OU men’s basketball aiming to fix rebounding woes against Texas A&M in SEC home opener

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NORMAN — Oklahoma coach Porter Moser hasn’t given much thought to the fact he’s preparing to face a school where he got his start.

A former Texas A&M assistant, Moser has been haunted by the Sooners’ rebounding numbers in last Saturday’s blowout loss to Alabama. OU was dominated on the boards 51-26 and allowed 22 offensive rebounds.

Moser’s team now has to turn around and face an Aggies team led by coach Buzz Williams that ranks fifth nationally in rebounding margin and first in offensive rebounds per game.

“Obviously, it’s an issue with us,” Moser said. “We’ve played some of the top-20 rebounding teams before. Arizona was up there, Michigan was up there and we showed our guys, when we’re not minus-10 or whatever it is on the boards (we have a chance). A&M is literally the best in the country.”

Since he arrived at Oklahoma in 2021, Moser has often recited lines from his mentor, former Saint Louis coach Rick Majerus. He recollected a few wise words from Majerus about rebounding this week.

If you’re on the perimeter as a guard, you can’t sit there and watch, you’ve got to crash the glass.

“You can’t play 13 minutes and have one rebound,” Moser said. “You can’t. And we’ve called guys out, we’ve challenged them. You can’t play these kind of minutes and not get rebounds, and every guard is included in that.”

More: Oklahoma men’s basketball NCAA Tournament resume for March Madness: Jan. 6

Oklahoma Sooners forward Sam Godwin (10) makes a basket during a men’s college Bedlam basketball game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Oklahoma State University Cowboys (OSU) at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. Oklahoma won 80-65.

The Sooners’ veteran guards have responded to the challenge.

“It’s not only just relying on big men, it’s got to be guards, too,” redshirt senior guard Duke Miles said. “Rebounding is a team thing. … It’s going to take me, (Kobe Elvis), (Jeremiah Fears), man, everybody. It’s going to take the whole team so we’re going to go…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ou-mens-basketball-aiming-fix-110302710.html

Author : The Oklahoman

Publish date : 2025-01-08 11:03:00

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