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Happy Monday, friends and fans!
If the 2019 NCAA Tournament was played with the schools’ football teams, the Oklahoma Sooners would have a very realistic shot at winning it all. And check out this possible title game! A rematch with the Florida Gators like the 2009 BCS National Championship? Count me in.
If this was football, congrats Oklahoma pic.twitter.com/H0K9RUOQ1Y
— Matt Brown (@MattBrownCFB) March 17, 2019
Other notable matchups for the Sooners in this fantasy scenario are the stretch of Big Ten teams OU would likely have to get through. Wisconsin, Purdue and Ohio State would certainly provide a solid test going into the championship game. Shoot, it might even be a glimpse into the future when conference realignment revs up again. I’m kidding... mostly.
If you’re looking for Texas, you might be surprised to learn they weren’t invited to this year’s proceedings. And I know what you’re thinking, but contrary to what a certain QB said in January, the Longhorns are definitely not back. Why? Because this is March, that’s why.
Now onto this week’s Monday edition of Hot Links! Miles Reynolds is especially excited for the NCAA Tournament, Jalen Redmond is the football team’s best hooper, Auburn apparently won a different kind of tournament that’s probably not sanctioned by the NCAA and more!
OU Links
- In case you missed it, the tip-off of Friday’s game between OU and the Ole Miss Rebels is scheduled for 11:40 a.m. CT on truTV. Jim Nantz and Bill Raftery will be on the call.
Let's dance!#Sooners and Rebels to tip at 11:40 a.m. CT Friday on @truTV.https://t.co/p6oQww1ev1 | #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/ysXLsmKFID
— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_MBBall) March 18, 2019
- When grad transfers Miles Reynolds and Aaron Calixte chose Oklahoma to play one final season of college basketball, one of the goals was to make it to the Big Dance for the first time in each of their careers. Now that they’re in the NCAA Tournament, the rest of this journey is the icing on the cake.
Think @MilesReyRey2 is pumped to go dancin?!#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/Ce8DjviLDj
— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_MBBall) March 17, 2019
“This was the main reason I committed to coming here.”
— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_MBBall) March 18, 2019
Graduate transfer @MilesReyRey2 on hearing his team called on Selection Sunday for the first time. pic.twitter.com/iXuo14LE3m
YA BOY GOING DANCING!!!!!!! @OU_MBBall
— Aaron Calixte (@A_Calixte23) March 17, 2019
- Who are the best basketball players on each of the top college football teams? For Oklahoma, Jalen Redmond was a star on the court before he gained traction on the gridiron. ESPN’s Jake Trotter has more.
- SB Nation’s Ian Boyd wrote about Kyler Murray and how he ran Lincoln Riley’s offense to absolute perfection. For all the things the offense is designed to do, Murray had all the tools to make it hum.
- OU topped Missouri State, 6-1, to take the weekend series, and Sunday starter Levi Prater had quite the performance in the process. The sophomore became the first OU pitcher to record 15 strikouts in a game since 1999, and he did so in seven innings.
HIGHLIGHTS | Prater was absolutely dominant and OU tallied double digit hits for the sixth straight game to win the series over Missouri State!#Sooners pic.twitter.com/d1azZheAu4
— Oklahoma Baseball (@OU_Baseball) March 17, 2019
- Speaking of OU baseball, the Sooners are No. 25 in a couple of the major polls this week. At 16-4, this group is surpassing preseason expectations and carrying plenty of momentum into Big 12 play.
The #Sooners are in the national polls again this week, ranked No. 25 by D1Baseball and Collegiate Baseball.
— Oklahoma Baseball (@OU_Baseball) March 18, 2019
Week in review ➡️ https://t.co/CVBcUqwrAe pic.twitter.com/OThWKcmWA2
- Freshman golfer Libby Winans won the individual title at the Clover Cup in Mesa, Ariz. As a team, Oklahoma placed fourth, but this marks the third consecutive year a Sooner has taken home the top individual honor.
Call it the luck of the #Sooners.@Libby_N_Winans wins the 2019 Clover Cup - the third straight year a Sooner has won the event!
— Oklahoma Golf (@OU_WGolf) March 18, 2019
https://t.co/03I3XexovH pic.twitter.com/LOfwWUXNUg
Around the Sports World
- Wow! Well done, Auburn! No word yet on whether or not the NCAA plans to sanction the sport in the future.
Congratulations to Auburn pic.twitter.com/meSCKLkWth
— Hunter Johnson (@HunterLJohnson) March 18, 2019
- If the Big Dance was a tournament of the most prominent alums from each school, who would win? Props to OU’s Ed Harris for getting out of the first round (albeit against Eli Manning) before falling to Tina Fey in the Round of 32. It’s also worth noting that FSU’s Burt Reynolds absolutely got robbed in the first round against Vermont’s Ben Affleck. Terrible! Side note: I had no idea Bruce Lee went to Washington. Probably the most random thing I’ll learn today.
- It’s not that Carlos Santana (the pitcher, not the guitarist) isn’t a fan of Fortnite, he’s just a hard-working professional and he wants his teammates to be professional too. Okay... he’s also probably not a fan of Fortnite. Video of this incident would have been absolute gold, but reading about it is still very nice.
Carlos Santana was so livid that his Phillies teammates played Fortnite during games in 2018 that he grabbed a bat and smashed a TV. With an overhauled team that includes Bryce Harper, what have the Phillies done to address their clubhouse? Story at ESPN: https://t.co/vXFgetp5Of pic.twitter.com/tou1coHToL
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 18, 2019
- NFL defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, most known for his time with the Baltimore Ravens, called it a career in an amazing way. He climbed Mount Kilimanjaro (Uhuru Peak, to be specific) to announce his retirement, and by taking full advantage of the going-out-on-top pun, he should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer based on that alone.
Veteran DT Haloti Ngata, a mountain of a man, announces his retirement on top of a mountain. He ups on the ante on epic retirements. https://t.co/ObJxOF4b7d pic.twitter.com/DF4yLwbfOf
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 18, 2019
- Mike Scott didn’t give a flip about not drinking while working, because it was St. Patrick’s Day and he was just being a festive sport. Boss move.
.@mikescott staying hydrated after the hustle play pic.twitter.com/dcxJno8ixt
— ESPN (@espn) March 17, 2019
Stick to Sports!
- If you’re familiar with the concept behind the Final Destination film franchise, you’re well aware of how the characters in those notorious movies dodge deathly situations only to face another in an inescapable loop. The first film of the franchise involved a plane crash on flight 317. The main character, played by Devon Sawa, foresaw the tragedy ahead of time and beat death. Fast-forward to yesterday, March 17, in real life when the actor found himself on a plane. He’s on the ground and safe now, but my gosh this whole thing almost became a little too real.
Final Destination came out 20 years ago today... I’m on flight 317 ... 3/17? March 17th?!! What the fu.....
— devon sawa (@DevonESawa) March 17, 2019
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