No tourney magic: Texas holds off Oakland’s upset bid
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
TULSA — Sports can be a game of percentages and tournaments can often be about seeds and matchups.
Oakland's Drew Valentine and the Golden Grizzlies saw their season come to an end Friday in a 85-81 loss to Texas in an NCAA second-round game in Tulsa. File Photo | Larry McKee, www.lmckeephotography.com
Texas used a lot of that Friday to get past upstart Oakland.
Fourth-seeded Texas shot 59 percent in the first half in building a double-digit lead, then held off 13th seed Oakland’s furious comeback bid in an 85-81 victory in the NCAA second-round at the BOK Center in Tulsa.
The Long Horns, who lost in the opening round to wake Forest last season, used a 15-5 spurt in the first half to build 12-point lead and held Oakland at bay the rest of the way.
Texas will face Arizona in the third round Sunday, as the Wildcats upended Memphis in the second game in Tulsa Friday.
“We just won a game against a team that everybody (thinks was underseeded),” offered Texas coach Rick Barnes, noting the seeds of the southwest regional. “If there is any team that really got a bad deal, it was Oakland.
“I look at them and, believe me, they would finish in our league in the top half,” added Barnes. “We just won a game against an outstanding team (in Oakland). A team that’s tough, hard-nosed and not going away. We knew they’d fight. We could have been better in the end, but you have got to give them credit for that.”
Texas (28-7) was ranked eighth in the Associated Press poll and reached as high as No. 3 in the rankings on three occasions this season, built a lead that grew to as many as 17 points (63-46) in the second half. The Golden Grizzlies, who are making their second straight appearance in the NCAA tournament, rallied back in the final five minutes.
Trailing 78-63 with 4:58 left, Oakland made one final push to claw back.
The lead was whittled down to 81-75, and OU junior guard Reggie Hamilton’s three-point attempt went down and out, which would have cut the deficit down to three points with 47 seconds left. Oakland outscored Texas 18-7 down the stretch but could not complete the comeback.
Texas made 6-of-7 foul shots in the final two minutes to hold off OU’s comeback bid.
Oakland coach Greg Kampe loaded up a schedule with schools from power conferences such as Ohio State, Michigan, Tennessee, Illinois, Purdue, Michigan State and West Virginia — all are in the NCAA tournament field of 68 teams — to prepare his team and to try to get a better seed. The Golden Grizzlies simply shot poorly, making only 33-of-75 field goal attempts (44.0 percent).
“They say that (Texas) is probably a three (Seed), but they wanted them in Tulsa, so they moved them,” offered Kampe for the pairings. “They say you can move a line either way either way for a home sit. If anyone here thinks I’m wrong, come talk to me afterwards. This is a team that could win games in this tournament; and for Oakland and our fan base and that, you know — we’ve got (North) Carolina, Pittsburgh and Texas in our three trips.
“We just didn’t make shots,” added Kampe.
OU led early 7-6 but trailed for most of the game.
“This is a team I thought could have done something in the tournament, and we got a bad draw,” added Kampe. “We play everybody in the country. I know who is good, and I know who isn’t and that Texas team is as good as anybody. Texas can win a national championship, and I don’t put that on Rick that way. I think Texas is good because of him. He’s one of the best coaches there is. They defend…like unbelievable.”
OU cut the deficit to six points on two occasions in the final minute and Keith Benson’s two free throws with .6 of a second cut the final down to four points.
Benson bowed out with 15 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots, matching up with Texas 6-9 center Tristan Thompson, who finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high seven blocked shots.
Texas, which held a 42-38 edge on the boards, also picked up 19 points and 10 rebounds from Jordan Hamilton. J’Covan Brown had a team-high 21 points with six boards and Cory Joseph followed with 11 points for the Long Horns.
Barnes knew his Long Horns would have their hands full with the two-time Summit League champion Golden Grizzlies, who lost in the first round to Pittsburgh last season.
Forcing Oakland into a track meet, Texas built a 46-38 lead at the half.
It marks the third time in seven years that Oakland has drawn a championship-caliber team from a power conference. No team form the Summit League has won a postseason game since Valparaiso in 1998.
“This is a team that we thought could get to the Sweet 16,” said Kampe. “This is a team that … our league’s gotten so much better. Our league’s good. People don’t know it. And the way they’re going to find out is if a team like Oakland goes and wins in this tournament.”
Hamilton scored a game-high 25 points and five assists for Oakland. Will Hudson added 14 points and 10 rebounds and Travis Bader twined 10 points for the Grizzlies.
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Category: Colleges / Other, Oakland University
