Tramel's ScissorTales: There's no slowing down OU softball dynasty, as rout of UCLA shows

Patty Gasso is like most coaches. She worries a lot about things that would leave the rest of us shaking our heads.

Like winning a showdown softball game 14-0.

Except not this time. Gasso feels just fine after her Sooners stormed the Mary Nutter Classic the way the bulls storm Pamplona.

The Thursday ScissorTales check in on the new College Football Playoff committee members, salute Santa Clara Williams and offer a list of NCAA basketball teams that OSU needs to lose this weekend. But we start with Patty Gasso’s softball Sooners.

OU opens its home schedule at 3 p.m. Friday against Illinois-Chicago, and the Sooners showed in Palm Springs that they are their old, reliable, dominant selves.

More:OU women's basketball: Takeaways from Sooners' win over Kansas State

We knew that already, but a 4-3 loss to Baylor a week earlier raised eyebrows, if not doubts, and dropped OU to a ghastly No. 2 national ranking. Then came routs of Cal State-Fullerton and Texas A&M (both 8-0), Utah (10-3), Loyola Marymount (10-1) and top-ranked UCLA (14-0).

The Bruins paid for those eyebrows. Lots of times, Gasso would have taken that UCLA roughriding and picked every nit.

“Usually yes, to be honest,” Gasso said. But not this time.

And that’s because the UCLA game was the culmination of a good weekend. Gasso liked what she saw long before the mighty Bruins were on tap.

“Came in focused and ready,” Gasso said of her team. “They played a good weekend series. They played really well … the entire weekend. It wasn't anything that looked that much different except it was against UCLA.”

Gasso didn’t even pitch her ace, Jordy Bahl. Michigan transfer Alex Storako had the honors. Storako gave up three hits and no walks in the five-inning game. Maybe Gasso has two aces.

More reason for the national softball crowd to grow fearful.

More:Oklahoma vs. No. 11 Kansas State basketball: Three takeaways from Sooners' road loss

“It was also Alex Storako throwing well, and really the strategy to give her this big opportunity in front of a big crowd and a big moment to see how she handled it,” Gasso said. “She was nails. She was fantastic and threw well. Everything about that day — and really that weekend — was just jelling really well.

“It was just a good answer to what happened the week before, which everyone thought the world was falling. I've done this long enough to know that early losses are very valuable, and they made sure of that.”

It’s early. Every team must prove its worth. Some day, OU won’t have a softball juggernaut.

But that day seems far away.

The 2023 Sooners appear, on paper and in February, to be as powerful as the 2021 and 2022 squads that are part of OU’s five-in-nine-seasons reign of terror. A 14-0 rout of UCLA shows that the Sooners are planted firmly atop the softball world.

“We love to get the win and it’s a big one with the score,” Gasso said. “It’s one versus two. Do I care? ‘Oh, we must win so we can be called No. 1?’ No, that doesn’t matter. None of it really matters. It’s just us finding where we are in the season. And right now, I like where we are in the season.”

Where the Sooners are is on top of the mountain, and the rest of NCAA softball is far down the hill.

More:Tramel's ScissorTales: Madi Williams, Ana Llanusa & Taylor Robertson are OU teammates for the ages

Santa Clara Williams shines in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's absence

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's absence from the Thunder – four straight games, all defeats – is a bummer for the present. It’s a benefit for the future.

And among those benefits – maybe chief among those benefits – is more ballhandling duties for Santa Clara Williams.

The rookie from You Know Where has had a splendid rookie season. He’s shown not just potential but production. Good offensively. Good defensively. Versatile offensively. Versatile defensively.

Santa Clara is not a point guard. Not a full-time point guard. But he’s got enough skills to run the offense if necessary, and he’s had to become more of a playmaker with Gilgeous-Alexander out.

Santa Clara had eight assists Tuesday night in a 123-117 loss to the Kings and seven assists Wednesday night in a 123-117 loss to the Lakers. Before this week, Santa Clara had only one game with more assists than those totals (11 vs. Toronto on November 11).

Even better, Santa Clara has only three turnovers total in those two games.

The Thunder is developing a positionless roster. SGA is a modern point guard. Josh Giddey is a traditional point guard (even if he is 6-foot-8). Beyond that, the Thunder doesn’t have a quarterback.

The likes of Luguentz Dort and Tre Mann fill in during the infrequent times that both Giddey and SGA sit. With Gilgeous-Alexander sidelined, more help is needed.

