NORMAN — If ifs and buts were candy and nuts the Oklahoma women might have a Merry Christmas. Or, getting the chronology straight, a wonderful new year.
They might still, but it’s hard not to think about what might have been if not for two unfortunate second halves, as well as what might be if only the schedule could be a tad more favorable.
The Sooners are 4-2 in the Big 12, tied in a second-place logjam, at least until late Tuesday night, pending Texas A&M’s trip to Oklahoma State. And it is those Aggies and Cowgirls who are the reason OU is not 6-0. At both Stillwater and College Station, the Sooners gave up halftime leads in what became their only conference losses.
So, they could be perfect in the league, but 4-2 isn’t bad in a conference that could send half its teams or more to the Big Dance. Then again, 4-2 may be very temporary. The Sooners play host to No. 1 Baylor at 7 p.m. Thursday inside Lloyd Noble Center. Nobody’s yet to seriously approach stopping Brittany Griner and the Lady Bears.
About that, if Sherri Coale is to be believed, the Sooners may be in pretty good shape regardless of a couple of games they let get away and regardless of the possibility of incurring their first home-court conference loss.
That goes back to something Coale said following Saturday’s 73-67 victory over Texas, a game in which the Longhorns caused a bunch of turnovers and made it plenty hard to play throughout, but also a contest the Sooners pulled out, never seriously threatened after one brief moment Texas cut its deficit to three points.
“I think that you build your confidence brick by brick, by doing things that are hard, by being in situations that are difficult. It is real and it lasts,” Coale said. “Sometimes confidence is smoke and mirrors. Sometimes it’s bravado that you get by beating a team by 30 or 40 points. Ours has been built by bricks and mortar, by playing good teams and being in tough situations, by having plays that didn’t go our way down the stretch and having to fight through that and get better as a result.”
One thing about the Sooner coach, insofar as she sees it, she has always told the truth. Sometimes it may appear a little hopeful. Every once in a long while it may appear too bleak. Yet, to Coale’s credit, if you ask her for the skinny, she tries to give you the skinny.
It may not make her extremely unique, but almost.
So, when she says something like she said Saturday, the Sooner Nation should have a great deal of hope; despite two games that got away, or one that may prove very difficult Thursday.
After two Final Fours and another trip to the Sweet 16, to a season, this one, that has already included a three-game losing streak and a drop from the rankings for the first time in several years, Coale, at least, very much believes in her team’s progress.
It is certainly something.
Also, she has a case.
The Sooners are quite young, getting the vast majority of their bench minutes from a trio of freshmen: Sharane Campbell, DaShawn Harden and Kaylon Williams. They have terrific leadership from Whitney Hand and a trusted scorer in Aaryn Ellenberg, but it’s no surprise that 17 games into the season, even registering a 12-5 mark has been quite the process.
It has been and, right now, the Sooners are taking their biggest steps to date, stealing an upset at Kansas State before toughing it out against the Longhorns.
Thursday night might not tell us much. Baylor might be so good, leaving the contest forever off the curve. But you never know. Coale believes her team to be coming on quickly and it’s hard to disagree.
Clay Horning 366-3526 cfhorning@normantranscript.com
