CBS analyst Clark Kellogg is one of those people. Kellogg said part of the joy of watching this year’s tournament is watching Hield’s emergence, and the reaction that follows in the studio with Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith.

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“If you’re a teammate of his it would energize you more,” Kellogg told Sporting News. “Just as a fan and a former player, you have an appreciation because of the work he put in. The three of us, we get amped when he starts doing the ‘Buddy Love’ type stuff.”

Hield, the Sporting News Player of the Year, has done a lot of that in leading Oklahoma to the Final Four. Hield is averaging 29.3 points per game as part of a Sooners’ attack that scores 80.5 points per game and ranks second in the nation in three-point percentage.

Kellogg said the run reminds him of when Michigan’s Glen Rice scored a NCAA tournament record 184 points in six games to lead the Wolverines to a national championship in 1989.

“That’s one that came to mind in terms of the longevity during the tournament,” Kellogg said. “(Michigan) went on to win it all and Glen averaged 30 or 31 points. (Hield) is of the same caliber in terms of efficiency and brilliance.”

Kellogg said North Carolina has the edge in this year’s Final Four, a sentiment most analysts will share heading into the weekend. Yet Kellogg still said the winner of Villanova and Oklahoma can also win the whole thing, and not just because of their reputation as three-point shooting teams.

In Oklahoma’s case, Kellogg expects the Sooners to rely on the three-point a little more, and with good reason.

“It’s changed the game with the ability to space the floor,” Kellogg said. “Oklahoma is efficient and proficient at it, and Buddy is the ringleader of it.”

Kellogg is continuing his work with the Capital One Cup, the award that recognizes the best NCAA men’s and women’s Division I programs with a combined $400,000 in student-athlete scholarships.

“It’s wonderful for me as a former student athlete at the Ohio State University to bring attention to the Capital One Cup and more importantly supporting and empowering student athletes,” Kellogg said. “It resonates in a big way because I realize and value the importance of education.”