Happy Hump Day, friends and fans!

The one and only highlight to come from the Oklahoma Sooners’ game against Texas on Tuesday night was when former OU QB/TE and Super Bowl LIV Champ Blake Bell was featured on the jumbotron chugging a cool Miller Lite. Lincoln Riley was also in the house, and he wasn’t about to get shown up with everybody watching. So what did the coach do? He responsibly hydrated himself, baby.

Unfortunately, the excitement was far from over, as the incredibly ugly basketball game ended in dramatic and embarrassing fashion. Something tells me this wasn’t the last cold one downed in a hurry by a Sooner last night. That ending was such an awful failure on so many levels. Seriously, you’re going to chant ‘TEXAS SUCKS’ before Doolittle shoots the free throws? Much has been said about the lack of student attendance at hoops games, but now I wouldn’t be entirely opposed to banning them. Just kidding, but seriously, that was incredibly stupid.

Is it football season yet? Actually, never mind. Make sure to support the softball and baseball teams this spring. They’re good!

Now on to today’s Hot Links! K9 buys a new whip, Oklahoma continues to dominate on the baseball field, the greatest power forward in NBA history got his first win as a head coach and more!

OU Links

• Kenneth Murray likes to go fast on the field, so it’s only fitting that one of his first major purchases ahead of his NFL career also goes vroom. Points for choosing Dodge, my guy.

• ESPN unveiled its top five QB Room Future Power Rankings, and Oklahoma’s current trio of Spencer Rattler, Tanner Mordecai and Chandler Morris checked in at No. 5. I don’t have a gripe about Clemson or Ohio State being ahead of OU at this point since Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields are both proven top-tier quarterbacks, but seeing USC and Alabama’s groups ahead of the Lincoln Riley-led bunch is more than a little perplexing given the man’s unmatched track record. Keep that same energy this fall though.

• Other than Parnell Motley, the Sooners return their entire starting secondary from 2019 and are expecting Tre Norwood back from injury. This could be the season Alex Grinch shows what his defense can really do when depth and experience come together, writes The Dallas Morning News’ Spenser Davis.
• With spring ball kicking off next week, The Athletic’s Jason Kersey took a stab at five things fans don’t yet know about the 2020 Sooners. Keep in mind, you’ll need a subscription to The Athletic to read the full article. We highly recommend it!
• On Tuesday, Oklahoma (10-3) put Dallas Baptist away with six combined runs scored in the seventh and eighth innings en route to a 10-3 victory. Check the link below for a full recap of the action and photos from the night.

• Speaking of Sooner Baseball, OU welcomes Arkansas-Pine Bluff to L. Dale Mitchell Park tonight starting at 6:30 p.m. CT. Last season, Oklahoma shut out the Golden Lions, 8-0 in the only meeting since the back half of the series was cancelled.

• OU Softball (15-4) is also back in action tonight for ‘Bark in the Park’ night. Wichita State is on deck to face an Oklahoma team looking to go on a run before Big 12 play begins. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.

• On Tuesday, the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders announced the signing of former Oklahoma and Carolina Panthers CB Zack Sanchez. It’ll be great to see this ball hawk back on a football field!
• This week, 2021 five-star QB Caleb Williams will be visiting Oklahoma, and recently he logged his first entry for Sports Illustrated’s ‘All on the Line’ series, where the D.C. product gives a unique inside look into his life as one of the most sought after high school football recruits in the nation.

Around the Sports World

• Brooklyn Nets guard Caris LeVert dropped 51 on the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night to lead his team to a comeback OT victory. Check out the full highlights of his career night.

• The San Antonio Spurs went on the road to defeat the Charlotte Hornets, 104-103. This game is particularly noteworthy because it was Tim Duncan’s first as (acting) head coach with Gregg Popovich absent for ‘personal business’. It’s pretty cool to see Timmy in this role, and he already seems like such a natural fit.

• The Pittsburgh Pirates’ spring training facility in Bradenton, Florida underwent a deep cleaning out of caution for coronavirus after a man in Manatee County tested positive for the deadly strain.
• On Wednesday, 16-year NFL safety Mike Adams called it a career live on Good Morning Football. The former Delaware DB played for six franchises from 2004-2019, most recently for the Houston Texans. Sounds like he has a lot of ambition for the future. Congratulations and good luck to him!

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