Happy Thursday, friends and fans!

Tonight, six current and former Oklahoma Sooners men’s gymnasts are vying for their spot on Team USA as the commencement of the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games draws near. Day One of the trials is set to begin at 5:30 p.m. CT on NBCSN in St. Louis, Missouri.

A rundown of the total OU gymnasts set to compete include 2019 graduate and World Championships medalist Yul Moldauer as well as 2017 graduates Allan Bower and Colin Van Wicklen. Additionally, senior co-captains Gage Dyer and Mett Wenske will be joined by current teammate senior Vitaliy Guimaraes, rounding out the deep cast of Sooners.

Good luck, fellas! Boomer!

Now for today’s Hot Links! Trae Young is a legitimate NBA superstar, several Sooners gear up for the Olympic Games, Rick Carlisle get the call from Indy and more!

OU Links

• On Wednesday night, Oklahoma’s own Trae Young led his Atlanta Hawks to a monumental 116-113 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. ‘Ice’ Trae not only helped secure his team’s first ever win in the Eastern Conference Finals, he absolutely stuffed the stat sheet with 48 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds. Also, he added this filthy shimmy just for good measure.

• In other hoops news, Porter Moser’s Sooners are officially slated to take on the Auburn Tigers as part of the annual Big 12-SEC Challenge during the upcoming college basketball season. With OU as the road team, a tip-off date has been set for Jan. 29, 2022.

• The OU football team held its official player photoshoot earlier this week. Check out all the Soonerific captures through the link in the tweet below.

• Coming this summer, three former Oklahoma softballers will be in Tokyo for the Olympic Games. Sydney Romero and Nicole Mendes are set to play for Team Mexico, while Keilani Ricketts will compete with Team USA. Congratulations ladies, and good luck! Bring back some medals to Norman!

• In other Tokyo Olympic news, former Sooner golf star Abraham Ancer will also represent Team Mexico this summer as well.

• In case you missed it, check out C&C Machine’s very own Kamiar Mehrabian as he recently joined Pittsburgh Steelers radio guys Michael Beck and Geoffrey Benedict to discuss the selection of former OU DB Tre Norwood in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Around the Sports World

• One week after stepping down as the Dallas Mavericks head coach, the Indiana Pacers are reportedly set on hiring Rick Carlisle on a four-year, $29 million contract.
• On Wednesday night, the Vanderbilt Commodores eliminated the Stanford Cardinal, 6-5 in the 2021 College World Series thanks to a walk-off wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth. Epic stuff.

• Former four-star QB prospect Kaidon Salter has been dismissed by the Tennessee Volunteers program due to repeated off-the-field incidents just five months after signing with the team.
• A proposal that will allow cities to bid for an opportunity to host the annual NFL Scouting Combine is set to begin in 2023.
• Chris Nikic is the first person with Down syndrome to complete an Ironman Triathlon, and at next month’s ESPYS he’ll be honored with the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance.

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