It had been a question for Oklahoma at the start of the year. With another revamped squad full of experienced players, who would emerge as the best option?

That was the case in Wednesday’s 79-77 win over Providence Kobe Elvis.

Elvis was the difference maker for the Sooners in a game that saw a lot of back and forth. He scored 12 of the team’s 32 points in the first half and kept the Sooners in the game despite Providence making nine three-pointers before halftime.

Elvis kept up the pace in the second half, showing off his full arsenal of scoring at the rim, midfield and beyond the 3-point line.

Elvis finished the game with a game-high 26 points on 10 of 14 shooting, including three of five from three, along with three rebounds and a steal.

The happy news for the Sooners is that Elvis had a running mate – a true freshman Jeremiah’s fears.

Fears made his second start of the season and served as the lead ballhandler. He finished the game with 20 points (4/8 shooting) and made 12 free throws and four rebounds while leading the team in assists (7) and steals (4). Fears and Elvis combined for 46 points and were the only Sooners to finish in double figures as the backcourt duo helped the Sooners advance to the semifinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas.

Here are a few more notes from the win:

– The Sooners opened the game with an 8-0 run, but lost the lead midway through the first half and then trailed for nearly 17 straight minutes.

A big reason for this was Providence’s outside shooting. Providence shot 9/22 from 3 in the first half while the Sooners hit just 2 of 10. Luckily for the Sooners, the Friars shot just three of 10 from the 3-point line in the second half.

— At 1:22 p.m Luke Northweather gave OU the lead back for good. He hit a pick-and-pop 3-pointer from Fears to give the Sooners a 46-44 lead, then hit another on the next possession to increase the lead to five.

Those were huge, momentum-changing baskets for Northweather, who missed his first three shots of the game. Maybe these shots can inspire the third-year player to move forward.

– The Sooners appeared to have the game under control, but turnovers late in the game kept Providence in the game.

Elvis made two free throws with three seconds left to extend OU’s lead to 79-75, then chaos ensued. Porter Moser had sent an OU player to the scorer’s table to check in after the free throws, but the game continued. The OU player stepped on the floor and the Sooners were whistled for a technical foul.

Providence had two free throws, made both and then retained possession. Luckily for the Sooners, Providence missed the potentially game-winning 3 as time expired.

— Brycen Goodine returned after a three-game absence. He came off the bench for the Sooners and struggled with foul trouble, but he finished with seven points (two 3-pointers) and led the team with six rebounds on 19 rebounds.

Goodine wasn’t the only player struggling with foul trouble. Fears was fouled late in the second half Sam Godwin And Jalon Moore He spent most of the second half with four fouls apiece.

– The Sooners countered Providence’s sharp shooting with 13 steals and forced Providence into 16 turnovers. The Sooners also outscored Providence in the paint 30-22.

— Porter Moser wasn’t afraid to clear his bench early this season. Eleven different players saw minutes against Providence, and eight of them played at least 14 minutes.

— For the Sooners, it was the complete Fears experience. While he finished the game with 20 points, he also committed a game-high eight turnovers and ultimately left the game with a foul.

Moser was willing to let Fears play on some of his mistakes. This will be observed as the season progresses.

— Jadon Jones remains with an earlier edition.

– The Sooners will face either Arizona or Davidson in the semifinals on Thursday at 4 p.m. CT (ESPN).

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