Happy Friday, friends and fans!

Last night, former Oklahoma Sooners baller Trae Young recorded a new NBA career-high while also joining the 50-point club as he led his Atlanta Hawks to a 129-124 upset win over the Miami Heat. Check out some of the highlights from his milestone night.

At just 21 years old as of last September, Young becomes the fourth-youngest player ever to record 50 points in a game, and the first Hawk to do so in 19 years.

After the game, the sharp-shooting point guard talked about how sweet it was to not only drop 50 in a game for the first time in just his second year as a pro, but to also do it in a win.

I know I’m probably going pretty far out onto this limb, but something tells me this won’t be the last time we see Trae Young score 50 points in an NBA game. Who knows, it very well could happen again before the regular season wraps up in the next couple months. I certainly wouldn’t put anything past this All-Star.

Now for this week’s Friday edition of Hot Links! Oklahoma’s odds at making the NCAA Tournament takes a slide, Baker Mayfield’s new OC wants to improve his footwork, Russell Westbrook gets tossed and more!

OU Links

• No. 3 Oklahoma (8-1) is in Cathedral City, California this weekend for the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, and today the Sooners are looking at a double-header featuring two former Big 12 programs. First up is Nebraska, which is scheduled to begin around 12:30 p.m. CT. Then later OU will take on Texas A&M around 3 p.m. CT. If you’d like to watch all the softball action, check out FloSoftball for subscription details. You can also listen for free on The Franchise 2 in OKC on 1560 AM or 103.3 FM.

• In other diamond sports news, Oklahoma Baseball (4-1) is back at it again later today to welcome Illinois State to L. Dale Mitchell Park. If you can’t make it to the game, you can catch all the action on SoonerSports.TV, or listen live on Sportstalk 1400 AM.

• In case you were wondering if Jalen Hurts intends to work out as a QB at the NFL Combine next week, he does. I understand the intrigue to possibly switch him around on offense, but it’s a bit insulting to him as a player who has probably played the position for more than half of his life. Hopefully someone gives him the best chance to succeed behind center before finding a new position.
• The Dallas Morning News’ Spenser Davis recently broke down Oklahoma’s running back outlook going into the 2020 season. While all the production returns, there are still a couple question marks that when answered could make the difference between this unit being just good enough or elite.
• Days after Lon Kruger’s Sooners were man-handled by the No. 1 team in the nation, their Bracketology standing has taken a slight hit according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi and CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm. Oklahoma fell one spot in each update, putting them as a projected 9-seed in Palm’s and a 10-seed in Lunardi’s.
• Oklahoma’s 2021 recruiting class isn’t very deep right now, but its potential has those in the know keeping their eyes on what could be a very special group.
• Baker Mayfield is working under yet another offensive coordinator going into his third season with the Cleveland Browns. One specific area this new OC, Alex Van Pelt, wants to work on is the young QB’s footwork. In his own words, he essentially wants less Metallica and more Mozart. Sounds rad.
• Gerald McCoy is back on the market as a free agent after moving from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a one-year stint with the Carolina Panthers. The 10-year veteran DT says he wants to eventually retire as a Buc, but first he wants to play in the postseason.
• The road redshirt junior forward Kur Kuath and his family took from South Sudan to the United States is an amazing example of how hard work and determination can make all the difference on and off the court. I highly recommend you follow the link for the full journey of this amazing young big.

Around the Sports World

• Russell Westbrook and the Houston Rockets cruised to victory over the Golden State Warriors late on Thursday night, but the Brodie’s night ended a bit earlier than the rest of his teammates’ after being called for two technical fouls resulting in an ejection. I’m not entirely sure what led to this moment, but he definitely let his emotions get the best of him.

• Speaking of the Warriors, the team announced on Thursday that guard Klay Thompson will not be making a comeback this season after suffering an Achilles tendon injury during last season’s NBA Finals.
• In other NBA injury news, Brooklyn Nets PG Kyrie Irving has been ruled out for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery. The dynamic guard has missed a lot of time for a variety of physical setbacks throughout his playing career, including more than 20 games this season.
• Former Houston Astros pitcher Mike Fiers says he’s not worried about the death threats he’s received since blowing the whistle on the team’s sign stealing actions during the 2017 World Series run. I really hope nobody actually tries to pull some stupid stunt in retaliation. I’m talking about the fans.

Stick to Sports!

• On Thursday evening, an Oklahoma City driver led police on a high-speed chase that lasted for approximately half an hour before an officer landed this sweet tackle to finally put an end to the pursuit. Upon booking the suspect at the Oklahoma County Jail, OKCPD has learned more of the details surrounding this story.

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