Bad ending to great career for Oklahoma's Buddy Hield

HOUSTON — This wasn’t the way anyone expected Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield to go out.

This was an implosion of epic proportions.

The Sooners’ senior sharpshooter and national player of the year went scoreless for almost 35 minutes, managing just nine points as Villanova rolled to a brutalizing 95-51 win over OU Saturday night in a Final Four semifinal at NRG Stadium.

All the excitement that Buddy Buckets had built over an amazing year seemed to be swept aside by an embarrassing meltdown on the game’s grandest stage.

Mr. Clutch all year, and especially in March, turned Mr. Clank. He finished 4-for-12 from the field, 1-for-8 from three-point distance. He bared little resemblance to the guy who averaged 25.4 points on the season, 29.2 in the tournament and consistently took over games with his deep-shooting prowess. Hield wasn’t able to shake Villanova’s savvy defensive switches and seemed to get swallowed up in the cavernous dome.

Villanova dominates Buddy Hield, Oklahoma 95-51, roars into title game

“Credit them,” Hield said. “They made it tough on me, throwing a bunch of bodies at me. I just couldn’t get it going.”

The pain was evident as Hield stood slump-shouldered on the court in the second half, the scoreboard pinballing in Villanova’s favor. With under three minutes left an Oklahoma assistant massaged his back on the bench, a dazed look permeating Hield’s face.

This once magical run was over in a most meek and mind-numbing way.

It got away early, Hield misfiring as the Wildcats shot a sweltering 67% from the field and built at 42-28 edge at the half.

It only got worse in the second half, when Villanova fired at a 77.3% clip. Seemingly every shot they tossed up splashed. Meanwhile, OU crashed, shooting 20% to close out the game.

“They made shots,” Hield said. “We were trying to find a way to make shots. They just played terrific tonight. Sometimes shots were contested, and they made them. Hats off to Villanova. They deserved it."

Hield scored the Sooners’ first bucket 26 seconds into the final period then went silent the rest of the way.

He made just 3 of 8 attempts from the floor and 1 of 5 from three-point distance over the first 20 minutes, netting seven points. Hield made the first shot of the game 23 seconds in on a three, then struggled for most of the half. It wasn’t until he converted a pretty reverse layup at the 1:13 mark of the period that a 15-minute pointless passage ended.

Villanova’s defense caused problems for Hield and the Sooners all night. OU turned the ball over nine times in the half, 17 times for the game.

Hield will move on to the NBA next season. He is expected to be drafted among the first seven picks. He’s a great player with a bright future that should last long after he exits Norman.

“Got to go chase my dreams next.” he said. “Play in the NBA, if I get a chance, I’ll take the opportunity and make the best out of it.”

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There would be no storybook end to the Bahamian native’s time with the Sooners. The young man who had captured the attention of college basketball with his play and his passion went out with a pfft. That shouldn’t take away from his legacy, OU coach Lon Kruger said.

“People I think enjoyed watching the way he played the game, the enthusiasm, the joy that he played it with,” Kruger said. “A great, great shooter, made shots, got good results on the floor. But I think even more than that, they liked the way he went about it with that passion and enthusiasm.

“I’m disappointed for Buddy today. But just really appreciate everything that he’s done for the program. I think college basketball, as well. He’s a good story.”

A good story with a horrible ending.