How OU basketball’s Mohamed Wague has brought consistency during three-game losing streak

[ad_1]

NORMAN — Mohamed Wague made his presence felt, especially defensively, in OU’s loss to Georgia.

At 6-foot-10, Wague held his own in the paint against the Bulldogs, swatting two shots, and finishing with three steals. His 15 minutes played were his most in over a month when he played 17 in a blowout win over Alcorn State.

“You impacted us,” Sooners coach Porter Moser told Wague following Saturday’s loss. “You impacted our team.”

Wague has been one of OU’s few bright spots during its three-game losing streak to start SEC play. The four-year journeyman, who transferred from Alabama this past offseason after spending one season apiece at West Virginia and Harcum College, has played 29 minutes in the past two games.

In addition to his defensive effort, Wague scored 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting in a hostile environment against Georgia.

“You’ve just got to stay ready for whenever your number gets called,” Wague said. “You’ve got to be ready to give everything you’ve got and just try to help the team win.”

Inconsistent play leads to inconsistent minutes, Moser says. And Wague’s play has largely been inconsistent this season, leading Moser to frequently ride with Luke Northweather to back up starter Sam Godwin.

OU basketball vs Texas: Prediction, picks, injury updates for Sooners-Longhorns

OU forward Mohamed Wague (5) dunks the ball beside Texas A&M forward Solomon Washington (9) last Wednesday. Wague’s role has increased of late due to more consistency.

However, Moser has seen Wague’s mindset change, he’s made his minutes count and OU’s coaching staff likes his length and athleticism against the type of bigs they’re facing night in and night out in the SEC.

“He’s just going to be great at what he does,” Moser said. “Mo covered a lot of ground defensively with a length and aggression. He got a couple of rolls where he rolled hard, he rolled hard for a dunk and he ran through one. Even if he doesn’t get it, he’s bringing it on the backside defense. I thought he was moving quickly and…

[ad_2]
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ou-basketballs-mohamed-wague-brought-175141414.html

Author : The Oklahoman

Publish date : 2025-01-15 17:51:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.