This has been a disappointing season for Oklahoma’s women’s basketball team. The question that will be answered in the next week is has the year been a total disaster?

     A couple of year ago everyone was talking about Courtney Paris. In fact, people are still talking about one of the most dominating players who has been a part of the women’s college game. She is simply amazing.  However,  if you look back now, OU coach Sherri Coale should have been able to recruit some of the top guards in the country when Paris was a freshman.

     Why wouldn’t you want to be a guard and play with Paris? Opponents are always putting two or three defenders on her. If you are a guard, you’re going to get wide open shots. But the big=time shooting guaard never came to OU.

     Well, the Sooner became more athletic in their recruiting class. But the players they brought in just weren’t that talented of a basketball player. You may be a great athlete, but it means little if you can’t shoot the ball.

     And that’s the problems the Sooners have had most of the season. They just don’t have players that can hit a jump shot. Other teams are going to let Paris do her thing, but they believe it’s a pretty easy job to shut down everyone else.

     You’re not going to beat a lot of good teams if you can’t hit an open jump shot. This Oklahoma team can not hit the perimeter shot. It’s been a glaring weakness most of the campaign.

     It will help Oklahoma in NCAA play that it will go against teams that it hasn’t faced before. Still, every scouting report will say, let Courtney have her points and just shut down the rest of those players and you win.

     Let’s see what happens to this Sooner team in NCAA play. The expectations can’t be real high right now. If you can’t shoot the ball, you’re not going to beat high quality teams. And that’s a major problem OU faces at this moment.

     It’s a good time of the year to be playing well.

     And that’s exactly what Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are doing right now. As the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City tips off this week, both the Cowboys and Sooners seem to have a lot of confidence. And sometimes that’s what it’s all about.

     Oklahoma is slowly getting healthy. The Sooners are getting their game to where it was earlier in the year before the injuries to Blake Griffin and Longar Longar. Remember, they were playing extremely well in those wins over Arkansas, Gonzaga and West Virginia.

     A key has been the play of the guards. They have stepped up their game. Austin Johnson was outstanding in that win over Missouri. He is running the offense well and is hitting open shots.

     The Sooners have now won three straight games. I think if they win one game in the Big 12 tournament they have a chance for a No. 6 seed next week when the NCAA pairings are announced. That would be big for a team that was struggling just two weeks ago.

     Jeff Capel has done some kind of job coaching. No, he’s not going to take that South Carolina job. It’s not as good as his OU position. That doesn’t mean in a couple of years when a big-time school comes calling, that he won’t leave town. But he’s here to stay for now.

     Oklahoma State is coming into the Big 12 tourney with two straight losses. But the Cowboys don’t have to keep their heads down. I don’t think they played that poorly against OU Wednesday night and they gave Texas all it wanted in Austin before falling.

     Again, the key word here is confidence. The Pokes realize they can hang with just about anyone in Kansas City. It’s all a matter of making shots.

     Sean Sutton’s team shot poorly against the Longhorns. They still need to get more consistent play from freshman James Anderson and Terrell Harris. You just don’t know what you are going to get from either of those guys game to game.

     Try to figure this Oklahoma team out. Go ahead! And good luck while you try.

     Just ask Jeff Capel.

     “I’ve never been around a team like this. You just don’t know how to figure them out,” he says. “One game you might think they will play well and they don’t. And then in another game you might not think they will play well, and they do.”

     Betting on this team either way would not be a good idea this year. They are absolutely impossible to figure out.

     Who would have thought they could go to Stillwater and topple Oklahoma State? No sane person could have predicted that. The Cowboys were playing with so much confidence and the Sooners were without Blake Griffin. So OU wins by double-digits. Yeah, go figure.

     All that victory did was set up an enormous game tomorrow for the Sooners in Norman against Missouri. You win that one and you get the fourth seed in next week’s Big 12 tournament. That means you get the first day off.

     And maybe more importantly if you win against the Tigers you move up the seeding charts for the NCAA tournament. Right now it appears OU would be either a seventh or eight seed. But if the Sooners win against Mizzou and then capture at least one game in the Big 12 event, they could possibly land a sixth seed.

