Oklahoma gives away 21-point lead but manages to beat Baylor

Oklahoma’s performance Tuesday night in squeaking by Baylor 73-71 reflected how good the Sooners can be when they’re hitting shots and playing together but also how quickly things can fall apart for them when shots aren’t falling and frustration sets in.

The Sooners were brilliant in the first half behind 16 points from All-American Buddy Hield and looked the part of a team that could contend for the national title. They took a commanding 21-point halftime lead on senior night with alum Blake Griffin in the house to have his jersey retired.

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Oklahoma made 50 percent of its total field goals and its 3-pointers in the first half. When the Sooners are on target like that, the only opponent capable of hanging with them is one that can match them shot for shot. Say, Kansas for instance.

 Baylor wasn’t up to the task in the first 20 minutes but completely turned that around in the second half.

The Bears came storming back while the Sooners were either missing shots or committing turnovers. Oklahoma went nearly seven minutes scoring only one basket. Baylor even managed to take the lead briefly with just under four minutes remaining but couldn’t sustain its furious rally all the way to the end.

Hield finished with 23 points, though he needed 19 shots to get there. Taurean Prince and King McClure each scored 17 to lead Baylor.

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The Sooners shot 44 percent in the game and made 41 percent of their 3-point attempts. When they shoot that well or better, they have a lot of room to absorb cold stretches and turnovers, but they haven’t been shooting like that often enough down the stretch of the regular season.

The Sooners were 2-3 in the previous five games before beating Baylor, and they shot as well as they did Tuesday in only one of those five games, a win over Oklahoma State. In three of those previous five games, they made less than 32 percent of their 3-point attempts, which is a staple of their offense.

All of it is cause for concern for Oklahoma late in the season. If the Sooners can turnaround whatever has their shooting percentages dropping of late, they’re capable of winning the Big 12 tournament title and even a national championship. If they don’t, this team is capable of an early exit and a sour end to what has been a fun season in Norman.

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[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo