How big is the loss of Jayden Gibson at OU? Is there a surprise favorite in the Big 12?
Tulsa World columnist Berry Tramel and I also talk about the Thunder's draw in the midseason tournament.
Even though college football is front and center right now — less than three weeks until the openers, my friends! — there’s a lot going on in the sports world right now.
The NBA schedules are coming out.
The Olympic fun has got us thinking about the NEXT Games.
And yes, of course, there’s football to discuss.
So why limit ourselves to one topic? Tulsa World columnist Berry Tramel and I are going to talk about Three Big Things this week on The Jenni Carlson Show.
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Episode highlights
1:30: Big Thing No. 1: Berry has picked at least three different teams to win the Big 12. Explain yourself, BT!
3:10: Any waffling on who Berry thinks will win the SEC?
4:13: Why hasn’t Berry picked Oklahoma State to win the Big 12?
5:12: Big Thing No. 2: OU receiver Jayden Gibson is out for the season. How big a loss is this for the Sooners?
7:10: What’s with all the Sooner secrecy at practice?
8:25: Is any specific Sooner receiver under the gun with Gibson’s injury?
10:00: Big Thing No. 3: What about the Thunder’s slate of games in the mid-season tournament?
11:48: Gonna call it the Emirates NBA Cup?
12:40: Any disappointment that the Thunder isn’t part of the NBA opening extravaganza or the Christmas Day games?
15:15: Will the Thunder be represented on Team USA in 2028?
Producer: Jacquelyn Musgrove
Creative Director: Michael Lane
Transcript
Jenni: Well, Berry, the cool temperatures are gone, but are you still getting fired up about the start of football?
Berry: I am getting fired up. Although when we were sitting out at practice the other day and it was 98 degrees or whatever, I thought, ‘Man, can we get a break for August 29, 30, 31 when this season's kicks off?’ Well, it's going to be miserably hot, but yeah, I'm always fired up for the start of football season. No doubt about it.
Jenni: Let's get started on our Big Things. Big Thing No. 1 is, don't go to Vegas on Berry's Big 12 picks. BT, you have picked Utah and K-State to win the league on my show. Then in the Tulsa World, you did a big predictions column for the Big 12, and you picked UCF. And I don't even know if you've made any other predictions. What in the world is going on here?
Berry: Let me tell you what's going on: I can't remember what I've said. I always tell people, I don't remember what I said, but I stand by it. Yeah, we did back-to-back shows, and you didn't ask me about who I picked specifically. But I had to come up basically with the Big 12 champion, and I somehow didn't come up with the same one.
But I'll take what I put in print to the bank. That's what I've always said. You know, I do a lot of radio and sometimes I say, ‘Don't hold me to what I say on the radio,’ because that goes in and I don't know what's going on. What I put in print on paper, that stays. So I guess I'm picking the Knights of Central Florida as an upset in the Big 12, but you know me, Jacko, for the most part, I don't take credit when I am right outside of the 1990 Final Four. Aced that one, 34 years ago. Arkansas, UNLV, Georgia Tech and whoever else. So, I've gloated about that for a long time, but otherwise, I don't really gloat on my predictions. So, you know, I feel like I deserve a little grace for getting scatterbrained on these 2024 preseason picks.
Jenni: If UCF is an upset, you've kind of found a sweet spot with upsets. With the Knights as your Big 12 pick and you're sticking hard and fast to Ole Miss as your SEC pick, you're liking the chaos, I think.
Berry: Yeah, you know, in the SEC, it's just so scheduled dominant. You can make the case that if Ole Miss can just upset Georgia, they've got a better chance than Georgia does to win the sec. Of course, upsetting Georgia is no small task, but you know, the schedules are so lopsided.
It's not that way in the Big 12. A lot more equality in the schedules of the Big 12. But I do like Ole Miss. I think Jaxson Dart’s a good quarterback. I think they got a shot to do a lot of things. That's going to be a tough game for the Sooners. I think it's October 26th down in Oxford.
Jenni: Yeah, you're right about the scheduling being a determining factor of who makes that SEC title game and to some extent in the Big 12. That's true as well. One thing I will say about your Big 12 picks: I have yet to see a pick of Oklahoma State. Are you not believing in the Cowboys having a chance to win the whole thing?
Berry: I am. It just hadn't developed. I think OSU has got a good chance to do well and make it to Arlington. Think I picked them to make it to Arlington and lose to UCF (in the World). But, yeah, I think OSU is going to have a good team. I just think it's going to be wild, especially in September for OSU. They could be out of the race come October 1st, they could be dominating the race, or they could be sort of right there in the pack with a lot of teams. So those back-to-back games, Utah, K-State, it's going to be wild.
Jenni: And the way the Big 12 has been, OSU could be out of the race two weeks in and find themselves back in at some point later in the year because it's really hard to gauge where the Big 12 is going to go. So lots yet to be determined on that.
All right, Big Thing No. 2, we know that Jayden Gibson is done for the season. Brent Venables announced after practice on Tuesday that the injury that had been reported that Jayden Gibson suffered is season ending. The receiver is done. Big guy that's made some big plays for the Sooners, but how big a blow do you feel like Jayden Gibson being out for the season is for this OU offense?
Berry: Well, don't think it's catastrophic for the squad. Now it's terrible for Jayden Gibson, but this is probably the deepest position on the team. Either DB or wide receiver. So if you're going to have a big injury, you want it to be someplace where you've got a lot of depth. And I think the Sooners do with Nic Anderson and (Jalil) Farooq and Deion Burks and that crew. Jaquaize Pettaway. A couple of promising freshmen. (Ivan) Carreon, those kinds of guys. They got a lot of guys.
But I do think Jayden Gibson was such a unique player. Six-foot-6. So tall and such a target. Wanting to go more deep this year with Jackson Arnold on the long ball, the deep balls are a place where tall receivers really can make a difference because they've sort of got time to set themselves and sort of position for rebounding. Almost becomes a basketball play. He's perfect for that. This is not a timing route. It's not a quick hitting throw, those kinds of things. So it's going to be a big loss, but it is a place where OU’s got a lot of talent and I think can sustain an injury like that.
Jenni: A guy like Nic Anderson, I think, becomes much more important in those kind of plays you were talking about that Jayden Gibson probably would have been a big target on. So I think some of it falls to Nic Anderson, and we've seen him make obviously big plays. His catch-to-touchdown ratio last year at some points was almost unbelievable. But I think that's going to be on him to maybe continue to make plays like that.
It's interesting. I did see Jayden Gibson. There was an open portion of practice for the media on Tuesday. He was in uniform, actually in helmet even, but using one of those knee scooters, which I'll be honest, Berry, I guess I'm sort of thinking, ‘Should I even be saying this?’ Because we've received an edict from OU about the rules of covering practice, which frankly, I'm not sure what any of that means either, but no pictures, videos of cursing are out. It's kind of crazy, quite honestly, the rules that we've been given for practice watching.
Berry: You ever had to ride one of those scooters where you got your knee bent and resting?
Jenni: No, but I know you did at one point.
Berry: No, I just went straight crutches. Cracked my leg in two in 1995. I don't even know if we had motor vehicles back in 1995, but yeah, I've never been on one. I didn't know how comfortable they were. I mean, it's better than walking around on crutches, but I don't know if it wears you out after a while or not.
Jenni: Hey, speaking of this injury, you mentioned that they do have the depth at receiver. I think that it puts the impetus on Nic Anderson. Do you feel like it adds any pressure to any specific other receiver in this OU corps?
Berry: No, not necessarily. I just think it opens up an avenue for young guys. Brent Venables mentioned Ivan Carreon, a true freshman. I think a guy like that … receiver's a place where a true freshman can play pretty quickly. Doesn't always happen, but it often does. So, I think that's opportunity for other guys and somebody like Carreon or Pettaway. He's been around a while and hadn't got to play a ton.
