. Yet, Woodard may be an undervalued rebounder at his stature with eight against GMU.
• The Sooners out rebounded their opponent 47-38 while collecting 7 swats as well. These post players are athletic and have good instincts.
• Each win in Lloyd Noble Center has come by 18+ points! If that's not impressive, I don't know what is...

Moving forward, Oklahoma needs to step up the offensive power and find themselves at the free throw line frequently. The defense continues to make strides in communication and protecting the rim as evidenced by the past two games. But, as we all know and have seen, the Big XII remains the best basketball conference from top to bottom. While the league lacks an elite caliber team, the double round robin format should prove difficult as competition step up and brings out the best in everyone.