Is it Friday already? Wow. Now I don’t know about y’all, but this week strangely flew by for me. With all of the basketball goodies following the Oklahoma Sooners’ win over the Kansas Jayhawks, in addition to the news and notes coming from the Reese’s Senior Bowl practices, there have been plenty of stories to keep our attention.

And speaking of the Senior Bowl, isn’t watching Baker Mayfield throw red zone TD passes to Dimitri Flowers just a thing of pure beauty? Who knows, maybe they’ll end up on the same NFL team, and Sooner Nation can continue to watch that magic happen again and again. One can dream, right?

I wish those two guys and the rest of the Sooners embarking on life after Oklahoma football all the best. Now onto today’s Hot Links! In this edition, Trae Young’s Wooden Award stock rises, Ogbonnia Okoronkwo meets with the Dallas Cowboys, Russell Westbrook wasn’t actually picked last and more!

OU Links

• Trae Young is so composed for a guy who won’t be 20 years old for another eight months. Not to mention he’s the biggest thing happening in college basketball right now. Check out this great 1-on-1 interview with Andy Katz and the Young one himself:

• Even after the rough stretch during the two-loss skid last week, Trae Young remains the leading candidate for the Wooden Award. So how does Young’s stock look now after his crazy efficient game in the win over KU?
• Trae Young and Alabama’s Collin Sexton is a matchup basketball fans may be watching on the pro-level in the future, but tomorrow’s game between the Sooners and the Tide could provide the first glimpse into one of the most anticipated head-to-head battles of the season.
• Speaking of this game, Jack provided some quick insight to BamaHoops.com earlier this morning.
• The numbers say that the people want to see the Trae Young Show on the biggest stages. Is it March yet?

• The Dallas Cowboys have reportedly met with Ogbonnia Okoronkwo. Dallas would be an intriguing place for Ogbo to wind up because the Cowboys have been known for some exceptional pass rushers in the past, but typically those pass rushers were taller, more rangy players than Okoronkwo. There’s no doubt in my mind that Ogbo’s tape grabbed some NFL teams’ attention.
• Since he arrived at Oklahoma, Lincoln Riley’s only starting QB (besides the WVU game on senior day) has been Baker Mayfield. Now Coach Riley must create a symbiotic relationship with another signal caller. The QB job is Kyler Murray’s to lose, and his offensive skill set gives Lincoln Riley plenty to work with.
• It’s probably safe to say that Hannes Pöllä is the biggest Finn in Norman. The 6’11” freshman is raw, but he’s already getting playing opportunities in big moments that will help accelerate his development as his production increases.

Around the Sports World

• LeBron James picked Russell Westbrook to play on his team for the NBA All-Star game. Apparently Russ’ Thunder teammate Carmelo Anthony was giving him a hard time about being picked last, but as it turns out the list was simply released in alphabetical order. Some really fun stuff right here.

• Speaking of the Oklahoma City Thunder, it appears the team has quietly righted the ship as far as chemistry and lineup issues are concerned. What has really sparked the turnaround has been the Thunder’s stifling defense.
• So now the WWE chairman Vince McMahon has officially announced the return of the XFL, what do you need to know about and what can you expect from the league that once crashed and burned after its inaugural season?
• A Predators fan booked a flight to a game in Nashville only to realize her mistake after she arrived to an empty arena. It was actually an away game, but after posting about it on Twitter, the team hooked her up with some sweet gear.

Stick to Sports!

• This is for our local Oklahoma folks who could use this heads up. If you’re going to be traveling at all around OKC, keep in mind that starting tonight at 7:00 p.m., parts of I-235 will be completely closed off in both directions. The cross-highway shutdown is expected to last until next Tuesday. Now’s the time to adjust your route accordingly before heading out so that you’re not potentially log-jammed for several hours.

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