Happy Monday, friends and fans!

Oklahoma Sooners senior guard Austin Reaves has been named Big 12 Co-Player of the Week after piling up 28 points (10-20 FG, 7-7 FT), nine rebounds, seven assists and one steal in a double OT victory over the West Virginia Mountaineers. WVU junior guard Sean McNeil also earned conference player of the week honors alongside OU’s dynamic hoops star.

Beyond the numbers and the production, it was also the timing of the plays Reaves made that earned him this week’s accolades. Once again, the veteran playmaker proved he has the clutch gene. Whether it’s at home or on the road, against ranked competition or not, when it’s time for him to rise up, more often than not he’s risen to the occasion.

Now onto this week’s Monday edition of Hot Links! Lon Kruger’s squad climbs back into the top 10, OU Baseball alters its opening weekend schedule, Malzahn takes over at Central Florida and more!

OU Links

• Oklahoma (13-5, 8-4) is back inside the top 10 of this week’s AP Top 25 Poll, checking in at No. 9. With Saturday’s double OT win at West Virginia, The Sooners also climbed into sole possession of second place in the Big 12 standings. You can check out the rest of the AP rankings in their entirety right here.

• OU was set to host Texas on Tuesday, Feb. 16, but the Longhorns were understandingly experiencing some significant travel delays with winter weather severely affecting both states. The game has now been move to Wednesday, Feb. 17.

• Currently, Oklahoma is No. 17 in the NCAA NET rankings. Furthermore, the Sooners are in some pretty elite company this season according to the metrics explained in the tweet below. If OU can peak at just the right time, it should be a fun run during March Madness. Boomer!

• OU’s trip to Stillwater has been pushed back once again. Now, Bedlam at Oklahoma State will tip-off on Monday, Mar. 1 at 8 p.m. CT, which is two days after the in-state rivals are set to meet in Norman.

• Senior forward Kur Kuath has let it be known that he does not intend to use his free year of eligibility to return for the 2021-22 season. His primary reason for wrapping up his Sooner career this season is so that he can begin earning money in order to provide for his family.

• The schedule for Sooner Baseball’s opening weekend has been adjusted due to the forecast of incoming inclement weather in the Norman area. Now, Skip Johnson’s team will play Wichita State in a three-game series at Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 20-21.

• The Oklahoma’s Ryan Aber recently wrote about how the type of players in OU’s secondary are finally starting to fit the mold Alex Grinch has been searching for since he was hired to run the defense.
• 2021 WR signee Cody Jackson will wear No. 6 for Oklahoma to kick-off his collegiate career. That’s a very magical number around these parts. Make Sooner Nation proud, CJ!

Around the Sports World

• The UCF Knights have officially hired former Auburn Tigers head coach Gus Malzahn as their next HC. Honestly, this is pretty great move for both parties.

• Los Angeles Lakers star forward Anthony Davis reportedly aggravated an Achilles issue in Sunday’s 122-105 loss to the Denver Nuggets and will undergo an MRI on Monday to determine a timetable for his return.
• Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant will reportedly miss at least the next two games with a mild left hamstring strain, meaning the earliest he could be expected to return would be Thursday, Feb. 18 against the Lakers.
• The Boston College Eagles have fired head men’s basketball coach Jim Christian in his seventh season at BC. During his tenure, his teams went a combined 78-132, including a lowly 3-13 this year. Assistant Scott Spinelli will take over as the interim HC through the remainder of the season.
• For the first time in 358 career starts, Michael McDowell placed first to win the 2021 Daytona 500 following a rain-delay and a last-lap wreck. This is why we love sports.

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