And Santa Clara fits the bill.

His steady progress has been quite encouraging. In truth, he was good from the start. Here are Santa Clara’s numbers in his 32 games before New Year’s and his 26 games after New Year’s:

More:What to know about OKC Thunder signing former Baylor star Jared Butler on two-way contract

Points per game: 11.4, 14.5

Rebounds per game: 3.7, 4.8

Assists per game: 2.6, 3.6

Turnovers per game: 1.7, 1.4

Minutes per game: 27.4, 31.8

Field-goal percentage: .514, .508

3-point percentage: .305, .364.

Some of that increase is related to an uptick in minutes. But the better outside shooting is a great sign, and his assist/turnover ratio has dramatically improved. From 2.6/1.7 to 3.6/1.4. Big change.

Santa Clara has played every position except center. He’s guarded every position.

The more the Thunder can put him in the gristmill of a probably-fruitless playoff chase, force him into a variety of new situations, and know the development will only enhance his NBA skills.

Santa Clara seems to be embracing the greater responsibility that comes with SGA’s injury and illness.

His points in the four games SGA has missed the last week: 22, 15, 27, 24. That’s his best four-game stretch of the season, by 15 points.

Santa Clara is shooting more – 59 shots in those four games; his season average in shots is 10 – but the increased volume has not come at the expense of efficiency.

Santa Clara has made 33 of those 59 shots, 56%. And he’s made six of 13 3-point shots.

Everyone wants SGA back and soon. But his absence is helping the Thunder future.

More:Former Thunder guard Dennis Schröder scores game-high 26 points, leads Lakers past OKC

Three join College Football Playoff committee  

Athletic directors David Sayler (Miami-Ohio) and Jennifer Cohen (Washington), along with retired coach Chris Ault (Nevada), have been added to the College Football Playoff selection committee.

Which means they likely will be the veterans of the committee in 2025, the second year of the 12-team playoff.

Ault, Sayler and Cohen are set for three-year terms on the committee that constantly churns. The committee is considered the most prestigious in NCAA sports but rarely has had to make controversial decisions. That will change in 2024, when the playoff expands from four to 12 teams.

Here are the backgrounds of the three new committee members.

Chris Ault

The 76-year-old Ault coached 28 Nevada seasons, over three stints. He was a starting quarterback for Nevada in the 1960s, then was hired as head coach in 1976. Ault also was Nevada’s athletic director from 1986-2004.

Ault was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2002. His final retirement from Nevada came after the 2012 season; his Wolf Pack record was 234-108-1.

In recent years, Ault spent two years as a Kansas City Chiefs consultant and two years coaching in the Italian Football League.

Ault was born in San Bernardino, California, and went to high school in the Los Angeles suburb of Anaheim. After college, he coached high school in Nevada, joined the Nevada-Las Vegas staff and was hired as the Nevada head coach at age 29 in 1976.

Ault replaces former Penn State offensive lineman John Urschel.

Jennifer Cohen

Cohen, born in 1969, joins former football reporter Kelly Whiteside on the committee, giving the 13-member group two women for the first time.

Cohen becomes the Pac-12's representative on the committee, replacing Colorado AD Rick George. She has been at Washington for 24 years; she was named athletic director in 2016.

Cohen is a native of Tacoma, Washington. She has degrees from San Diego State and Pacific Lutheran and was an administrator at Pacific Lutheran, Puget Sound and Texas Tech, before being hired at UW.

David Sayler

Sayler, 53, was born in Connecticut but went to high school in Dayton, Ohio. He graduated from Ohio Wesleyan, then worked three years in the private sector.

Since then, Sayler has been an administrator at Rice, Oregon State, Bowling Green, Houston, Hartford, Georgia, Connecticut and South Dakota.

Sayler replaces Wyoming athletic director Tom Burman as the mid-majors' representative on the committee.

The committee is chosen by the 10 Division I-A conference commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick.

The College Football Playoff also extended the term of North Carolina State athletic director Boo Corrigan as committee chair for a second season.

Each Power Five conference has an athletic director on the committee. Joining Cohen and Corrigan are the Big 12’s Gene Taylor (Kansas State), the Big Ten's Warde Manuel (Michigan) and the Southeastern Conference’s Mitch Barnhart (Kentucky).

