Oklahoma senior guard Chavanno "Buddy" Hield came up huge in crunch time in one of their toughest games so far this season, willing the nationally No. 1 ranked Oklahoma Sooners back from a double-digit deficit on the road in front of a hostile crowd.
The 6'4" wingman hit seven of eight three-pointers in the second half to give Oklahoma a 77-75 victory over the Louisiana State University (LSU) Tigers on Saturday. Hield finished the game with 32 points and seven rebounds. Isaiah Cousins hit the go-ahead jumper with four seconds left on the clock to seal the deal for the Sooners. He finished with 18, while Ryan Spangler added 16 points and 10 rebounds.
The loss was a crucial one for freshman sensation Ben Simmons and LSU, who needed a win to strengthen their National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tournament hopes. They appear to be on the outside looking in, and have very few chances left to prove they're worthy enough to compete in the "Big Dance" in March.
With the performance, his eighth 30-plus outing of the season, Hield strengthened his national player of the year status. Fellow national player of the year hopeful Simmons finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and five assists on 6-for-7 shooting from the field. Following the game, Hield said he never doubted Cousins ability to perform in the clutch.
"It's all confidence," he said about his roommate's game-winning jumper. "He told coach he wanted the ball and he stepped up and made a big play. I'm happy for him, because he's been struggling the past few weeks."
Oklahoma trailed the majority of the game and didn't take control until the four-minute mark of the second half.
"This one was really hard," Hield said. "They (LSU) came out and made shots, and all hats off to their coaching staff and the home crowd. It was a tough game and I'm just thankful we were able to come out with the win."
LSU coach Johnny Jones expressed the difficulty he experienced in trying to come up with a solution to stop Hield.
"He just made some huge plays out there tonight that were needed to put his team in position to win, and that's what veterans do," he said. "For a guy like that to come back for his senior year and continue to improve as a player, you could see the fruits of his labor out there today."
Oklahoma went on a 22-8 scoring run in the second half, highlighted by four three-pointers from Hield. The last one put Oklahoma up 66-65 with 4:05 to go.
LSU freshman guard Antonio Blakeney hit a pair of late three pointers to tie things up at 75 with 24 seconds left, which set up the Cousins jumper. Both schools will be in action again on Tuesday night. Oklahoma hosts Texas Christian University (TCU) while LSU visits Auburn.
Chavanno "Buddy" Hield
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