'That’s character': How Porter Moser, Sooners delivered shocking upset of No. 2 Alabama

OU forward Tanner Groves (35) celebrates with fans as they rush the court after the Sooners' 93-69 win against second-ranked Alabama on Saturday at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman.
OU forward Tanner Groves (35) celebrates with fans as they rush the court after the Sooners' 93-69 win against second-ranked Alabama on Saturday at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman.
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NORMAN — Porter Moser could tell his players were sick of hearing the same message.

OU had suffered numerous one-possession losses to teams such as 10th-ranked Texas, 12th-ranked Iowa State and No. 17-ranked Baylor.

Each time it was something different that sank the Sooners. And each time Moser told his players the same thing.

"We're right there," Moser would say.

But Moser couldn't say that following OU's blowout loss at 11th-ranked TCU on Tuesday. It was the largest loss since 2019 for the struggling Sooners, who extended their skid to three games.

And as OU prepared for a home game against second-ranked Alabama on Saturday, Moser delivered a different message to his players.

"We've got to move on," Moser told them.

The Sooners did exactly that.

OU turned the page Saturday by earning a 93-69 win over Alabama. It was a dominant performance by the Sooners, who desperately needed a statement win to remain in the hunt for an NCAA Tournament appearance.

"(I'm) just really happy for the guys to show the resilience," Moser said. "I thought they played the right way. I thought they played hard. ... That’s character. That’s resiliency. That’s togetherness."

Here are three takeaways from the win:

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OU guard Grant Sherfield (25) looks to pass in the first half en route to a 30-point afternoon.
OU guard Grant Sherfield (25) looks to pass in the first half en route to a 30-point afternoon.

Tanner Groves protects the rim with discipline

Brandon Miller put his head down and attacked the rim.

Alabama’s star forward was looking to be aggressive at the 15:52 mark of the first half, but he ran into a brick wall in Tanner Groves.

Groves went straight up and swatted Miller’s layup attempt as the crowd at Lloyd Noble Center went into a frenzy. OU then began a fastbreak, and Milos Uzan capped it off by sinking a 3-pointer to give his team a 13-6 lead.

The momentum-swinging sequence began with Groves, who recorded all three of his blocks in the first half.

The 6-foot-10 center protected the paint all afternoon, and he did so with discipline. Groves has struggled with avoiding foul trouble during Big 12 play, but he only committed one foul in the first half.

Groves did it all for the Sooners. He finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds to go along with his three blocks.

"I thought he was terrific," Moser said of Groves. "He just played an all-around game. ... I thought he had great leadership."

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Oklahoma head coach Porter Moser yells to players in the first half during a basketball game between The Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and The Alabama Crimson Tide at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023.
Oklahoma head coach Porter Moser yells to players in the first half during a basketball game between The Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and The Alabama Crimson Tide at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023.

Grant Sherfield dominates in both halves

Grant Sherfield wanted the ball right back.

OU held a 59-46 lead with 15:25 left in the game when Sherfield used a stepback to send his defender sliding across the hardwood. Sherfield failed to complete the highlight play by missing a mid-range jumper, but he got another opportunity.

Bijan Cortes snagged the offensive rebound and gave the ball back to Sherfield, who this time got into the lane for a layup.

And with that, the drought was snapped.

Despite entering the day averaging a team-high 16.4 points, Sherfield had gone scoreless in the second halves of OU’s previous three games.

But after lighting Alabama up for 18 points in the first half, Sherfield poured on another 12 points in the final 20 minutes to lead his team to victory.

"I saw a bounce in his step," Moser said of Sherfield. "He was playing with joy, and he had a pace to him. He was playing both ends."

Despite sharing the floor with Miller, who is expected to be a top 5 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, Sherfield was the best player Saturday. He scored 30 points on 11-for-19 shooting (57.9%) and even picked up five assists along the way.

It’s no coincidence that Sherfield’s second-half scoring drought coincided with OU’s three-game losing streak.

The Sooners will go as far as Sherfield takes them this season, and he took them to new heights Saturday.

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OU executes game plan, gets biggest win of the season

After falling out of the NCAA Tournament picture, OU firmly put itself back in the conversation with a statement victory.

It was a much-needed win for the Sooners, who executed their game plan to near perfection.

OU placed an emphasis on containing Alabama’s offense, which boasted the fourth-highest adjusted tempo in the nation (73.4). The Crimson Tide got held to just seven fastbreak points.

"I really thought we got back and made a wall," Moser said. "We got to their shooters. ... I think we defended for 40 minutes."

OU also focused on defending Miller.

The freshman forward entered Saturday averaging a team-high 19.5 points, but he got held to 11 points on 4-for-14 shooting (28.6%). OU gave the primary defensive assignment to Hill, who made life difficult on defense and even racked up a career-high 26 points on the other end.

“I just came in and I felt like I had something to prove," Hill said. "(Miller) is going to be a top 5 draft pick at the end of the day. And I just wanted to prove to everybody, the scouts, the country that I can hang with him.”

Finally, the Sooners needed to get Sherfield going after a tough stretch of games. He finished one point shy of tying his career-high total.

It was the best performance of the season by the Sooners, who can now take some momentum into the second half of Big 12 play.

"These guys have been resilient bouncing back," Moser said. "I’m just hoping we can snowball this into something more."

OU vs. OSU

TIPOFF: 8 p.m. Wednesday at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman (ESPN2)

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma Sooners rout No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball