OU's Jacob Groves looks to 'fight through' adversity after losing starting spot

NORMAN — The sound of a basketball dribbling along the hardwood echoed throughout an empty Lloyd Noble Center.

There were no fans in the arena Monday afternoon, and the OU men's basketball team wasn't scheduled to begin its practice for another hour or so. And yet there was Jacob Groves, getting some extra shots up on his own time.

The past month hasn't been kind to Groves. The senior forward is averaging 1.7 points on 20% shooting from the floor and 15% shooting from deep in OU's last 10 games, which has caused him to lose his starting spot.

But Groves hasn't lost focus. He's trying to snap out of his slump and return to being a key contributor for the Sooners, who continue their season with a road game against 23rd-ranked Iowa State at 11 a.m. Saturday.

"Jacob Groves has stayed super positive," OU head coach Porter Moser said. "He’s trying to fight through it. ... He’s doing it."

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Groves established himself as one of OU's best shooters prior to the start of Big 12 play.

He averaged 9.6 points on 51.7% shooting from the floor and 42.5% shooting from deep. The strong stretch of games included a 16-point performance against Nebraska in ESPN Events Invitational and a 14-point performance on the road against Villanova.

Groves even carried that momentum in OU's conference opener against then-sixth-ranked Texas on Dec. 31. The Sooners suffered a 70-69 loss, but Groves racked up 17 points on 5-for-9 shooting from deep (55.6%).

"It was obviously nice to make shots and nice to help us kind of stay in the game," Groves said after the loss. "Hopefully, I'll take that confidence that I have shooting the ball right now moving forward and into the next couple of games so I can keep helping us try to win games."

But that didn't happen.

Groves failed to shoot above 25% from the floor in each of OU's next three games, and he ultimately lost his starting spot to freshman Bijan Cortes prior to a road game against West Virginia on Feb. 4.

“My message to Jacob was I don’t know if anyone cares more than Jacob," Moser said on Feb. 3. "He’s everything you want in a program. He cares about winning. But when you press, it’s human nature. It doesn’t mean he’s selfish. He’s pressing."

In addition to losing his starting spot, Groves is now near the bottom of OU's rotation. He hasn't recorded double-digit minutes in any of the team's last three games.

Groves' lack of playing time is partially a result of Moser wanting to roll with more athletic options such as Joe Bamisile and Otega Oweh. Still, Groves would surely see a boost in minutes if he could find his touch from deep again.

The 6-foot-9 forward is still able to provide some much-needed floor spacing when he's knocking his shots down. And while that isn't happening right now, Groves remains focused.

"It’s good to see because that’s the choice you want to make and in life, too," Moser said. "For all of us, when things don’t go your way, you have a choice."

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Top two players this season

Grant Sherfield: The senior guard is averaging team-highs of 16.5 points and 3.4 assists per game. A lot is asked of Sherfield, who has played a team-high 83.5% of OU's minutes this season. That percentage ranks third in the Big 12.

Jalen Hill: Hill isn't far behind Sherfield. The senior forward has played in 81.1% of his team's minutes this season, which is the eighth-highest percentage in the Big 12. Hill is averaging a career-high 10.4 points to go along with 5.6 rebounds per game, and he's the Sooners' most versatile defender.

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Top player this week

Hill: Hill is asked to be a three-level defender, an efficient shooter and a leader on the floor. The senior has checked off all of those boxes this season, but he added another responsibility in OU's last two games against eighth-ranked Texas and Texas Tech. Hill recorded four assists in each of the contests, which is tied for his career-high mark.

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Player on the rise

Milos Uzan: Uzan has shot the ball efficiently as of late. After shooting 32.4% from the floor during a four-game stretch, the freshman has shot 53.8% from the floor in OU's last two games. The Sooners need players to lighten the scoring load for Sherfield, and Uzan is one of their best options.

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Stat to know

Iowa State recorded 10 offensive rebounds in its 63-60 win over OU on Jan. 4.

The Cyclones converted those offensive boards into 14 second-chance points, which proved to be the difference in the one-possession contest.

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Updated bracketology

OU is in jeopardy of missing the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season. It isn't even listed as a bubble team in the latest projections by ESPN's Joe Lunardi.

OU also dropped from No. 72 to No. 77 in the latest NET rankings following its loss to Texas Tech on Tuesday. The other nine Big 12 teams are all in the top 50.

At this point, anything short of a Big 12 Tournament title likely won't be enough for the Sooners to secure a bid in the tournament.

OU vs. Iowa State

TIPOFF: 11 a.m. Saturday at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa (ESPNU)

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma basketball: Jacob Groves looks to reclaim role with Sooners