OU basketball vs. Green Bay: Three takeaways as Porter Moser's Sooners remain undefeated
Justin MartinezNORMAN — Only seven teams in the nation entered Saturday's slate of games with an undefeated record, and three of them suffered their first loss.
But the Sooners are still standing.
No. 11-ranked OU earned an 81-47 home win over Green Bay. The Sooners (10-0) are off to their best start to a season since they went 12-0 to begin their 2015-16 campaign.
OU is one of four undefeated teams left in college basketball. The rest of that list consists of No. 4 Houston, No. 20 James Madison and Ole Miss.
"I see the gaps of mistakes keep shrinking," head coach Porter Moser said. "And here's what's crazy: I feel like we've got a big room to improve, and I think (the players) would say the same thing."
The Sooners have passed every test they've faced so far with flying colors.
OU is 4-0 against top 100 teams in the latest NET rankings, and it has won those games by an average of 11 points. It also ranked 28th in the nation in points per game (84.8) and 23rd in points allowed per game (62.9) entering Saturday.
But the Sooners' biggest test of non-conference play is coming up next.
OU is set to face No. 9 North Carolina (7-3) at 8 p.m. Wednesday. The game is part of the Jumpman Invitational, and it'll be played at the Charlotte Hornets' Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
OU beat Florida 62-53 in last year's Jumpman Invitational, which took place at the same venue. But facing North Carolina in what's sure to be a not-so-neutral environment will be an even bigger challenge.
"Now we got a top 10 team coming up in (North) Carolina, and in a supposedly neutral site in Charlotte," Moser said with a chuckle. "I was there last year, and even our Florida game (crowd) was all baby blue. But we know they're a storied program, so our guys are excited about the next one up."
Here are three takeaways from the win:
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Sam Godwin has been historically dominant on the offensive glass
Sam Godwin seemingly knows where the ball is going to travel every time it bounces off the rim.
When a 3-point attempt by Milos Uzan hit back iron with 9:32 left in the first half, it was Godwin who emerged from the congested paint with the offensive rebound.
Javian McCollum then tried his luck from deep later in the possession. And when his shot also rimmed out, Godwin was in the right place once again for the board.
This time the senior center took it upon himself by sinking the putback shot. Godwin dominated on the glass all night, finishing with five rebounds (four offensive) to go along with nine points in just 15 minutes.
It's nothing new for Godwin, who's gathering offensive boards at an unprecedented rate. The former walk-on entered Saturday with a nation-leading offensive rebound percentage of 27.1%.
Since KenPom began keeping track of the stat in 2004, Pittsburgh's DeJuan Blair (2009) boasts the highest offensive rebound percentage for a season (23.6%) when looking only at those who played at least 40% of their team's minutes.
More:Five things to know about OU men's basketball team for 2023-24 season
Offensive struggles get blurry when you go fast
As an open Otega Oweh caught a pass in transition, OU's bench rose to its feet.
It knew what was coming next.
Oweh took two dribbles before clearing for takeoff. The sophomore guard then glided through the air before throwing down a reverse-pump dunk.
"I got the transition, and then I saw that no one was kind of following," Oweh said. "So I was like, ‘Alright, might as well try it.’ I do that dunk a lot in practice and when I’m just playing around. I do that dunk often, so I’m very comfortable with it.”
Oweh's highlight-reel slam came during a 15-0 run by OU to close out the first half and claim a 36-20 lead. It also contributed to the Sooners' 21 fastbreak points on Saturday.
OU's transition offense made up for its struggles in the half-court setting. The Sooners went 5 for 17 from deep (29.4%), and they recorded a season-high 16 turnovers.
But OU is an athletic team that's at its best when it can run, and that showed in the blowout win.
"We just said it’s got to start with our energy," Moser said. "Let’s get the transition going. We amped up our press a little bit more. We thought we could get our athleticism into the game."
OU shows off its depth
The Sooners put their depth on full display Saturday.
OU racked up 39 bench points, and it got contributions from just about everyone who saw the floor.
The Sooners got a boost in the backcourt. Senior Rivaldo Soares recorded 13 points to go along with five rebounds, while senior Le'Tre Darthard chipped in nine points on 3-for-5 shooting from deep.
OU also got some good production in the frontcourt from John Hugley IV. The redshirt junior forward recorded 11 points and four rebounds.
OU's depth has been a strength all season. It's averaging 29.5 bench points per game.
"We're deeper, and the guys know it," Moser said. "They know it. And they're confident in the depth. ... These guys have really bought into their shift. When it's their shift, they're coming in and playing their tails off."