Happy Monday, friends and fans!

It’s practically an annual tradition around these parts. On Monday, the Oklahoma Sooners officially unveiled the team’s rings for winning the 2020 Big 12 Championship and 2020 Cotton Bowl Classic.

This is the sixth year in a row that Oklahoma has added to its jewelry collection, and this latest addition sure is a beaut. The face of the rings feature an ‘OU’ logo framed with ‘Big 12 Champions’. Then on one side there is a ‘6 in a row’ line with a shout out to Lincoln Riley as that team’s head coach. On the other side you’ll see a reference to ‘The Standard’ with a 2020 Cotton Bowl Champions detailing underneath it.

Of course, fans have grown accustomed to the Sooners finishing first in the conference standings for years. The obvious next step is for Riley and his Oklahoma program to win in the College Football Playoff. The goal for the 2021 squad is that by this time next year, those new rings will reflect that.

Now onto this week’s Monday edition of Hot Links! Drake Stoops is awarded with a scholly, Sooner Softball erupts at the plate, the MLB tells the D-backs’ MadBum his no-no is a no-go and more!

OU Links

• After Oklahoma’s Spring Game, Lincoln Riley caught up with the media for a post-scrimmage presser. OU Insider’s Joey Helmer has you covered for all the comments and answers from the fifth-year head coach.
• Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch also fielded questions on Saturday, including inquiries about his assessment of the pass rush and players returning from injuries. The OU Daily’s Colton Sulley has more.
• In case you missed it, WR Drake Stoops was placed on scholarship immediately after the OU Spring Game this weekend. It’s a well-deserved honor for the fourth-year pass catcher and son of an Oklahoma coaching legend. SI Sooners’ John Hoover has more.
• Patty Gasso’s softball superheroes did it again. On Sunday, top-ranked OU (37-1) set a new program record with 18 scored runs in a single inning against Texas Tech. For the three-game series, the Sooners demolished the Red Raiders by a grand combined total of 40-0, including two run-rule victories. This team is utterly unreal. Boomer!

• Former Oklahoma Unanimous All-American tackle Orlando Brown Jr. wax traded from the Baltimore Ravens to the Kansas City Chiefs over the weekend. Now going into his fourth season as a pro, he’ll be tasked with protecting Patrick Mahomes. Congratulations, OB!

Around the Sports World

• The LSU Tigers women’s basketball program has hired head coach Kim Mulkey to take over in Death Valley after leading the Baylor Bears to three national championships over the last 21 seasons. It’s also a bit of a homecoming for Mulkey, who starred for Louisiana Tech as a player from 1980 to 1984.

• On Sunday, Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Madison Bumgarner tossed an ‘unofficial’ no-hitter in a 7-0 win over the Atlanta Braves, but since the game only consisted of seven innings as opposed to the traditional nine, the MLB is not officially recognizing the performance as a no-no. Welp, them’s the breaks.
• The Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry has continued his scorching hot streak in the month of April, with his latest feat setting the record for the most made threes in a single calendar month. With two games left on the schedule before May, the two-time league MVP has a chance to build on the 85 triples he’s already drained this month.
• Orlando Magic rookie point guard Devin Cannady suffered a gruesome ankle injury in a 131-112 loss to the Indiana Pacers. The former G-leaguer had to be stretchered off the court in the first quarter of Sunday night’s contest.
• On Monday, Dallas Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee announced his retirement from playing professional football after 11 seasons in the league. The former Penn State Nittany Lions defender was named to two Pro Bowls (2015, 2016) during his career.

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