
Oklahoma Sooners in the rankings after sweep of Arkansas in SEC play
Oklahoma Sooners in the rankings after sweep of Arkansas in SEC play
The Oklahoma Sooners remained undefeated over the weekend with a sweep of the Arkansas Razorbacks. Although they were tested in all three games, they were able to get just enough hits and just enough outs to remain the only undefeated team in Division 1 softball.
Oklahoma is receiving contributions from a mix of veterans, transfers, and youth alike in their incredible start to the season. Two weeks into SEC play, and the Sooners are still the top team in college softball despite the turnover they suffered this offseason. True freshman Gabbie Garcia won SEC Freshman of the Week last week and on Tuesday was named SEC Co-Player of the Week. Transfer pitcher Sam Landry was named SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week after a dominant performance against the explosive Arkansas offense.
Oklahoma was voted the No. 1 team in the nation in three of the four major rankings in softball. In the two most important, the NFCA USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll, the Sooners are No. 1. D1 Softball and Softball America are split on how they see the Sooners at this point in the season. The Sooners are top two and after a 26-0 start, it's safe to say they aren't two.
Here's how the Sooners stand in the major rankings after week two of SEC play.
Poll Ranking NFCA USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll 1 ESPN.com/USA Softball 1 D1 Softball 1 Softball America 2 NCAA Softball RPI 8
More: SEC Softball Power Rankings after huge conference weekend
The Sooners are trailed by the Texas Longhorns, who come in at No. 2 in the nation in every spot the Sooners are No. 1. Only Softball America has the Longhorns ahead of the Sooners, but most of that is based on preseason rankings. The Longhorns are certainly a threat to dethrone the Sooners in 2025, as are the Florida Gators. But so far, the Sooners have been up to every challenge they've faced.
Oklahoma still has matchups against top-10 teams like Tennessee, Texas, and Florida and a matchup with one of the early surprises in conference play, Mississippi State. It seems unlikely that the Sooners will remain undefeated, but they're putting together another incredible season.
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USA Today
15 minutes ago
- USA Today
Alabama star Justin Lebron reportedly makes decision amid transfer portal buzz
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USA Today
25 minutes ago
- USA Today
Ranking all 18 Big Ten football uniforms from worst to first
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The purple 'W' matches well with the uniform top, as does the gold chrome with the bottom. Possibly the program's best combination was its all-white jersey and gold helmet against Michigan in the 2023 national title game. Get more (Washington) news, analysis and opinions on Huskies Wire 11. Nebraska Cornhuskers Helmet ranking: No. 13 Nebraska has one of the most basic uniforms in the sport. But since the aesthetic can still be tied to the program's 1990s dynasty, it has to be considered a 'classic' uniform. If Nebraska didn't exist before it joined the Big Ten in 2011, its jersey would rank down near Rutgers. Get more (Nebraska) news, analysis and opinions on Cornhuskers Wire 10. Minnesota Golden Gophers Helmet ranking: No. 16 Minnesota's jerseys are among the more underrated in the conference. However, I'd argue the helmet hurts this ranking. A similar colorway with a smaller, more creative 'M' and less flash would better complement the rest of the kit. 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Michigan State Spartans Helmet ranking: No. 5 Michigan State has mastered its green and white colorway, adding several unique Spartan touches. The program's full green, full white and green-on-white combinations are terrific. The only alternate uniform that should be eliminated is the neon green. Like with many other programs, diverting from the classic look is often a bad thing. Get more (Michigan State) news, analysis and opinions on Spartans Wire 6. USC Trojans Helmet ranking: No. 6 USC's uniforms are a college football classic, both in the colorway and the Trojan logo. The program's brand recognition helps its standing -- these uniforms are synonymous with some of college football's greatest moments. Get more (USC) news, analysis and opinions on Trojans Wire 5. UCLA Bruins Helmet ranking: No. 4 It's hard to find a better uniform than UCLA's white-on-gold. It includes the perfect amount of blue accent, creating a rare three-color look. 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Michigan Wolverines Helmet ranking: No. 1 Michigan has perfected the modern twist on a classic uniform. Every one of its color combinations works, including its blue-on-yellow, white-on-white and blue-on-blue. Just like with Wisconsin (until 2023), Penn State and others, any non-Big Ten fan knows exactly what to expect when Michigan's uniforms appear on television. Get more (Michigan) news, analysis and opinions on Wolverines Wire 1. Iowa Hawkeyes Helmet ranking: No. 3 Few college football aesthetics are better than Iowa in a night game at Kinnick Stadium wearing all black. Like Michigan, Penn State and Wisconsin, Iowa has a simple, classic uniform combination with a terrific color scheme and a clear identity. Now, all the program needs is a passing game. Get more (Iowa) news, analysis and opinions on Hawkeyes Wire Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion


New York Times
29 minutes ago
- New York Times
For SGA and Andrew Nembhard, NBA Finals isn't about ‘making friends' — or keeping them
