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View Full Version : OK, Welcome to the Big Time Coach Capel..



OUSKINS
2/3/2007, 01:15 PM
I think everyone here more or less agrees that Capel has been impressive thus far. I think for the most part, everyone agrees that this team has played above expectations. I think we all seem to like the direction right now.

But there is one little fact that we can't escape at this point: We haven't beaten anybody yet. Our most "impressive" outings have all come in tough road losses, most notably at OSU.

We've absolutely smoked the so-so to bad teams on the schedule, and we've lost to all of the good to great teams.

Granted, it's been an odd schedule so far, having played Tech, UT, OSU, and A+M all on the road before playing any of them at the LNC.

Well, that changes. Starting tonight.

No moral victory allowed in this one. If we want to REALLY be a suprise team this year, then we'll need to win some of these home games against the top dogs. I don't expect us to go 5-0, but I would also think that Tech is arguably the "easiest" of the five. If we can't beat them, it doesn't bode well for our chances against the others.

We have 9 games left: 5 tough ones at home all against teams that have been or very well could be, ranked. We also have 4 middling road games against teams equal to or slightly better than us.

So far, this season has sort of been a tad difficult to judge: We've either played in really tough spots or we've played the Sisters of the Blind. Now, we're about to find out exactly where the team sits.

Capel has coached 20 games, and I think he's done very well. But he's about to enter into a stretch where the expectations will be at least slightly raised. I'm interested to see how it works out.

My gut tonight?

I still fear that we just don't have the offensive punch to beat a good team late in the game. I think this one will be close almost all the way, but I see Tech making some bigger shots down the stretch-- ones we won't off-set. I'm excited about this game, and I do think a win is very possible, but my head tells me Tech wins.

Red Raiders 68
Sooners 64

OKC-SLC
2/3/2007, 02:26 PM
good post. i agree with what you've said, to a tee.

I'd like to think a big crowd shows up and gives us a boost (either on offense or defense) early on and we ride that momentum through. I don't think TT is that much better than us on a neutral floor. Factor in that the league/officials are afraid of Knight and I think that may offset a good portion of the home court advantage that we'll have.

My heart says OU by 6-8.

My brain says OU by 2.

My wife says I'm a homer.

Jeopardude
2/3/2007, 02:50 PM
My wife says I'm a homer.

That's between you two. :D

utex74
2/3/2007, 05:33 PM
I have an off topic question. If I find myself in OKC for the weekend that Texas goes to Norman what would be the best way to score a ticket? Also how would my chances of surviving be if I showed up in burnt orange and cheered loudly for the Longhorns? This is not rhetorical. I work in OKC and might actually be there that weekend. Thanks in advance.

Newbomb Turk
2/3/2007, 05:38 PM
off topic as well...ksu over the whorns in Austin. :D

MojoRisen
2/3/2007, 05:43 PM
OU Finishes 20-9

SleestakSooner
2/3/2007, 05:48 PM
I have an off topic question. If I find myself in OKC for the weekend that Texas goes to Norman what would be the best way to score a ticket? Also how would my chances of surviving be if I showed up in burnt orange and cheered loudly for the Longhorns? This is not rhetorical. I work in OKC and might actually be there that weekend. Thanks in advance.

Just head to Lloyd Noble early there will most likely be a few tickets left. You will be ridiculed to no end for cheering loudly for the Whorns or wearing burnt orange. You could wind up at the bottom of a stampede if you do both! :texan:

Newbomb Turk
2/3/2007, 05:48 PM
OU Finishes 20-9

only one more loss?

I sure hope you are right, but I don't think so.

MojoRisen
2/3/2007, 06:06 PM
Hey it is possible with our remaining home schedule! But your right 18-11 will be nice as well with quality wins!

TopDawg
2/3/2007, 11:32 PM
good post. i agree with what you've said, to a tee.

I'd like to think a big crowd shows up and gives us a boost (either on offense or defense) early on and we ride that momentum through. I don't think TT is that much better than us on a neutral floor. Factor in that the league/officials are afraid of Knight and I think that may offset a good portion of the home court advantage that we'll have.

My heart says OU by 6-8.

My brain says OU by 2.

My wife says I'm a homer.

Brain + Head = still not enough ;)

Great win today!

OKC-SLC
2/4/2007, 12:13 AM
heh.

i'll underestimate OU victory margins for the rest of my life if given the offer.

it was a good win. TT isn't a great team, but they are a good team. and we took care of business against a good team for the first time this year.