     Will Griffin play against the Tigers? The Sooners list him as questionable. But I have a feeling that you will see him on the court. He is a warrior.

     Why is this Oklahoma team so inconsistent? Just look at the guard play. When they play well so does the Sooners. When they don’t play well, OU is in for a long game. I’m giving up trying to predict what Capel’s team will do game to game. It’s an impossible task.

     When Oklahoma opens its spring football practice this week, there are a couple of major questions that need to be answered.

     What is going to happen at linebacker and who are going to be the starters in the defensive secondary. These are two major concerns of the coaching staff.

     Bob Stoops thought his linebacking group would be in great shape with Curtis Lofton coming back for his senior year. That obviously isn’t happening as this Kingfisher native shocked most people in the program when he decided to head to the NFL a year early. That is a huge defection.

     The big key is Ryan Reynolds. Just a year ago the Sooners thought Reynolds was going to be a star if he could stay healthy. They thought he would be a more productive play than Rufus Alexander, their Butkus Award nominee who had graduated.

     That definitely wasn’t the case. Reynolds stuggled after coming back from two knee injuries. He didn’t have the burst of speed needed to excel. He had big problems in pass coverage. A lot of times in passing situations late in the year, he was on the bench watching.

     The experiment going on in the spring is moving him to middle linebacker. The coaches think that’s his natural position. They also say he has regained some speed because he has been able to work hard in rehab. We will see.

     But he’s not the only question. How will redshirt freshmen Travis Lewis and Austin Box perform? Sure, they were highly recruited players, but they haven’t play a down of college football.

     The linebacking posts are critical in the style of defense the Sooners play. There needs to be some answers in this department coming out of the spring. If the guys on campus can’t get it down, then there will be some help arriving in June from the junior college ranks.

     And what will happen in the defensive secondary? Going into the spring the Sooners know they can depend of two players–Lendy Holmes and Nic Harris. They have been starters and are good players. But who else is going to be able to nail down starting jobs?

     There are a handful of young players who will be given long looks. But can the secondary be as good as it’s been this year without starters like Reggie Smith, Marcus Walker and D.J. Wolfe around? That might be difficult.

     Oklahoma is loaded at just about every other position. The offense should be explosive. The only question there will be replacing wide receiver Malcolm Kelly. The Sooners should be able to score a lot of points on just about everyone they play.

     But will they be good enough to contend for a national title? We should know a lot more after the spring when we see what goes on at linebacker and in the defensive secondary. 

     It’s absolutely the biggest game of the season for the Oklahoma basketball team.

     When Texas A&M comes to town tomorrow afternoon it’s a game that the Sooners must win. If the Aggies come away with a victory, OU’s hopes of getting an NCAA tournament berth is finished. The only way that could happen would be to win the Big 12 tournament. There’s little chance for that.

     OU must win two of its three regular season games to finish at 8-8 in the conference. The game against the Aggies and Missouri at home next week are the best bets. The Sooners travel to Oklahoma State next week, and the way the Cowboys are playing right now it will be very difficult to win in Stillwater.

     Offense has left Jeff Capel’s team. Two straight games of 45 points. That’s pretty embarrassing, not to mention the 12 points Oklahoma scored in the first half at Nebraska Wednesday night.

     When the Sooner guards play porrly, so does Oklahoma. Basketball isn’t that complicated of a game. You put the ball in the basket you have a good shot of winning. That hasn’t been happening lately.

      Also, Blake Griffin has to get more shots than anyone else. He’s the high percentage shooter. He had only eight shots against Nebraska. That’s not near enough. Of course it didn’t help him when he turned the ball over eight times. That’s unacceptable.

     The Big 12 will get at least five teams into the Big Dance. Right now Texas, Kansas and Kansas State are locks. It looks like Baylor has a decent shot to finish at 9-7 in the league. That will get the Bears into the tournament.

     If OU can finish 8-8 and win a first round Big 12 tournament game, it should get into the NCAA event because of its strength of schedule and its high RPI.

     The key against the Aggies will be the guard play. How will Austin Johnson, Tony Crocker and David Godbolt perform? If they don’t play well, say good-bye to the Sooners chances of getting into the NCAA tournament.

