Oklahoma basketball: Buddy Hield's injury shouldn't prevent the Sooners from going to the NCAA tournament

The Oklahoman’s Stephanie Kuzydym took questions about OU football and OU basketball from readers in today’s Power Lunch Chat. Join our Power Lunch Chats Monday-Friday at 11 a.m. on NewsOK.com/Sports.

By Stephanie Kuzydym | Published: February 13, 2013 Comment on this article

The Oklahoman’s Stephanie Kuzydym took questions about OU football and OU basketball from readers in today’s Power Lunch Chat. Join our Power Lunch Chats Monday-Friday at 11 a.m. on NewsOK.com/Sports. Here’s a look at today’s Q&A:

Stephanie Kuzydym 11:00 a.m. Hi everyone. Happy Wednesday. Here we go.

brad 11:00 a.m. Do you think the loss of Hield will prevent the sooners from making it to the NCAA tournament?

Stephanie Kuzydym 11:02 a.m. Brad - No, I really don't. On one hands, it's not like OU lost their leading scorer. They didn't by any means. They lost their leading voice, just like Sherri Coale did when she lost Whitney Hand. When you lose a voice like that, it means more voices need to rise from more people. Oklahoma already knows that. Kruger has already spoke with them about that. Buddy's voice will still be heard from the bench and I'm sure it may have some impact on some games, but overall I think they will be able to overcome it because they do have such depth.

E10 11:03 a.m. So now that Shipp and Kittle are gone WHO is out there that we NEED to grab???

Stephanie Kuzydym 11:06 a.m. E10 - as for specific names, I don't have any to give. No big names were fired this season from teams that were not either picked up or it looks like Oklahoma will grab. Sorry I don't have more information on that.

SoonerJoe 11:07 a.m. Will OU still be dancing without Hield?

Stephanie Kuzydym 11:08 a.m. SoonerJoe - Yes. The question isn't really can they dance without Hield. It's can they continue to play at a high-level and get the wins in the weaker part of their schedule to remain tournament bound. Before Hield got injured Monday night, my whole story was going to be about how the way Oklahoma handled TCU is how an NCAA-tournament bound team treats a game like that. Pretty clean basketball for 40 minutes with no major hiccups. They allowed TCU to beat TCU.

the Rick 11:08 a.m. Who do you think will get Buddy's minutes while he is out??

Stephanie Kuzydym 11:11 a.m. Well from past play and the time at practice yesterday, it looks like Cam Clark. He's had huge point spurts recently in games. If he gets the start Saturday, it will be his first this season. However, depending on what Je'lon Hornbeak shows in his comfort-level and his aggression, he could likely be back in the starting lineup. I think we'll know better by Friday. I'm sure Lon is going to see all week who works better. He knows what he's looking for, it's just what he gets from the guys that week. But with the way Cam has looked recently in games, I would, right now, give him the nod. Yet, Je'lon came up huge in big moments against Kansas.

Slim 11:11 a.m. I know everyone is questioning Bob's decision to let coaches go Jackie I thought had done a good job in the past but not to well in the last 3 or 4 years unsure of what Kittle had done inside or outside of the program. Is there anybody on the radar to replace coach Shipp? Mr.Kittle to me was a waste I think there are graduate assistance that could fill his position. What are your thoughts or is there any word out there yet?

Stephanie Kuzydym 11:14 a.m. I'm not hearing a lot of word right now as to who is going to replace Shipp or Kittle. I have an inkling it's going to be someone that nobody really expected. As for getting rid of Kittle, I think the disaster of the defense the last couple years explains it. As for Shipp, absolutely no surprise there. I'm a little surprise it didn't happen sooner. He never came in and talked to the media. His line was called out by former coaches and players for being terrible. I'm sure in the offseason, Stoops has heard from a lot of boosters/former players and such about it. You don't let Manziel do what he did in a bowl game - something you've had plenty of time to prepare for - and get a gold star as a coach or a player.

Crimzone 11:14 a.m. Steph, thoughts on Bedlam on Saturday? What do the Sooners need to do spring the upset?

Stephanie Kuzydym 11:15 a.m. Remain calm. When they get too energetic and too hyped, they make silly little mistakes. Buddy was actually known for doing that. You'd see guys at different points say "settle down" with their hands to him. He was just trying to go 90 when he needed to go 60. Anyways, it's going to be a great game. The seniors think it will be one of the best in their time here - and I don't think I can argue that. I wonder if OK State will overlook them like they did the first game. Doubtful. THey'll also need to push certain guys to get into foul trouble if they want to upset.

