Happy Friday, folks! It’s the end of what began as a sobering week in Sooner nation, but there are still plenty of exciting things happening for the Oklahoma Sooners on the basketball front. Trae Young continues to be the sensation that’s sweeping the nation, and OU has quickly become one of the hottest teams in the country. If you haven’t already, here’s a great deal for your chance to witness the Trae Young Experience for yourself:

In today’s edition of Hot Links, Trae Young doesn’t care if you try to muscle him up, Brady Manek makes Young’s job easier, Paul George didn’t recognize Baker Mayfield and more!

OU Links

• In Bedlam, Oklahoma State used a tactic most teams hadn’t necessarily implemented for an extended period of time and that was to get extremely physical with Trae Young. So how did he respond? After a somewhat quiet first half, Young adapted, then he went off. The kid is just too good to be contained forever.
• Check out this interview with Young on SC6 hosted by ESPN’s Michael Smith and Jemele Hill. Great stuff.

• If you haven’t yet seen him, but you have the opportunity to, now is the time to go see Trae Young. He’s doing things never done before on a basketball court. His ascension to the top of the college hoops world has been a feat in itself, and his playing days in Norman are dwindling faster than he piles up points and assists.
• Uh oh, now we could potentially have LaVar Ball talking about Trae Young, and honestly that’s just a major annoyance waiting to happen.

• Brady Manek’s emergence has made a solid Oklahoma team into one of the most dangerous in the country. Having a guy like Manek who can shoulder some of the scoring load only makes Trae Young’s contributions that much more devastating.
• In recruiting news, four-star DE/OLB Nik Bonitto committed to the Sooners at the Under Armour All-America Game last night. Jack will have something on the Army All-American Bowl, which features several OU signees and a number of targets, later today.
• Also on the recruiting front, OU has offered 2018 Katy (TX) defensive tackle Moro Ojomo. This kid’s stock is rising fast, as he now received offers from Texas, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oregon and Tennessee in recent weeks.

• Brodie and the Baker exchanging notes on how to keep those massive chips on their shoulders nice and polished, is my guess.

• I’m sure NFL scouts will want to use this as evidence that Baker Mayfield is too small to be an NFL QB. If he’s three inches taller, there’s no way Paul George would overlook him.

• No harm done. Paul George made up with Baker Mayfield on Twitter later in the night. Everything’s all good.

• Kyler Murray says he is ready to lead a team to a national championship, and he has the tools to back it up. With Austin Kendall also in the fold, Lincoln Riley hasn’t officially handed the keys to Murray just yet, but it’s his job to lose.
• Defensive tackle Matt Romar missed most of the 2017 season with a back injury, but Lincoln Riley doesn’t anticipate Romar will be given an extra year of eligibility.
• Lincoln Riley’s play calling down the stretch wasn’t the only reason for the Sooners’ offensive lull in the second half. There are several examples of players who could have certainly executed their individual roles better. I think any logical fan can see that the outcome of a game is never just one person’s fault, and that’s important to keep in mind.

Around the Sports World

• 2016 Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson has declared for the NFL draft after spending three seasons at Louisville. Jackson has been a stat stuffing machine in college, but it’ll be interesting to see how his professional career unfolds.
• Pittsburgh Steeler Ryan Shazier has regained feeling in his legs after suffering a spinal injury. That’s terrific news.
• Russ and ‘Melo really seem to be gelling and that’s great news for the OKC Thunder. Speaking of those two, check out what happened after Russell poured water on Carmelo’s head during a post-game interview. It’s hilarious, but warning: there is some hilarious NSFW language in this video.
• The Buffalo Bills are thanking the Cincinnati Bengals for helping them reach the playoffs by sending them nearly 1500 buffalo wings. So is that like, a lot or something?

• Oh look, Saints running back Alvin Kamara likes wings, too:

Stick to Sports!

• Jugs of ‘raw’ water are flying off the shelves in Northern California’s Silicon Valley. Oh, and did I mention it costs $60 for 2 gallons? Could untreated, unfiltered water really be that great? C’mon, people.

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