Bedlam debate
Bedlam debate
Comments 
1
Published: February 23, 2008
Women vs. men
As interest in the OU and OSU women's teams rises, an argument could be made that in 2008, their product is more compelling than the Bedlam men.
Advertisement
The factors
Poll position: The OU women are No. 11 in the Associated Press rankings; the Cowgirls No. 16. Neither men's team is even receiving votes.
Advantage: Women.
Star power: Blake Griffin, an OU freshman, is one of the top newcomers in the country. The Cowboys don't feature any one player, although Byron Eaton has made a major impact lately. Courtney Paris is the reigning AP National Player of the Year and a contender again this season with the Sooners; joined by Cowgirls point guard Andrea Riley.
Advantage: Women.
Intrigue: The Sooner men are riding the NCAA Tournament bubble, which is fun to follow. In Stillwater, speculation swirls around Sean Sutton's coaching future. The compelling story line with the OU and OSU women is more focused: Who — if not both — can position themselves on a path that leads to a Sweet 16 in Oklahoma City?
Advantage: Men.
Personality: Sherri Coale and Kurt Budke are engaging and revealing. And their players are a reflection of them. It's all about hidden emotion, presumably for the macho effect, in the men's game.
Advantage: Women.
Style of play: The women's game has sped up in recent years, featuring more fast breaks and pressure defense. But the men fly by comparison and nothing jazzes a crowd like dunks.
Advantage: Men.
Passionate following: At OSU, for a while this season, longtime PA announcer Larry Reece quit proclaiming Gallagher-Iba Arena the "rowdiest arena in the country,” due to tumbling crowd counts. Followers of the OU men have always been a fickle bunch. Meanwhile, the Cowgirls produced the largest crowd to witness a women's game in state history at GIA this season. Sooners fans responded by selling out weeks ago, revealed in an announcement during the men's Bedlam game in Norman – which, ahem, played to empty seats.
Advantage: Women.
TV ratings: The women have made great gains in this market, especially the Cowgirls, although they had a long way to go. The men's team, meanwhile, are down. Still, in January and February, the Oklahoma City ratings (excluding ESPNU) read: OU men 6.7; OSU men 6.3; OU women 4.9; OSU women 3.5.
Advantage: Men.
Relevance: Rolling toward March Madness, both the OU and OSU women are major success stories in the nation's No. 1-rated RPI conference. Each could play deep into the NCAA Tournament. The Sooner men are among several teams walking the NCAA tightrope, while the Cowboys need a Big 12 Tournament miracle to make the only tournament that counts.
Advantage: Women.
Prev
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
Thank you for joining our conversations on newsok. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.
Log in below or sign up (it's free).