TopDawg
2/4/2007, 01:00 AM
heh.

i'll underestimate OU victory margins for the rest of my life if given the offer.

it was a good win. TT isn't a great team, but they are a good team. and we took care of business against a good team for the first time this year.

The game was really closer to what you predicted, though. I would've underestimated the margin of victory even with only 30 seconds left.

OUSKINS
2/4/2007, 10:00 AM
SOOOO Impressed with Capel after this one. He really played the emotional angle with Longar and turned him into a man possessed. Capel read that situation perfectly, gave Longar the start, gave him the ball, and Longar responded. Anyone else see the bear hug Capel gave Longar when he left the floor? I noticed that Knight was watching it as well.

Also, down by 4 with 7:00 minutes left, Capel rallied them, let them know that they'd been there before, but this time they needed to close the deal. Did they ever.

Just an excellent night for Capel and company. I'm sold.

While Longar is getting the most pub, and deservedly so, we can't forget that Carter was still the "rock" in this game, and that Neal made the biggest shot of the night (the 3 when we were down by 4).

utex74
2/4/2007, 10:32 PM
off topic as well...ksu over the whorns in Austin. :D

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then. Our defense sucked and they hit 14 out of 27 three pointers. Put those two together and you have a KSU win.

Tomorrow we have to go to College Station. Defense damned sure better be fixed by then.

Jello Biafra
2/4/2007, 11:12 PM
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then. Our defense sucked and they hit 14 out of 27 three pointers. Put those two together and you have a KSU win.

Tomorrow we have to go to College Station. Defense damned sure better be fixed by then.



mmhhmm. same thing your football team was saying back in november as well....... blind squirrels aside, you still gave up the pootie to a fairly bad team and the only worse loss i can think of was the game in boulder the other day....

Salt City Sooner
2/4/2007, 11:31 PM
KSU isn't a bad team at all. They're on a 7 game win streak, which includes wins at Mizzou, at ISU, & now, at Texas, 3 games that I have very little doubt that they'd have dropped last year. I can't stand Huggins to say the least, but credit where it's due. They've improved considerably. Tell me right now that we win at Bramlage by 1 point & I'd gladly take it & run.

utex74
2/4/2007, 11:36 PM
mmhhmm. same thing your football team was saying back in november as well....... blind squirrels aside, you still gave up the pootie to a fairly bad team and the only worse loss i can think of was the game in boulder the other day....

I didn't think too much of KSU either but they played well when they had to and they have a better record than OU, I think. Anything I say about last November will be an excuse so we'll just let it play out on the field and court. Strong rivalries are fun.

SgtSooner
2/5/2007, 02:17 PM
Capel clearly outcoached the class-less BOOBy Knight. Hey jerk get out of your damn chair and shake hands before the game. Get Sgt Sooner locked in a room with BOOBy Knight and I will have him remembering the good ol days at ARMY. Anyways, Capel has got Carter & Longar to play at levels none of us thought possible. If he can continue to put some recruiting classes together we may have something special going. Lets win out and send a thank you card to BOOBy for inspiring our team in a different sort of way.

Rock Hard Corn Frog
2/5/2007, 02:40 PM
Capel clearly outcoached the class-less BOOBy Knight. Hey jerk get out of your damn chair and shake hands before the game. Get Sgt Sooner locked in a room with BOOBy Knight and I will have him remembering the good ol days at ARMY. Anyways, Capel has got Carter & Longar to play at levels none of us thought possible. If he can continue to put some recruiting classes together we may have something special going. Lets win out and send a thank you card to BOOBy for inspiring our team in a different sort of way.


He absolutely did outcoach Knight. Who would have thought Chris Walker would be the answer to finally shut down Jackson down the stretch? Plus when Longar was taken out at the end of the game it was a good way for L2 to get props while at the sime time sticking it to Knight.

From some of the stuff I read about Carter when his was sitting out his transfer year a lot of people thought he had the best scoring skills of anyone on the team (and that included Gray and Everett at the time). I think the L2 suspension in particular helped get him on track and the fact that he is close to automatic at the foul line has made him even better than billed.

I always thought L2 would turn out to be a solid role player on the team, even when some last year thought we would be totally hopeless if he had to play but his development has been extraodinary. He isn't the player that someline like Gray or Ace McGee was but I can't think of any OU player ever that has improved more in one season than he has.