The senior guard and national player of the year candidate averaged 25.4 points in the regular season, second most in Division I. He’s been even better in the NCAA tournament. Hield thrives on the big stage and he’s capable of leading the Sooners to a national championship, something the program has yet to accomplish. Most recently, he dropped 37 points on the West’s top-seeded Oregon Ducks, a performance that included Hield shooting 8-of-13 from behind the arc.

Hield’s supporting cast is an experienced group that has played extensively together the last three seasons, making the Sooners a serious threat to capture two more victories. Isaiah Cousins, Ryan Spangler and Jordan Woodard are not just complementary pieces; they can play, too. Cousins added 11 points, seven assists and five rebounds in the win over Oregon, while Woodard scored 22 and Spangler finished with 10 points and eight boards in downing Texas A&M.

Oklahoma defeated Villanova handily on Dec. 7 in Hawaii by shutting down the Wildcats’ guards and limiting them to just 4-of-32 on 3-point attempts. Whether it’s North Carolina or Syracuse in the final, the best player on the floor will be Hield, who would love nothing more than to carry the Sooners one final time.

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