evening, with Michael van Gerwen continuing the defence of last yea

NORMAN, Okla. -- Last season, Oklahoma reached the Final Four. This season, the coaches have picked the Sooners to finish sixth in the Big 12.The reasons are many. The core of the team, Buddy Hield, Isaiah Cousins and Ryan Spangler, has moved on. Hield, an All-American who was edged by Michigan States Denzel Valentine for AP Player of the Year, now plays for the New Orleans Pelicans.Oklahoma still expects to be competitive as the holdovers take on more significant roles.Theyre a talented group, coach Lon Kruger said. How quickly they mature and grow into those roles remains to be seen, but certainly, we need them to do that. I think they can, and hopefully, even more quickly than people expect them to.Jordan Woodard, a senior who has started every game of his career, was second on the team with 13 points per game last season and shot 45.5 percent from 3-point range. He played primarily shooting guard last season, but hell play point guard most of this season.As he did last year, we need him to score, Kruger said. We need him to push the pace. We need him to be aggressive defensively. With the other three guys, they had the target on their back. Now, Jordans going to have that target on his back. Hes got a big adjustment in terms of preparing for that.Center Khadeem Lattin, known as a defensive specialist, will be expected to score now. Lattin averaged 5.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and just over two blocks per game last season.Much more aggressive this year offensively, Kruger said. Hell be a guy that we need to score. Hell be able to. Hes worked hard, put a lot of time in. Hes shooting the ball well.Here are some things to watch for with the Sooners:LATTIN LEADERNow that there are spots available for new leaders, Lattin can be heard throughout practices.With the seniors gone, hes stepped up and done a really nice job verbally and vocally and providing enthusiasm and energy, Kruger said. Khadeems brought that every day. Thats more of a natural role for him.THE WAIT IS OVERTalented swingmen Rashard Odomes and Dante Buford were behind more experienced players in the past, but they were good enough to play at most schools. Buford averaged 3.5 points last season. Odomes averaged 1.9 points. They will need to help replace Hields 25 points per game.FRESHMAN PHENOMKameron McGusty follows Hield as an Oklahoma recruit from Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas. The 6-foot-5 freshman guard will challenge for a starting job.Anytime you have a freshman coming in, youre never sure how quickly its going to transpire, Kruger said. Hes a scorer, a slasher, shoots the ball well. He will definitely play a significant role. What that is remains to be seen based on production and results, but hes doing a really good job in practice.FINAL FOUR CARRYOVERKruger said the experience of reaching the Final Four last season will help his team. More importantly, the work ethic the Sooners needed to get there has been instilled into the program by the departed seniors.Well see that, probably, for years to come, Kruger said. The investment they made, the time they put in certainly has been carried over by this group, and hopefully, the next group and the group after that.RISING STAR?Christian James, a 6-foot-4 guard, worked his way into the rotation late in the season and had some key moments for the Sooners. He scored 13 points in the Big 12 Tournament against West Virginia and 12 points in the NCAA Tournament win over Texas A&M. Expectations will be much higher this season. Nike Schoenen Kopen Goedkoop . -- Hunter Smith scored the winner with just 12 seconds remaining in the third period as the Oshawa Generals edged the host Sarnia Sting 5-4 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. Nike Schoenen Kopen Sale . - Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie never doubted he would bring back coach Dennis Allen for a third year despite back-to-back 4-12 records. http://www.nikeschoenenoutletnederland.com/ .C. -- Manny Malhotra had two goals and an assist, leading the Carolina Hurricanes to a 6-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. Nike Schoenen Online Kopen . It was hard for Luck to pull off another comeback, or even get into the end zone, while standing on the sideline. Rivers threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to rookie Keenan Allen and Nick Novak kicked four field goals to give the Chargers a 19-9 victory against the Colts on Monday night. Goedkope Nike Schoenen Outlet . -- Arizona raced out to a big lead and did not back off, hitting the accelerator instead.The quarter-finals at the Grand Slam of Darts kick off on Friday evening, with Michael van Gerwen continuing the defence of last year’s title. You can watch the first two quarter-final matches live on Sky Sports 2 HD at 7pm.Van Gerwen, in Fridays opener, takes on Brendan Dolan for the second time in this years tournament. The mighty Dutchman first dished out a 5-1 hammering to Dolan in the group stages, but after the Northern Irishman successfully followed him into the knock-out stages, they will meet again with a semi-final spot at stake.Van Gerwen owns an ominous 15-3 head-to-head record against Dolan - he lost two in a row, five years ago, but has otherwise just lost a World Cup of Darts match in 2014.Phil The Power Taylor plays Peter Snakebite Wright in Fridays second quarter-final. Phil Taylor criticises his own performance Taylor has won the Grand Slam six times and but must battle past Wright who has made short work of everybody that has opposed him so far.ddddddddddddWatch the Grand Slam of Darts on Friday, live on Sky Sports 2 HD from 7pm. Also See: Sky Bets darts odds On Sky TV Schedule/Results Features ' ' '