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It is just as on-brand as his macro perspective. A nature that embraces friction of competition. A nature that heightens focus to course correct after losses or subpar games. A nature that absolutely hated getting cooked in crunchtime of the NBA Finals by his lil bro. SGA didn't put away that part. Andrew Nembhard defended the NBA MVP with his chest out and laced his countryman with a 'tween-cross-'tween-cross into a stepback 3. A clutch basket worthy of a Filayyy recap on Instagram. 'Yeah, he's a competitor,' Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'He's a winner. Plays the game the right way on both ends of the floor. Really good player. Yeah, he's a winner for sure. No doubt.' Nope. Not falling for the banana in the tailpipe. The overwhelming expectation for Game 2 is a Gilgeous-Alexander retort. Not that he played poorly. But he needed 30 shots to get 38 points and missed the potential game-clincher that opened the door for Tyrese Haliburton's heroics in Game 1. That alone is perhaps enough to provoke the NBA MVP to raise his level. Be more efficient. More clutch. And Nembhard is extra motivation. Because no one knows better than SGA how relentless a competitor Nembhard is, and how much better his game is when his confidence is peaking. And during the Pacers' late rally, Nembhard walked with the sway of the coldest villain. Minutes before he put Gilgeous-Alexander in a mixer, Nembhard aggressively bodied his Canadian National Team cohort. On the way to the ref, to dispute the foul, Nembhard walked through the shoulder of SGA, uninterested in avoiding contact. SGA replied with a light shove, pushing the Pacers guard off him. Then, with SGA at the free-throw line, Nembhard walked conspicuously close, dishing another glancing nudge as he walked past. Advertisement 'Nothing more than two guys wanting to win,' Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'No malicious intent behind it, just wanting to win.' The similar paths of these two young men make for a heart-warming tale of storge love. Gilgeous-Alexander grew up in Hamilton, Ontario. Nembhard was raised in Vaughan, about 45 minutes away. They developed their games well enough to finish high school in the United States. Both played for major programs in college — SGA one year at Kentucky and Nembhard two years at Florida before two years at Gonzaga. Both won a bronze medal for Canada together. Both are making their first NBA Finals simultaneously. They've pushed each other to get here. 'I'm not too worried about making friends out there,' Nembhard said Saturday. 'So whatever happens, happens in that sense.' The storge love is on hold. Because Nembhard is coming. 'This is the ultimate challenge, a guy like him who is the MVP,' Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said of SGA. 'He's just so skilled, so quick, bigger than you think. Everybody talks about the lethal midrange, but he makes 3s easily, too. He lives at the free-throw line. So there's no breaks. There's no breaks. But Drew is one of these guys that he has an equal focus on the defensive end as the offensive end, and that's — it's a bit rare with today's players.' This is how Nembhard is wired. He wants to win, and he'll go through anybody in pursuit. Even his boy. Especially his boy. His friendship with SGA only makes him more qualified to be a nemesis. Nembhard, 18 months younger, has been chasing SGA for the better part of a decade. When they were coming up, SGA was the prodigy, the touted talent expected to make it. They first teamed up with Canada's Junior Academy. SGA was top-ranked, and Nembhard wasn't all. His name didn't join the likes of Gilgeous-Alexander and RJ Barrett. Advertisement Nembhard is here because of the chip on his shoulder. He establishes his name by taking on giants. He was a rookie when he went into Steph Curry's house and showed up the legend. In last year's first-round series in Milwaukee, Nembhard stood up to Bobby Portis, who once broke his teammate's jaw. Nembhard issued the first shove. Now he's got the MVP and the big, bad Thunder in his sights. He loves this. He's too smart to say it out loud. But his swagger on the court, the look in his eyes when he talks, his reputation, it betrays an unbothered approach. 'I'm not really too worried about the individual battle,' Nembhard said. 'I'm not focusing on it. It's a team job to stop him. And we know that. … There's a name on every team in this league. … Third-string guys in the NBA can give you 25 on any night if you're relaxed and not being ready to play.' Yeah. OK, Drew. Just another foe. Got it. Gilgeous-Alexander knows better. Because he knows well. He understands as much as anybody who he's dealing with in this series. He'll require the poise of a champion to maintain the calming perspective he shared, to not make this about getting his lick back or devolve into some one-on-one battle. He's too good to bite on the bait. Indiana is varying the coverages on him. The Pacers appear to be conceding outside shots, prompting Gilgeous-Alexander to drive into the set defense. They've also picked him up out high on the pick-and-roll, giving space for the defense to recover after the screen. Indiana is not yet taking the ball out of his hands with aggressive traps and blitzes. Though a box-and-1 isn't above Carlisle, the results from Game 1 seemed to justify the Pacers' approach. High-volume Gilgeous-Alexander seems to limit his teammates' rhythm. But down the stretch, when the game was close, the Pacers were more than fine throwing Nembhard on SGA and letting him handle it. Nembhard is fine with it, too. Advertisement And we know Gilgeous-Alexander. We've seen enough. His second nature is also to embrace the competition. He inhales the smoke, as they say. He just talks trash with minimal words and maybe a cryptic social media post. He just declares his supremacy through brilliance and a tangible, if unspoken, bravado. And so far in these playoffs, defeats have prompted a response from SGA. In the Thunder's first loss of the postseason, Game 1 in the second round against the Denver Nuggets, he had 33 points on 26 shots. In Game 2, he had 34 points on 11-for-13 shooting. He had 18 in the Game 3 loss to Denver and 25 in the Game 4 win. He followed his 32 in the Game 6 loss with 35 in Game 7. Against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference finals, SGA was 4-for-13 in a blowout loss in Game 3. But in Game 4, he dropped 40. Now, he's on the biggest stage of his life, coming off a loss that reverberated around the globe. His team is facing a relative must-win game. And his brother from another, who's driven to prove himself, took Round 1. 'I always try to be aggressive and I never, like, predetermine it,' SGA said. 'I always, like, just let the game tell me what to do. So I guess last game, I felt more often than not, I had a shot or a play that I could attack on more than in the past, and that's just the way it went. So the same thing will happen in Game 2. I will read the defense, and I will play off my feeling and my instincts, and if it's calling for me to shoot or if it's calling me to pass, is what I will decide to do.' Round 2 on deck. (Photo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Andrew Nembhard: Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)