No words can account for the loss handed to the Sooners in the Final Four. While the bigger story should be Villanova reflecting their 1985 National Champion team with an almost perfect game, this 44 point loss, which is the largest deficit in Final Four history, is a huge disappointment for fans.
So what was the collapsing moment for the Sooners? Most would say the absence of Buddy Hield who only shot 4-12 and ended the night with only 9 points. Hield only touched the ball 4 times in the second half, what happened to the overnight golden boy? According to him and his teammates, they were “sluggish” and nothing was going in their favor.
"We came in sluggish and Nova was making everything. Couldn't get it rolling" -Isaiah Cousins #Sooners
— Luck (@Quierra_Luck) April 3, 2016
Regardless of the questions, every answer is the same from Hield, Spangler, and Cousins: "We couldn't keep up. They played better" #Sooners
— Luck (@Quierra_Luck) April 3, 2016
That was the theme for the Sooners “We just couldn’t get it done”. No other explanation needed. Villanova shot consistently over 65% and through the second half, 71%; there was absolutely no stopping them. According to Sports Illustrated, Nova didn’t even have to shoot in the second, they still would’ve won. With an almost perfect Josh Hart, the Sooners couldn’t find the answer for the Wildcats.
So what’s next? The Wildcats head on to the National Championship Monday night and Buddy Hield gets to start his new dream, the NBA.