Lon Kruger: 'Craziness' is here and the season hasn't even started yet, but 'we'll play them all'

Players are already missing for Thursday's re-rescheduled season opener against UTSA, but Sooners coach the team will "keep adjusting it, make it work"

Victor Iwuakor (left) won't play against UTSA in Oklahoma's season-opener Thursday / Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma men’s basketball team — finally — is hoping to get its season underway Thursday against the University of Texas-San Antonio.

Last Wednesday's contest with the Road Runners was postponed after the Sooners were forced to shut down all team activity due to Coronavirus cases. The sudden change of plans is something the team anticipated they might have to face but not so soon.

“Going into this season we expected a degree of craziness for sure,” said Sooners head coach Lon Kruger. “We didn’t want it to be in the first week but it worked out that way and the uncertainty of knowing when we can play, when we can practice is tough on the players.”

Oklahoma would have to spend the inaugural week of the season on the sideline with its Saturday game against the University of Central Florida cancelled as well. Meanwhile, teams across the country got their first taste of live competition since March, including UTSA, which played its first game of the season on Saturday.

The Sooners will be without big man Victor Iwuakor for the opener, forcing the team to look deep into its bench already. The unexpected delay has given Kruger ample time to gameplan the best way to use his depleted roster.

“We’ll play them all,” Kruger said. “They’ve all practiced hard, they’ve done a good job in practice. We’ll see how it goes and the guys who play their minutes well will get back in there. We won’t have Victor, a guy that would be a big part of the rotation at that four or five spot. Jalen Hill will play more now on the inside than he would typically, Anyang would play more inside than he maybe would originally so you just have to keep adjusting it, make it work.”

As long as there are no additional delays, the Sooners tip off the season 7 p.m. Thursday at Lloyd Noble Center, with the broadcast on Fox Sports Oklahoma.

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