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Every recruiting weekend has a player who feels closest to making a decision.

This weekend, that player appears to be running back Jakoby Dixon.

Among all nine uncommitted visitors, Dixon is widely viewed as the most likely candidate to leave Norman as a future Sooner.

The signs are hard to ignore.

His official visit to Oklahoma is currently his lone scheduled official trip.

Momentum has steadily shifted toward the Sooners.

Running backs coach Deland McCullough has done an exceptional job building the relationship.

And perhaps most importantly, multiple recruiting analysts have identified Dixon as a legitimate “commit watch” candidate entering the weekend.

Recruiting surprises happen all the time.

But if Oklahoma adds a commitment before this weekend concludes, Dixon is probably the safest bet.

The Biggest Question: Which Thunder Team Shows Up?
That is the entire series in one sentence.

The Thunder have looked like champions at times.

They’ve also looked vulnerable.

Game 5 was a reminder of why they won the title last season.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander controlled the game.

Alex Caruso provided veteran leadership.

Jared McCain delivered timely scoring.

The defense forced mistakes.

Everything looked connected.

Then Game 6 happened.

Shai managed only 15 points on 6-of-18 shooting.

The offense became stagnant.

The supporting cast disappeared.

San Antonio dictated every aspect of the game.

For Oklahoma City, the challenge tonight is psychological as much as tactical.

The Thunder cannot spend the first quarter trying to erase what happened Thursday.

They must treat Game 7 as a completely independent event.

The team that won by 27 in Game 6 doesn’t receive bonus points tonight.

The scoreboard starts at 0-0.

Best 2 words in all of sports: Game 7.

Western Conference Finals Game 7 Preview
🏀: Oklahoma City Thunder (3-3) vs. San Antonio Spurs (3-3)
🕰️: 7:30 PM CT
🏟️: Paycom Center
📺: NBA on NBC and Peacock
📻: WWLS The Sports Animal

Oklahoma City Thunder | Western Conference Finals Game 7 Preview: San Antonio Spurs The Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs have been at each other’s throats for a couple of weeks now, and now the moment that every sports fan loves has finally arrived: Game 7.

Tonight is Game 7 of the WCF in OKC, and the Thunder is a slight favorite over the Spurs.

Thunder Against the Spread | OKC Slightly Favored at Home Over Spurs in Game 7 of Western Conference Finals No game in this series has been decided by fewer than 7 points, but that doesn’t mean this one will follow suit. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is still looking for a good game by his own standards,…

Eleven home runs.

Thirty-four RBIs.

A staggering .531 batting average at Love’s Field.

Three pinch-hit home runs.

Eight pinch-hit RBIs.

Those aren’t solid freshman numbers. Those are numbers that would stand out for an established All-American.

What makes them even more impressive is the context.

McDaniel wasn’t receiving everyday at-bats from Opening Day. She wasn’t locked into a permanent defensive role. She spent much of the season splitting time between designated player duties and becoming Oklahoma’s most dangerous weapon off the bench.

That role can be incredibly difficult for young players.

Most hitters thrive on routine. They want to know when they’ll play. They want multiple at-bats to find rhythm.

McDaniel often had neither.

Instead, she would spend innings waiting, preparing mentally for a moment that might never come.

Then she would be asked to deliver immediately.

And more often than not, she did.

That’s a trait that statistics don’t fully capture.

The best word for it is maturity.

The second-best word is confidence.

McDaniel arrived at Oklahoma carrying expectations that would crush many young athletes.

San Antonio simply kept tightening the screws until Oklahoma City completely snapped.

The shooting numbers reflect just how ugly things became.

The Thunder shot only 37.2% from the field and a dreadful 10-of-36 from three-point range. Lu Dort struggled badly. Isaiah Joe never found daylight. Holmgren scored just 10 points despite grabbing 11 rebounds. Oklahoma City’s offensive rating during the decisive stretch was catastrophically low.

And yet, strangely enough, the Thunder should still feel confident heading into Game 7.

That sounds absurd after a 27-point humiliation, but the structure of this series matters.

The home team is now 4-2 in the Western Conference Finals and has won the last three games in a row.

Paycom Center has been one of the loudest environments in basketball throughout this postseason, and Oklahoma City has largely looked like a different team at home. Role players shoot better there. Defensive pressure intensifies. Transition offense becomes easier to generate.

Most importantly, the Thunder’s stars got unexpected rest Thursday night.

Because the game spiraled out of control so early, Daigneault essentially waved the white flag entering the fourth quarter. Gilgeous-Alexander played only 28 minutes. Holmgren logged 24. Hartenstein finished with just 16.

In a brutal, emotionally draining series, fresh legs matter.

So does regression.

The Thunder are simply too talented offensively to perform this poorly in consecutive games. Basketball history overwhelmingly favors elite offenses bouncing back after catastrophic shooting nights, especially at home.

Even with Oklahoma City holding the 3-2 advantage, this series still feels unfinished.

The Thunder absolutely have the championship composure necessary to survive tonight. SGA has repeatedly delivered massive late-game moments throughout this postseason. Mark Daigneault has largely won the adjustment battle after Game 1. And OKC’s defensive versatility continues creating matchup problems for San Antonio’s secondary scorers.

But Game 6s are rarely clean.

Especially when the home team still has the best long-term ceiling player on the floor.

Wembanyama has already shown he can completely bend this series around his presence when he becomes aggressive early. And emotionally, it feels difficult to imagine San Antonio simply folding on its home court with a Finals berth still within reach.

That does not mean the Spurs suddenly become favorites to win the series again.

It simply means tonight feels built for chaos.

And playoff chaos usually favors the desperate team.

During her freshman season, Wells benefited from the element of discovery. Opposing staffs knew she was talented, but they had not yet fully accepted that every mistake she saw could leave the yard. By midseason, the scouting reports changed. By next season, the entire sport will pitch her like a once-in-a-generation slugger.

That means the next stage of her evolution becomes mental dominance.

If Wells develops the elite strike-zone discipline that legendary power hitters eventually acquire, her offensive profile becomes almost impossible to attack. Imagine a version of Wells who still possesses 35-to-40-home-run power but now refuses to chase pitcher’s pitches and routinely works deep counts.

That player is not just dangerous.

That player controls games without swinging the bat.

And historically, Oklahoma hitters under Patty Gasso tend to make exactly that kind of leap.

Look at the developmental pattern inside the program.

Oklahoma’s greatest hitters rarely peak as freshmen. They mature into more complete offensive weapons over time. Jocelyn Alo became more disciplined. Tiare Jennings became more selective. Jayda Coleman evolved into a devastating all-around force. The system demands growth beyond raw talent.

Wells is already operating from a higher freshman baseline than almost all of them.

Now imagine what happens after another year inside Oklahoma’s strength program, another offseason studying SEC pitching tendencies, and another year learning how opponents are trying to neutralize her.

OKC looks to close out the WCF in San Antonio on Thursday night

Western Conference Finals Game 6 Preview
🏀: Oklahoma City Thunder (3-2) at San Antonio Spurs (2-3)
🕰️: 7:30 PM CT
🏟️: Frost Bank Center
📺: NBA on NBC and Peacock
📻: WWLS The Sports Animal

Oklahoma City Thunder | Western Conference Finals Game 6 Preview: San Antonio Spurs After taking a 3-2 series lead with a dominant win in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, the Oklahoma City Thunder has a chance to earn a second straight trip to the NBA Finals as they take o…