Now clearly they're going to throw to Nic Anderson more than ever. I mean, there's no doubt about that. And Farooq, who's been around for a long time. He goes back to the, what was it? He was in the Alamo Bowl with Bob Stoops as head coach. Had a big game against Oregon. That was going back three years. So some veteran guys are going to get the ball more. But I also think this opens the door for the young guys, and Carreon is the guy who we've heard a lot about. And I love his name. I sat there when Brent mentioned him yesterday. I sat there thinking, ‘All right, now what can I do with the word Carreon? What can I do with the word Carreon?’ So, the wheels are turning on such a cool name and what we can do with it.
Jenni: OK, Big Thing No. 3, we're going to move away from football and talk about the Thunder. We now know who the Thunder is playing in the midseason tournament. They've got Phoenix, they've got the Lakers, Utah and San Antonio. Obviously teams that are Western Conference teams along with the Thunder as they try to reestablish themselves at the top of the conference after the top seed last year. What do you make of that slate as it relates to the midseason tournament?
Berry: Pretty dang easy for the Western Conference. If you look at the West, Jacko, there's only one bad team. There's only one tanking team in the West, at least at this point, and that's Portland. And if you go to the next tier, the teams that are probably not going to make the playoffs, Spurs are probably in that list. Now, you know, Wembanyama, put nothing past him, but San Antonio is probably not ready to win. And the Suns and the Lakers are old teams that have a lot of potential to do some damage, but not one of the top four or five teams in the West. Don't think so. I think the Thunder came out pretty good in the grouping for the NBA Cup.
Thunder didn't make it, didn't make any noise last November when we had the first NBA Cup. And we didn't even realize the Thunder was that good yet. Thought maybe a playoff team and instead they became the No. 1 seed in the West. So, I think the NBA Cup’s a lot more of a visible thing in Oklahoma City this coming season. think it's a lot more of a tangible goal. Something I think people will be more excited about now than maybe a year ago. And the schedule certainly sets up.
Jenni: By the way, NBA Cup now has a sponsor. It's the Emirates NBA Cup. You gonna call it the Emirates NBA Cup?
Berry: I don't know. I didn't say it. I remembered that it had a name, but I was going to wait for you to say it. Cause I kept thinking, I was going to call it emeritus and I didn't want to mispronounce it. So Emirates. It’s a Dubai airplane or airline from what I understand.
Jenni: Yes, correct.
Berry: Have you ever been to Dubai, Jacko?
Jenni: Heck, no. No, I have not.
Berry: I hear it's really hot there. So, you know, if I want to go someplace that's shiny and hot, I can just go downtown Oklahoma city or downtown Tulsa and find all the big buildings and heat and, blazing concrete that you could want. So I don't understand why you need to get on Emeritus Airlines and check out Dubai.
Jenni: Two of these games that the Thunder has within the midseason tournament are going to be national TV games, which leads me to some of the leaks that have been happening with the NBA schedule. As of right now on Wednesday, we don't know the full schedule, but we started hearing some of the openers, some of the Christmas games. The Thunder not featured prominently. They don't have a Christmas game or anything like that. I thought they might. Is it just too early for the Thunder to be in that Christmas game rotation?
Berry: Yeah, I just don't think they've made enough of a national impact. You know, as much as we love SGA, as cool as Santa Clara Williams and Chet Holmgren are, they're not Kevin Durant circa 2012 or 2011. They're not Russell Westbrook, flying through the air. So I don't know that their impact on American society in general is as big as the old Thunder. So I think it's probably a little early.
Could the Thunder have been picked instead of Minnesota? Sure. You know, could the Thunder have been picked instead of who? I don't know. Is Phoenix in it? I can't remember. But anyway, it's not a terrible slight. And frankly, it's actually good for most Oklahomans. You want to spend Christmas with your family. If you have to go to the arena, it'd be fun, but it's no big deal really. I think it's good for the players, for the organization, for the Paycom Center workers, for the media to have that day off and not have to shoehorn basketball into the festivities. So I'm not outraged that the Thunder didn't make Christmas Day games.