Also on the committee are Navy athletic director Chet Gladchuk; former players Will Shields (Nebraska) and Rod West (Notre Dame); former coaches Jim Grobe (Ohio, Wake Forest and Baylor) and Joe Taylor (Florida A&M, Hampton, Virginia Union and Howard).

More:Tramel: Why Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy hired Bryan Nardo to be defensive coordinator

The List: OSU’s competitors on NCAA bubble

Barring a deep run in the Big 12 Tournament, OSU appears to need a victory at Texas Tech on Saturday to get back into serious contention for an NCAA Tournament berth. But even if the 16-14 Cowboys get back on the right side of bracketology, they will sweat out the selection process.

Here are 15 teams that are in OSU’s boat, struggling to build a strong enough résumé to warrant inclusion in the 68-team field. In other words, 15 teams that Cowboy fans can root against the rest of the season, ranked by their place in the NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool). OSU is 47^th in the NET.

1. Utah State: The Aggies are No. 22 in the NET. They probably are in the NCAAs no matter what. Utah State is 23-7, 12-5 in the Mountain West. It closes the season Saturday at home against Boise State.

2. Boise State: The Broncos are 27^th in the NET. They are 23-7, 13-4 in the Mountain West. The Utah State-Boise State game might be college basketball’s game of the day.

3. Nevada: Detecting a trend here? The Mountain West has a bunch of good teams fighting for respect. The Wolf Pack is 22-8, 12-5. It hosts Nevada-Las Vegas on Saturday.

4. Auburn: The Tigers, 37^th in the NET, are 19-11 overall, 9-8 in the Southeastern Conference. Auburn lost in overtime at Alabama on Thursday night, else the Tigers might be automatic. Auburn hosts Tennessee on Saturday.

5. Memphis: The Tigers, 38^th in the NET, are 22-7, 12-4 in the American Conference. Memphis plays at Southern Methodist on Thursday night and hosts top-ranked Houston on Saturday.

6. North Carolina State: The Wolfpack is 41^st in the NET. N.C. State, 22-9, 12-8 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, is finished until the ACC Tournament.

7. Mississippi State: The Bulldogs, 43^rd in the NET, are 20-10, 8-9 in the SEC. Hail State plays at Vanderbilt on Saturday.

8. Southern Cal: The Trojans, 44^th in the NET, are 21-8, 13-5 in the Pac-12. USC hosts Arizona on Thursday night and Arizona State on Saturday.

9. North Carolina: The Tar Heels, 45^th in the NET, are 19-11, 11-8 in the ACC. UNC hosts Duke on Saturday.

10. Oregon: The Ducks, 51^st in the NET, are 16-13, 10-8 in the Pac-12. Oregon hosts California on Thursday and Stanford on Saturday.

11. Michigan: The Wolverines, 54^th in the NET, are 17-12, 11-7 in the Big Ten. Michigan is at Illinois on Thursday night, at Indiana on Sunday.

12. Penn State: The Nittany Lions, 56^th in the NET, are 18-12 overall, 9-10 in the Big Ten. Penn State hosts Maryland on Sunday. 

13. Arizona State: The Sun Devils, 63^rd in the NET, are 20-9, 11-7 in the Pac-12. They play at UCLA on Thursday and at USC on Saturday.

14. Clemson: The Tigers, 64^th in the NET, are 21-9, 13-6 in the ACC. They host Notre Dame on Saturday.

15. Wisconsin: The Badgers, 75th in the NET, are 16-12, 8-10 in the Big Ten. Wisconsin hosts Purdue on Thursday and plays at Minnesota on Sunday.

More:Tramel: Brent Venables & OU football are dealing with an extreme makeover, but who isn't?

Mailbag: Big 12 hipness

The Wednesday ScissorTales included an item on Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark’s desire to make the league more “hip,” and some of the additions to the Big 12 Tournament scene. And some readers are skeptical.

Keith: “It might make the Big 12 ‘hipper,’ but will it sell more tickets and more tacos and get more eyeballs on TV?”

Tramel: I have no idea. Certainly doesn’t interest me. But I can promise you this. Yormark knows more about marketing than you, me or everyone we know put together.

He’s fundamentally correct. The Big 12 lacks a cool factor. Middle America is going to stay loyal to the conference teams. But the Big 12 needs to produce new fans, and not just from within campuses.

Finding new customers is the hallmark of a business. I have no idea if Yormark’s plan will work. But failed marketing is better than no marketing.

Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at 405-760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. Support his work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today. 

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU softball rout of UCLA shows Sooners are locked in for 2023