Davidson experiencing good life, Sooner style

The Davidson basketball team is getting a good taste of life in Sooner land during their visit to Norman, Okla.

It’s impossible not to know the Oklahoma football team is playing Texas Tech here Saturday in the latest game of the year in the Big 12 Conference. Just like it’s impossible not to notice the football stadium that sits in the middle of campus and towers over the flat landscape.

The Wildcats are staying in Norman, which is about 30 miles south of Oklahoma City. As if they needed any reminders of where they are, their hotel, the Sooner Legends Inn and Suites, is a shrine to Oklahoma athletics, stuffed with memorabilia.

Les Robinson, the former N.C. State coach, is staying there as an NCAA representative. The first thing he saw in the hotel was a giant photo of the Sooners’ basketball team squeaking by his East Tennessee State team 72-71 in the 1989 NCAA tournament, the closest a 16-seed has ever come to beating a No. 1 seed.

“Worst loss of my career,” Robinson said, “and I got reminded of it as soon as I walked in.”

Davidson coach Bob McKillop marveled at the history on display, paying special attention to former football coach Bud Wilkinson, one of McKillop’s early heroes.

Even the rooms are themed. McKillop said he’s in a room honoring football coach Bob Stoops. “Maybe that’s a good omen,” McKillop said.

-- Ron Green Jr.