Five Sooners drafted to NFL

Five Sooners were drafted this weekend at the annual NFL Draft.

Offensive tackle Phil Loadholt was the first OU player selected, going 54th overall to the Minnesota Vikings. Juaquin Iglesias, Nic Harris, Duke Robinson and Manuel Johnson were all drafted in rounds three through seven on Sunday.

Iglesias was picked 99th overall by the Chicago Bears. Harris and Robinson each went in the fifth round. The Buffalo Bills taking Harris while Robinson was picked by Carolina. Johnson will find himself back in his home state as the Dallas Cowboys picked him in the seventh round.

Loadholt will compete for a starting spot for the Vikings. If all goes well for him, he could find himself blocking for former Sooner Adrian Peterson. The Vikings picked Loadholt with their second pick, taking Flordia wide receiver Percy Harvin in the first round. Loadholt and Harvin each played in the 2009 BCS National Championship game.

With five players drafted this year, the number of drafted Sooners in the Bob Stoops era reaches 41.

Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford was the number one overall pick by the Detroit Lions.

For more information, go to http://soonersports.com.

Sooners can't extend season, fall to Cardinals

Oklahoma saw a 12-point halftime lead disappear en route to a 61-59 loss to Louisville Sunday.

The Sooners jumped out to a 16-2 lead in the opening minutes in St. Louis. Ashley and Courtney Paris combined to score eight of the 16 points as Whitney Hand made a three to cap the run. The early run allowed the Sooners to go into the locker room leading 34-22.

The Cardinals (34-4) started the second half with a run of there own. Louisville opened the second half on a 15-1 scoring run. Oklahoma made only seven field goals in the second half, there first coming over seven minutes into the period.

Although the Sooners shot only 26 percent in the second half, they were in the game until the very end. After a missed Louisville free throw with seven seconds remaining, Nyeshia Stevenson's 3-pointer rimmed out at the buzzer. Oklahoma shot 19 percent from beyond the arc.

"In my head, it was going in," Stevenson said to reporters after the game. "I knew I was wide open. I was confident every second."

The loss marks the end of a magnificent career for Courtney Paris. Paris, who promised to pay back her scholarship to OU if they didn't win a championship, said that she is good for it.

"I do make good on the guarantee," said Paris to reporters. "Not today, though. Obviously, I don't have $64,000 waiting, but I do make good on it."

Louisville will play the winner of UConn and Stanford for the national championship Tuesday night.

Courtney Paris

Courtesy: Soonersports.com