Everything’s OK With Sooners Now

Playing in the Big 12 Conference with high-profile Kansas, sentimental favorite Oklahoma State and Bob Knight’s Texas Tech, Oklahoma enjoyed flying under the national radar much of the season.

But after beating the Jayhawks to win the conference tournament, the third-ranked Sooners felt disrespected when they were seeded second in the NCAA tournament.

Saturday, the Sooners were feeling good about themselves again after rushing into the nation’s consciousness and into the Final Four, beating conference rival Missouri, 81-75, in a foul-filled West Regional final at Compaq Center.

“We were overlooked again and we had a mind-set of showing that we deserved a No. 1 seed,” said Sooner junior guard Hollis Price, the regional’s most outstanding player. “But it’s OK now. We’re going to the Final Four.”

Oklahoma (31-4) will meet South Regional champion Indiana (24-11) Saturday in the national semifinals at Atlanta in the Sooners’ first trip to the Final Four in 14 years.

“I’ve got Georgia on my mind,” Sooner Coach Kelvin Sampson said. “I’ve got Saturday and Monday [the title game] on my mind.”

Having four players score in double figures was also in Sampson’s thoughts after the Sooners had defeated the Tigers for the ninth consecutive time.

Price led Oklahoma with 18 points, including four three-point baskets, and junior small forward Ebi Ere added 17 points.

Senior power forward Aaron McGhee, who was limited to 20 minutes because of foul trouble, had 15 points, including a clutch three-point basket late in the game that extended Oklahoma’s then-dwindling lead to six points.

Junior point guard Quannas White, meanwhile, played the most complete game of his Sooner career, finishing with 12 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, two steals and one turnover in 35 minutes.

Still, it wasn’t as if the No. 12-seeded Tigers (24-12) were easily handled. Missouri, the lowest-seeded team ever to reach a regional final, had plenty of chances to upend the Sooners.

But the Tigers missed 14 of 34 free throws and high-scoring senior point guard Clarence Gilbert, who entered the game averaging 19.7 points while shooting 44.7% from the field in three NCAA tournament wins, made only one of 16 shots against Oklahoma.

“We just wanted to keep a hand in his face,” said White, who drew defensive duty on Gilbert, “and not let him get a good look at the basket.”

Mission accomplished.

“It was just a bad shooting night,” said Gilbert, who had seven points. “In the second half I felt I was going to get it going, get rolling and we’d go ahead and win the game. It never happened, but we still had an opportunity to win the game. We just didn’t get it done.”

Missouri Coach Quin Snyder felt for his senior.

“It was painful to watch that happen to Clarence because you know what he’s capable of doing,” Snyder said. “I kept thinking the next one was going to go in. Somehow, it’s supposed to work like that. He’s supposed to hit a big shot and bring us back. But it didn’t happen that way today.”

Instead, it was Tiger sophomore Rickey Paulding who kept Missouri afloat. The shooting guard had a game-high 22 points and junior small forward Kareem Rush, who is undecided about opting for the NBA draft, may have closed out his college career with 17 points before fouling out in 27 minutes.

The whistles were blowing all game for both teams, with a combined 54 fouls called.

“That’s the Big 12 Conference, though,” said McGhee, who went to the bench with his fourth foul less than two minutes into the second half with Oklahoma leading by 10 points, 45-35.

“It’s a tough conference and the referees were calling everything. We’re a physical-style team and Missouri is too. But the tougher team won.”

By the time McGhee returned, Missouri had crept back to within three, 70-67, on a Rush three-pointer with 2:41 to play.

Twenty-seven seconds later, the 6-foot-8, 250-pound left-handed McGhee responded by making a three-pointer from the right wing.

Missouri would not get within six points again.

“Oklahoma’s a great team,” Snyder said. “There’s no shame in what we did today.”

In running their winning streak to 12 games, the Sooners advanced to the Final Four for the first time since losing the 1988 title game to Kansas and Danny Manning.

“Man, I wasn’t even playing basketball in 1988,” said Ere, who was born seven years earlier. “I watched cartoons in 1988--Batman and Robin, Thundercats, He-Man and She-Ra.”

Sampson had just finished coaching his first season at Washington State in 1988.

“I was proud to be a No. 2 seed, but I was disappointed in not being a [No. 1] only because I thought we earned it,” he said. “I don’t think you should ask for anything unless you’ve earned it. I thought we had earned a [No. 1] seed, but I also understood the committee’s problem--I thought five teams earned it.”

The Sooners, though, were the first to get to Atlanta.