     Who would have ever thought that just a couple of weeks ago that Oklahoma State would be able to go on the road and beat Texas A&M and then come home and topple Kansas. I doubt if anyone believed that type of fairy tale.

     But that’s what has happened. What we are witnessing is a remarkable improvement with the Cowboys. Byron Eaton has looked like an overrated McDonald’s All-American for two and a half years. Now he is playing like one of the top point guards in the Big 12. How do you figure that one?

     Sean Sutton has to be breathing a lot eaiser these days. Even the most influential people who want him out of there, they simply can’t do it now. They would look like fools if they tried to push him out of his job.

     Give Sutton some time and he can get the program turned around. The aren’t that far away from being a very good team. They are playing like a cloose knit unit. More importantly they are winning the close games. That was something they weren’t doing earlier this season.

     And Jeff Capel has to be wondering what’s going on with his team. Really it’s not hard to figure out at all. When his guards play well, he has a really good team. When they don’t, well his club stinks.

     The Sooner guards played like they did at Colorado a couple of weeks again when it played at Texas this weekend. They couldn’t hit any of their shots. It’s a simple game. When the ball goes through the hoop you look pretty good, when it doesn’t you look bad.

     The Sooners have a monster game at Nebraska Wednesday night. If they win it they have a great shot of getting in the NCAA tournament. If they don’t they will be on a big time bubble.

    The dream for OU would be to finish fourth in the Big 12. That would give them an off-day during the first round games. The Sooners are currently tied for fourth place in the conference with Texas A&M and Baylor.

     And what has happened to the Aggies? In the last eight days they lose two home games to Oklahoma State and Nebraska and then get blown out at Texas. Not a good time of the year to be heading into the tank.

     Who would have thought last weekend that Oklahoma State would go to Texas A&M and upset the Aggies and that Oklahoma would travel to Texas Tech and give the Red Raiders their only home loss this season? That was some kind of surprise.

     Now if the Sooners or Cowboys win tomorrow it won’t be a surprise. It will be a total shocker.

     Both teams have difficult tasks. The Sooners are at Texas and the Cowboys get to host Kansas. No, it’s not going to be easy.

     Sometimes in sports it’s better to be lucky that it is to be good. OU has proven that the last two games. The Sooners could have lost those two encounters just as easy as they won them. There was the miracle shot by David Godbold against Texas Tech. Then there was that four point play by Tony Croker that gave Oklahoma that win over Baylor.

     If those games were losses, there wouldn’t be any confidence about getting in to the NCAA tournament. Now Oklahoma has to figure out how to win three more games in the regular season. If that occurs they are definitely heading to the Big Dance. The best bests are are home against Texas A&M and Missouri and on the road at Nebraska.

     The bottom line for this OU team is when guards Austin Johnson and Crocker play well, so do the Sooners.

     Sean Sutton has Oklahoma State playing well. He’s trying to make it as tough as possible for the higher-ups in Stillwater to get rid of him after the season is concluded.

     The Pokes definitely haven’t quit, like they could have a couple of weeks ago when everything was going badly. They have shown fight.

     Byron Eaton has been the key. He has suddenly developed into one of the best point guards in the Big 12. He is playing with a lot of confidence. And the Cowboy defense has gotten a lot better.

     As far as OU and OSU posting wins tomorrow? I just don’t see it happening. Both Kansas and Texas have too much talent for the in-state teams to pull out victories.

     It’s easy to kick a man when he’s down. But that’s exactly what I see going on these days.

     There are many Oklahoma fans who seem to delight in the problems that Kelvin Sampson has with Indiana University and the NCAA. I don’t quite understand why.

     Sampson did a great job coaching at OU. He missed getting into the NCAA tournament just once in 12 years as a coach in Norman. No other coach in Sooner history has that good of percentage.

      Yeah, there was the Final Four and Elite Eight appearances. Just how difficult is that to accomplish when you’re coaching basketball at Oklahoma?

     But let’s throw out the resume. That speaks for itself. Kelvin gave his heart and his soul to the school. He raised his kids here. He and his family loved the state of Oklahoma. He was a part of it. He did so many things good for the community.

