OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger said his team sees Virginia Commonwealth simply as a good team heading into their second-round NCAA Tournament matchup on Sunday.
The Rams aren’t in a Power Five conference – they play in the Atlantic 10. And VCU was one of a record 10 double-digit seeds that won in the opening round – the 10th-seeded Rams knocked off seventh-seeded Oregon State to advance in the West Region.
But No. 2 seed Oklahoma (26-7) also is aware that VCU is not a typical double-digit seed. The Rams (25-10) went to the Final Four in 2011 and are in the NCAA Tournament for the sixth straight year. The Sooners will try to avoid the upset and reach the Sweet 16 for the second straight year.
“The tape we’ve seen so far on them, that our guys have seen – it gets their attention pretty easily,” Kruger said. “They know we have a tough challenge, and we’ll have to play well to have a chance to win tomorrow.”
Still, Kruger made sure his team was aware of how the first round went for the big boys.