And frankly, I think Christmas Day games in the NBA are going to be declining in popularity. The NFL is infringing. They planted their flag. It's going to be Netflix games, two Netflix games on Christmas Day. But it's my understanding that a good chunk of America either has a Netflix account or have children that can pirate them in and get the Steelers and the Chiefs on the tube without even paying for it. So I think most people are going to pick the NFL over the NBA on Christmas Day.
Jenni: Yeah, that's interesting. You mentioned the a couple of the Thunder stars. Obviously SGA joining Lu Dort on that Team Canada in the Olympics. But Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, the Santa Clara Jalen Williams, being talked about as potential candidates for the 2028 Team USA for the Olympics. I think they're both going to be on that team, Berry. And I don't know what you think, but … I think Chet Holmgren is almost a lock. I don't think Jalen Williams is far off of being a pretty serious contender for 2028 either.
Berry: It's too far out for me to analyze it too much, but I can tell you this: Bill Simmons, a former ESPN commentator, now The Ringer, a NBA historian, very huge NBA fan. He suggested that if Joel Embiid had not joined the American team a few months ago, Holmgren probably would have been on this team. So I think you're right that Holmgren is clearly in line to be an Olympian by ’28.
The league is full of talented young wings, but in 2028, Santa Clara is going to be what, 27 years old and the prime of his career and is just going to be a total load. Already is a total load of budding superstar. So I think it's quite likely he would be on the team. Now, you put Holmgren and Santa Clara on the American team, and then all of a sudden when they play the Canadians, you know, my loyalties are going to be sort of back, I guess, where they ought to be. Everybody's upset that I was flying the Maple Leaf flag for the Canadians in Paris. But hey, SGA and Lu Dort, they held up their end well. Canada went out not because SGA and Lu Dort didn't show up. It was a couple other guys. So SGA, I'm sure, is going to be a long-time Olympian. Canadian basketball fortunes continue to rise.
Jenni: For sure. Also I can't think about 2028 without thinking about Oklahoma City's role in the ’28 games. Did you ever think that we'd be awarding Olympic medals in Oklahoma City?
Berry: No, it's crazy to even think of. Occasionally you see … it's happened with Tulsa, can't remember if it's happened with Oklahoma City, but it's happened with other American cities, sort of mid-range cities, big cities but not metropolis with millions and millions of people, where they make sort of a faux Olympic bid just to drum up publicity. And you know, you just sort of laugh it off and don't even think about it.
But then all of sudden, here, we truly have some Olympic events it looks like coming to Oklahoma City. And one of them is softball, which everybody's crazy about. But some of the canoeing and stuff, I watched a little bit of it. And some of that stuff is, the kayak, I forgot the name of it.
Jenni: Kayak cross.
Berry: The kayak cross, it's basically sort of a bumper boats. It's bumper boating is what it is.
Jenni: And then they do a 360 roll at one point.
Berry: It's fantastic fun. I just thought it was great. So, we get that kind of stuff in Oklahoma City, and I think people will be really embracing it. And I saw somebody write the other day, and I thought it was a very sharp thing to say: let's not get behind kayak cross and canoeing and these other events in 2028; let's do it way before then. Let's get fired up about it now. Let's become experts in it. Let's support all the events coming through so that when the Olympiad arrives in ’28, we're fired up and we're ready and we have zero adjustment period. Ithink that'd be the best plan for Oklahomans.
Jenni: All right, before we let you get out of here, Berry, tell us what you got coming up in the Tulsa World.
Berry: Got a few things I'm sort of fired up about. Got an Olympic column coming up. Kelly Garrison-Funderburk was an NCAA champion for OU in the ‘80s but was on the ’88 Olympic team and was in the middle of a very similar scandal, judging dispute that cost the Americans the team bronze in 1988, very similar to what we see with Jordan Chiles today. So I talked to Kelly, and that's going to be a nice piece.
I've also got a Sunday piece on, is Norman, not OU, is the city of Norman SEC ready? The city fathers are trying to get the town up to speed for the SEC. I find that interesting.
Jenni: Great stuff. TulsaWorld.com/sports and /subscribe.