Hello once again, friends and fans! It’s Fat Tuesday, which basically means try to find that happy medium between a good time and showing up to work tomorrow. In all seriousness, if you are going out, just remember to party responsibly so you can continue to keep up with all the latest C&C Machine Hot Links!

Remember, there’s another big game tonight at 6 p.m. for Lon Kruger and the guys. Let’s kick this slide and get back in the win column, fellas!

In Baker Mayfield-related news, an unnamed NFL Scout feels that Baker Mayfield is one of the most overrated players in the upcoming NFL Draft. Here we go again. It’s funny, after reading that I just came down with a massive craving for a big bag of chips.

For today’s edition of Hot Links, former Sooner cornerback Zack Sanchez talks about Oklahoma’s defense and Mike Stoops, a Lubbock police officer pulled the basketball team’s bus over for a photo with Trae Young, LeBron James thinks Trae Young’s NBA decision is an automatic one and more!

OU Links

• Baker Mayfield will be hosting his very own football camp after Oklahoma’s pro-day. Tickets have already been sold out, which judging by the time this was brought to the public’s attention, this event should be a wild success.

• Make sure to check out Brandon Drumm’s Under the Visor podcast. Drumm speaks with former Oklahoma cornerback Zack Sanchez about the defenses he played on versus the defenses of the past couple season as well as his take on Mike Stoops as defensive coordinator, plus a whole lot more from Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and guest Gerry Hamilton of ESPN.
• Johnny Manziel talks about Baker Mayfield and the parallels people tend to draw between the two in this Barstool Sports Pardon My Take podcast.
• LeBron James was asked about Trae Young when speaking with reporters in Oklahoma City this morning, and he’s pretty certain about Young’s future. We’re on the same page, LeBron.

• Oklahoma takes on No. 7 Texas Tech tonight in round two of the season series while also looking to put an end to a three-game skid. The team is saying all the rights things heading into this top 25 showdown, especially in a game that could be the toughest and most hotly contested yet.
• Now this is definitely Trae Mania. Toby Rowland, the voice of Oklahoma Football (and several other sports) has seen a lot of shenanigans in his time with the Sooners, and even he admits that getting pulled over for a pic with a superstar athlete is a first. Wow!

• Tonight the Oklahoma Sooners will play in Trae Young’s birthplace: Lubbock, Texas. Trae’s father, Rayford Young, not only played his college ball there, he helped his Red Raiders take down one of college basketball’s giants on this same night, 19 years ago.
• Since Trae Young has become a household name, seemingly everybody and their iguana has shared their own NBA comparisons and draft potential for the freshman phenom.
• Check out this video of Sports Illustrated draft analyst Jeremy Woo for who he compares Young to, what his biggest weakness will be at the next level, and which team could draft him.
• For all the inconsistencies on the court this season, Khadeem Lattin has had a solid season, especially when it comes to protecting the rim. He should own the school record for career blocked shots by the end of tonight. Awesome stuff, Khadeem!

• ESPN has released its post-signing day way-too-early top 25 college football rankings, and Oklahoma checks in respectably at No. 5.
• There are probably several good reasons why Lincoln Riley wants a full house for the Spring Game, but perhaps the primary reason is for recruiting purposes. Coach Riley knows what he’s doing on that front and knows how to accomplish his vision for the program’s future.
• Now that the recruiting focused has completely shifted towards the 2019 class, who are the players Oklahoma now has its undivided attention on? C&C Machine’s very own Jack Shields has you covered on all that and then some.

Around the Sports World

• With NBA All-Star weekend returning this Friday, take a little trip down memory lane to when Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon went back and forth with some of the most insane dunks in dunk contest history. And of course: everything is more epic in slow-motion.

• Recruiting is the life-blood of a program. Chances are you’ve heard a college football coach say that or something to that effect before. Well, it appears the rich may be getting a lot richer when it comes to recruiting. Many of the top prospects are teaming up in large quantities among the blue-bloods of college football, creating an even greater gap between the haves and the have-nots.
• Arkansas State has threatened to sue Miami (FL) for not holding up its end of a contract deal that would have paid the Red Wolves $650K for playing the U last season. The game was cancelled due to Hurricane Irma, and it was never rescheduled.
• Atlanta Hawk John Collins just earned himself one more fan in me after seeing this. Great stuff.

• Florida Atlantic head coach Lane Kiffin is a master Twitter troll, and he has used his skill against his former place of employment: the Alabama Crimson Tide. SB Nation’s Morgan Moriarty put together all the times Coach Kiffin has subtweeted the dynastic Tide in this hilarious compilation.
• Matthew McConaughey is a fan of fellow Texas native Nick Foles, so he shared his gratitude for him with a full page ad in the Austin American-Statesman. Alright, alright, alright.

Stick to Sports!

• Stars Chadwick Boseman and Danai Gurira from the upcoming Marvel movie Black Panther stick their hands in the fear box, touching things unseen (well, mostly unseen) and trying to figure out what it is. Great stuff!

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