     I’ll always remember when the late Dan Lutz was struggling with cancer. Sampson didn’t know him. But there he was visiting him in the hospital trying to bring him some cheer. He would do things like that all of the time.

     Sure Sampson got OU into a little minor scrape with the NCAA. He was making too many phone calls to recruits. He reasoned that everyone did it and it was no big deal.

     Not smart!

     Then he gets an opportunity of go to Indiana. It was a dream job. He was going to a lot better job for a lot more money. He was going to a place that actually cared about basketball. He was going to place where fans filled the arena. Wouldn’t most people take a better job for more money?

     Still, tears rolled down his eyes when he left. He was leaving a place with great memories.

     Now he is in hot water with Indidna. Once again there were too many phone calls. And he might not have been truthful to the NCAA.

     There are those who seem happy Sampson is in trouble. I am one who is not. When my friends get in trouble I try to stick by them.

     It’s a player that could really push Oklahoma into the elite among basketball schools next season.

     The Sooners are looking to come up with a big time point guard. That’s something that has eluded Jeff Capel since he’s been at Oklahoma. Austin Johnson has been up and down. Some games he’s good and some games he isn’t productive.

     There’s also some concern about Johnson’s health. Ever since he’s been at Oklahoma he’s been bothered by injuries. Currently back problems have been slowing him down.

     The point guard the Sooners covet is Kevin Galloway. He’s 6-6 and has all of the ingredients you are looking for. He’s an outstanding shooter and passer. And because of his size he’s an excellent rebounder.

     Galloway is a member of Southern Idaho Junior College, which is one of the best in the country. This high-flying team has already scored over 100 points in 16 of its games. It had a high of 160 points.

     If you put Galloway with Blake Griffin and incoming recruit Willie Warren, Capel could have something very special. But it’s not going to be easy. It appears that the other contenders are Washington State, Oklahoma State, Kentucky and UNLV.

     And don’t count Keith Clark out of the picture for next season just yet. Clark is currently enrolled at Rose State trying to get his academics in order. This week he was at an OU practice.

     There’s no doubt about Clark’s talent. He can do it all. The big question mark is will he work hard enough in the class room to take care of his academic woes.

     Sure there was no Longar Longar in uniform in Bloulder. And Keith Clark is no longer on the club. The problem isn’t up front. It’s what’s going on at the guard play.

     Earlier this year Oklahoma was beating the likes of West Virginia, Gonzaga and Arkansas. Sure, Blake Griffin and Longar were making plays. The Sooners were really good up front.

     But the guards were doing a really good job. Tony Crocker and Austin Johnson both looked like they had made a bunch of improvement from a year ago. They had become steady players. And they were making the clutch plays down the stretch of a game that were needed.

     Well, that’s a thing of the past right now. The OU guard play just isn’t very good. Opponents are giving them wide open shots, but they just can’t sink them. The play on the perimeter just stinks.

     It’s always been said that you have to have good guard play to go far in the NCAA tournament. Well, you better have good guard play just to get into it. And OU doesn’t and that’s why their NCAA tournament hopes are fading quickly.

     A player who would have really helped this team this year, is a guy most have forgotten about–Bobby Maze. Remember how he made some plays last year as a freshman? But he got into off the field problems after last season and Jeff Capel booted him from the team.

     Well Maze has become one of the top junior college players in the country. He is averaging over 20 points a game. And he has already signed a letter of intent with Maryland where he’ll play next season. The loss at Colorado was indeed an embarrassing performance.

     Oklahoma State’s performance at Kansas State wasn’t much better. The Cowboys were really sloppy. When you commit 24 turnovers against a good team, you don’t have a chance to win.

     You never can tell what you are going to get from the Cowboy guards. One game they might look terrific and the next game they don’t do a thing. Sean Sutton has to be really frustrated. This wasn’t what being a head coach was supposed to be like.

     It will be tough for Sutton to keep this team together. They know there isn’t a lot to play for. Probably not even the NIT.

     It’s obvious the Cowboys need to upgrade their talent, especially up front. But it has to be very hard for this current staff to convince a lot of top recruits to come their way with the uncertainty of Sutton’s future at Oklahoma State.