The last time Oklahoma played, Jordan Woodard watched the final 12:19 from the bench as the Sooners comeback in the Big 12 Tournament fell just short.
Friday in Oklahoma's NCAA Tournament opener, Woodard's 3-pointer with just more than three minutes remaining turned the tide back OU's way to help the second-seeded Sooners avoid an upset, beating 15th-seeded Cal State Bakersfield 82-68 at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Buddy Hield, quieted in that loss to West Virginia last Thursday, helped his national player of the year case with 27 points.
Hield followed Woodard's three with one of his own a possession later—after blocking the shot on the other end—to put the Sooners up by 10 and allow the largely pro-Sooners crowd to collectively exhale.