Oklahoma Sooners Basketball: Trae Young, Rashard Odomes lead OU to close win vs. Baylor

The Oklahoma Sooners held on for the 98-96 win over the upset-minded Baylor Bears in front of 10,574 at the lloyd Noble Center, and Trae Young was spectacular once again with his fourth 40 point game of the season, which is the most in the country.

Three takeaways:

• Rashard Odomes stepped up in a big way in the absence of Christian James by scoring a season high 18 points — 14 of those points coming in the first half. Odomes was aggressive from the jump, and it proved to be much-needed in a hotly-contested game like this one. If Odomes can keep up this level of play (or close to it), the Sooners should be in much better shape going forward.

• With James out for the game due to an illness, Kameron McGusty was inserted into the starting lineup. Still, the bench should be able to produce more points with guys like Kristian Doolittle, Jamuni McNeace and Jordan Shepherd. The bench as a whole went 0-2 from the field and recorded no points. It’s a wonder the Sooners scored nearly 100 points in regulation, but going forward against better competition, that production needs to be a lot more balanced and spread-out.
• Trae Young was simply sensational once again tonight. It’s becoming routine, but every time Young steps on the court his game shouldn’t be taken for granted. Not only did Young put up 44 points, he was efficient with those points by going 11-20 from the field and 6-11 from beyond the arc. Not only that, but Young still managed to record nine assists, proving once again that he is a team oriented play-maker.

Soak it up, Sooner fans. The Trae Young Show won’t be here for long. March Madness is right around the corner, and with this guy performing at this level, anything is possible.

What’s next?

The basketball edition of the Red River Rivalry returns this Saturday as the Sooners travel south of the Oklahoma border to face arch-rival Texas. Oklahoma has lost its last four road games overall and hasn’t won in Austin since the 2014-15 season, so a win this weekend would put an end to a number of dismal droughts. It’s sure to be another raucous environment as the Longhorn faithful will be eager to show out for the Trae Young Show. One Texas player to watch out for is fershman Mohamed Bamba, leads the Big 12 in rebounds and ranks second in the nation in blocks per game.

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