By John Shinn
Willie Warren had a big grin on his face late Sunday night at Lloyd Noble Center. With Oklahoma putting the finishing touches on its 79-62 victory over Arizona, there was a reason to at least be pleased.
Earlier in the game, however, he was wearing a scowl. It was disgust that he was wearing on his sleeve. It was intensity.
"Coaches have been getting on me and saying it looks like I'm not getting into the game early and waiting to score until we need to score," Warren said after tossing in a game-high 25 points. "I can't do that anymore. I have to attack from the jump."
OU coach Jeff Capel joked maybe Warren's performance could've had something to do with Sunday's game being the Sooners' first before a national television.
"I don't know if that had anything to do with it tonight, but it was good to see him make some plays," Capel said.
Warren was 10-for-14 from the field and scored 17 points in the first half. He helped lead the Sooners' early barrage that knocked the Wildcats (3-4) for a loop they never recovered from.
Their meeting in the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Challenge wasn't nearly as close as the 17-point margin indicated.
OU (5-3) built a 10-point lead halfway through the first half and was up by 18 by intermission. The defensive emphasis it's played with since going 1-3 during a four-game leading up to and during the Thanksgiving break continued.
The Wildcats turned the ball over 17 times and only had four offensive rebounds. Arizona coach Sean Miller knew early his team was in for a tough night.
"When I looked at our team in the first half, I saw some guys that quite frankly had that look that makes you as a coach say, 'uh, oh,'" he said. "I don't want to take anything away from Oklahoma's performance, but Oklahoma didn't beat an excellent basketball team tonight."
Nic Wise led Arizona with 15 points and Jamelle Horne added 13, but it was never really in the game after the first 10 minutes. The Wildcats shot 44 percent for the game and were 9-for-17 from 3-point range.
Effort and energy were the difference.
The Sooners, who shot 48.1 percent (26-for-54), came closer to getting that full team effort they've sought since the season began.
All five of their starters scored at least eight points. Cade Davis finished with eight points and Tommy Mason-Griffin added 10 to go along with six assists. Tony Crocker had another impressive night with 13 points and five rebounds.
The difference maker, however, was freshman forward Tiny Gallon. He bruised his way to 14 points and a game-high seven rebounds.
He was more of an inside presence than he was when he finished with six points four nights earlier against Arkansas.
"The guards trust me more," Gallon said. "They trust that I'll make a strong move instead of doing a fadeaway or doing something that doesn't fit for the team. Willie told more if I make a strong move he'd give me the ball every time, so I'm comfortable with that."
Warren did. Every time Gallon caught the ball in the post, Warren screamed "strong!" at the top of his lungs.
Seemed to work for more than Gallon.
Although it was pretty obvious the Wildcats were a lengthy distance from the powerhouse that entered the season with a 25-year NCAA Tournament streak, it was a strong performance by the Sooners.
"A step in the right direction," Capel said, "and hopefully we can keep it going."
John Shinn 366-3536 jshinn@normantranscript.com