Guest 11:15 a.m. How the heck did TCU beat Kansas

Stephanie Kuzydym 11:18 a.m. Guest - If you'd like I could spit you some cliches. Romero Osby is certain that TCU could beat any team on any night. TCU coach Trent Johnson basically said its that they made shots. I can't tell you how many times I wrote that No. 5 for TCU missed a shot. I didn't even look up after a while. I just knew. Then of course, I'd double check and yup. He'd miss another one. Against Kansas, I think Kansas was low on energy and thought it was a for sure win - and TCU picked better- and made more shots. Like I wrote to my editor that night - TCU is good when they can make shots, like when they drained a couple threes. But who isn't?

Crimzone 11:18 a.m. Who is your big 12 POY right now?

Stephanie Kuzydym 11:20 a.m. Crimzone - Hmm. I'm going to go with Osby. Maybe it's just because I've seen him play so much - but unlike guys on Kansas' team who let their guard drop. Osby is consistent. Sure he may have a bad first half and you look at his stats and say 'this is going to be the game he ends up with only 4 points' and then somehow I'm writing my game story and it's "Romero Osby, who led Oklahoma with xx points" and he's done it again. He's solid. He's dependable. Look at guys in other conferences who are POY candidates, they don't always have a big game, but they are the difference. That's Osby.

Leroy 11:20 a.m. I keep hearing good things about the Sooner softball team they appear to be playing well right now I know that there is always room for improvement but with it being so early in the season What areas do you think they need to improve on?

Stephanie Kuzydym 11:22 a.m. Leroy - I'd be lying if I gave you a list of areas for them to improve upon. I haven't been able to even talk with them yet this season, but when the most runs you've allowed is four, I'd say what they need is to stay consistent. It's still early. They're still fresh. To be doing this halfway through the season is teh challenge.

harry man 11:22 a.m. sounds like Sooner red and White wagon has some issues with football (coaches). hey some 1 has to take the blame

Tyrone 11:22 a.m. When are we going to stop playing old man ball and start running the break?

Stephanie Kuzydym 11:23 a.m. Tyrone - they're winning with what they're doing. When they speed up, they make mistakes. I don't think you're going to see a lot of fast breaks soon.

E10 11:23 a.m. Based on what you've seen so far from the OU mens team do you think we have a better chance than OSU to make a dent in the tourny???

Stephanie Kuzydym 11:24 a.m. E10 - Hard to say. Everyone is non-stop talking about the Cowboys and Marcus Smart. Depends on who they get matched up against but like Big 12 coaches said this week, they think this tournament is going to be full of a low of Cinderellas.

james 11:24 a.m. Thank you and all of NOK for all your hard work coving recruiting. It was awesome. Also, have you heard anything about possible replacement coaches

Stephanie Kuzydym 11:26 a.m. Glad you liked the recruiting stuff. As far as replacement coaches, nope. Not a lot of word yet.

james 11:26 a.m. I'm sorry for the question that I posed earlier. I got here late and didn't notice that you answered it 10 times already. Who are the players that are injured and wont be able to participate in spring ball? I keep hearing that Adam Shead has a really bad back. Who are the players that are not in good standing with Stoop? I keep hearing that Gary Simone is in trouble, but no one has really reported anything officially.

Stephanie Kuzydym 11:28 a.m. James - no problem. Yeah. Adam Shead's back was terrible this season. H e was always wincing. As for other players, you have the little tweaks on the offensive line that happened but nothing that we've heard about that will keep them from spring ball. Aaron Colvin has been sure to report that he remains healthy. Brennan Clay was hurting toward the end of season, but I think some good rest will help that. Besides that, I think unless something happened to them during offseason, they should be good to go with a little bit of tape on the ankles. Hopefully Nila Kasitati will be back. And Austin Woods should be ready to go.

Stephanie Kuzydym 11:29 a.m. As for Gary Simon - I am not sure about any kind of trouble. I do know I got caught in between a yelling moment with Mike Stoops. It seemed like Stoops was yelling about Simon being disrespectful. But that was early in the season and he wasn't even playing. Something must have happened on the sideline.

harry man 11:30 a.m. what happens when THE sooners lose 2-3 games in 2013...who fault will it be harry man?

Stephanie Kuzydym 11:30 a.m. Harry man - I think you'll be hearing a lot more fans upset with Bob Stoops.

Stephanie Kuzydym 11:31 a.m. Thanks for joining me this week everyone. I'm off to work on basketball coverage and even a little Oklahoma men's gymnastics blog. They have their first home meet Saturday. Thanks for joining me. If you have any other questions, email them to me at skuzydym@opubco.com. Have a great week.