Hello, friends and fans! We’re inching closer and closer to the beginning of March Madness, where the Oklahoma Sooners will aim to bust some brackets. However, the men’s basketball team isn’t the only Sooner b-ball squad going dancing this post-season. Head coach Sherri Coale and the women’s basketball team have also been invited to the Big Dance! The players’ live reaction was priceless, and shows just how much this opportunity means to them. You earned this one, ladies. Congratulations!
You just have to believe.
— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_WBBall) March 12, 2018
Live reaction from ⭕️ ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/qG0Va5YSsq
Now check out the rest of today’s edition of Hot Links! What if there was a college football version of March Madness? What was the No. 1 reason why Rodney Anderson returned to Oklahoma? Is Tom Brady better than Stephen Colbert at chugging beer? Find the answers to all of those questions and more below!
OU Links
- With college basketball’s March Madness currently sweeping the nation, what if there was a 68-team college football playoff last season? SB Nation’s Jason Kirk devised a bracket for just that hypothetical scenario. Oklahoma did pretty well in it, too, making it to the Final Four (and possibly further?). Meanwhile, Red River rival Texas lost to Charlie Strong and South Florida in the first round, which would be so great.
- Buddy Hield knows what making a deep run in the NCAA Tournament is like. Hield talks about the Sooners’ tourney bid and why Oklahoma has as good a chance as any to crash the party.
Former #Oklahoma star @buddyhield shares his thoughts about the #Sooners making it to the #NCAATournament. pic.twitter.com/f6EMK7XqZW
— Cliff Brunt (@CliffBruntAP) March 13, 2018
- Double-duty is tough, but so is Kyler Murray. Stay tuned for the last portion of this video. Murray’s speed rounding the bases is unreal. Is it possible he’s even faster now than he was a year ago? I can’t wait to see him running away from everybody in the Big 12 this season.
It's easy to fit in football practice AND a series win when you're as fast as Kyler Murray! pic.twitter.com/xivprvFkDl
— Oklahoma Baseball (@OU_Baseball) March 13, 2018
- Just a heads up: tomorrow is Oklahoma’s Pro Day, where all former football players who want a chance to take their talents to the next level will perform drills and tests for NFL scouts. For a guy like Orlando Brown, this will be an important opportunity to show NFL scouts more of what he can bring to an NFL team, especially after a lackluster showing at the NFL Combine. Check out the post on Sooner Sports through the link below for the full list of participants.
Follow Oklahoma's Pro Day live Wednesday!
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) March 12, 2018
#Sooners @NFL #OUDNA
➡️ https://t.co/4zUXArZYvr pic.twitter.com/K3gltAYByN
- For a minute, Rodney Anderson considered declaring for the NFL draft after the end of last season, but he ultimately came back because he wants to win a national championship. Anderson will be looked to as a leader on the team, and he’s ready to take on that role.
- Check out this article from the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson about Ogbo Okoronkwo and who his strongest support system has been. Also, Ogbo has big goals for his first year of playing in the league, which includes giving back to his small hometown.
- Marquise Hayes, ladies and gentlemen!
Our football team has a better chance in the tournament than Lon and the boys pic.twitter.com/72tPYBJC7G
— Old Row Oklahoma (@OldRowSooners) March 12, 2018
Around the Sports World
- NCAA basketball referee Ted Valentine was not given any officiating assignments for this season’s NCAA Tournament, and Valentine believes it is because of his incidence with UNC’s Joel Berry earlier this year. Valentine, who already served a two-game removal for said incident, says he is now being “punished unjustly.”
- The Denver Broncos are reportedly signing free agent QB Case Keenum. Keenum was previously with the Minnesota Vikings this past season, and did well enough that he gained interest from other organizations, like Denver.
- The New Orleans Saints re-signed Drew Brees to a one-year contract. Brees turned 39 in January, but he’s still got the goods to deliver on Sundays.
- Christiano Ronaldo once helped a kid who survived a devastating tsunami that took the lives of his parents rebuild his life and the life of the community he was from, and now that kid is playing professional soccer for the same team Ronaldo did when he was the same age. It’s an all-around amazing story that’s definitely worth the read.
- Watch Tom Brady chug a beer with Stephen Colbert. Brady is the master at playing it cool, pretending like he’s not that competitive, but we all know he’s as competitive as they come. Fun stuff right here.
TONIGHT: Tom Brady doesn't usually drink beer, but when he does... pic.twitter.com/xGWdnlhJOR
— The Late Show (@colbertlateshow) March 13, 2018
Stick to Sports!
- After cancelling a series of shows due to a flu-like illness and respiratory issues, Willie Nelson is back and has announced the Outlaw Musical Festival tour dates. Some of my personal favorites are also going to be featured on some of the cards, like Sturgill Simpson and The Head and the Heart. The tour will begin in May and wrap up in July.
Follow Crimson & Cream Machine on Twitter!