Jamal Shead denies OU basketball upset bid vs. No. 1 Houston in Kelvin Sampson's return

NORMAN — The scene inside OU’s locker room Saturday was devastation.

Following a lackluster offensive performance three days earlier against Iowa State, head coach Porter Moser and his staff worked tirelessly to reverse course. As a result, the Sooners played to the final horn with arguably the best defensive team in college basketball history.

Despite making 12 3s and scoring the most points the Cougars have allowed all season, OU fell to No. 1 Houston 87-85 at the Lloyd Noble Center following a game-winning fadeaway jumper with 0.4 seconds remaining by Jamal Shead.

“It was a tough vibe in there,” Moser said postgame. “It wasn't like they were just happy to be close. I mean, they fought their tails off. I thought they believed in their energy level. They made big plays, obviously Houston made big plays as well. They're hurting and that’s a good sign.”

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Sooners junior guard Javian McCollum drove the lane and scored a finger roll layup with 11.8 seconds remaining to tie the game at 85. To set up the play, with 15.1 seconds remaining sophomore guard Milos Uzan saved the ball from going out of bounds, giving OU (19-10, 7-9 Big 12) the ball.

Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson returned to Norman, where he served as the Sooners’ head coach for 12 seasons, for the first time for a game since 2006. Former OU players Kellen Sampson, Hollis Price and Quannas White also returned and serve on Kelvin’s staff at Houston (26-3, 13-3).

Most of the Oklahoma fans in attendance stood and applauded the former Sooners as they were recognized by the public address announcer pregame. The Lloyd Noble crowd was as noisy as it’s been all season throughout the contest.

“The memories I’ll take from here are just amazing,” Kelvin Sampson said postgame. “The friends, that’s the thing. It’s not just the basketball people.”

Sampson said OU head coach Patty Gasso even invited him to the Sooners’ softball double header Saturday, but he decided to lay low.

With the win, the Cougars won their seventh consecutive game. Houston senior guard L.J. Cryer led the game with 23 points on 9 for 17 shooting, which included knocking down 5 3s.

Sam Godwin led the Sooners in scoring with 17. With the loss, OU moves to 6-4 vs. AP No. 1 teams at home.

Sooners junior guard Javian McCollum set a record with 38 consecutive free throws made in program history on Saturday. McCollum finished 2 for 2 from the line.

A win Saturday would’ve all but guaranteed OU a spot in the NCAA Tournament. With the Quad 1 loss, the Sooners might have to win at least one more game to feel assured about making March Madness.

Moser’s squad was a No. 8 seed in ESPN insider Joe Lunardi’s latest bracketology update on Friday. The Sooners are now 2-2 against the Big 12’s new teams so far this season.

“We’re playing the best of the best,” Moser said. “Tell me anybody who has had a five-game stretch that we just played. Four top-12 teams and your rival on the road in an unbelievable atmosphere.”

Here are three brief takeaways from the Sooners’ loss:

More: Why Houston coach Kelvin Sampson's return to OU is 'not a normal game' for either side

Houston finds rhythm in second half

After leading OU just 48-45 at halftime, Houston picked up the pace to open the second half, outscoring the Sooners 19-7 in nearly the first eight minutes.

In addition to Cryer’s impressive night, J’Wan Roberts dropped 20 points and grabbed five rebounds for the Cougars. The redshirt senior forward left the contest late in the first half after appearing to injure his thumb.

Evans received seven stitches before returning to action.

“Seven stitches and you didn’t play the last five minutes of the first half,” Sampson looked at Roberts and said. “J’Wan is a big part of everything we do. He can score in the low post, he can pass. He’s a brilliant basketball player in terms of IQ.”

OU committed six fouls and turned the ball over five times in the second half. Despite an impressive first-half offensive showing, the Sooners battled through their usual scoring droughts, including a nearly four-minute scoreless stretch.

Sam Godwin takes control

Sam Godwin opened the scoring for OU with a thunderous slam in the first 30 seconds of the first half.

The dunk summed up Godwin’s energetic evening as he was all over the floor for the Sooners. The senior forward finished shooting 6 for 6 from the field.

“He was really locked in,” Moser said. “He took that Iowa State game hard. … I thought Sam just played really physical and hit a couple of big baskets down the stretch as well. We went to him on a couple of actions out of timeouts and he came through.”

Godwin has struggled of late in John Hugley IV’s absence (meniscus surgery), but stepped up in a major way during a battle with Houston’s dominant big.

Sooners offense hot early, couldn't hold

Despite its recent struggles, OU came to play offense on Saturday.

The Sooners knocked down 12 of their 25 3-point attempts. Senior guard Le’Tre Darthard finished with five 3s, while Jalon Moore, Javian McCollum and Rivaldo Soares drilled two each.

“I want to give a shoutout to Porter and his staff,” Sampson said. “They did an awesome job preparing for us. We’re a good defensive team. Now, granted a lot of our main guys were out, but we didn’t have an answer for them tonight.”

OU’s 45 first-half points were the most against Houston in the first half of a game all season. Kansas scored 43 in the first half on the Cougars earlier this season.

The Sooners’ offensive output Saturday came against the No. 1 scoring defense in the country.

“Their offense was outstanding,” Sampson said. “We couldn’t guard them. … Whoever had the ball last was going to win and fortunately it was us.”

Next, OU takes on Cincinnati (17-12, 6-10) at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the LNC on ESPN+.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma basketball upset bid falls short vs. Houston, Jamal Shead