by Darryl Richards, FOXSports.com

Don't worry, it wasn't a bad thing.

Bookout had a career-high 22 points and seven rebounds in a 74-65 victory over Cal. More important, it came at a time when the Sooners really needed other players to contribute.

Everybody in the state of Oklahoma knew superstar guard had a badly strained groin and was operating at about 85 percent. Everybody in the state also knew that Price will have to deal with this injury as long as the Sooners are in the tournament.

Heat it, ice it, use electric stimulation on it, but groin injuries just don't go away that easily. The electric stimulation part sounds like it may be a little enjoyable, but that's another story. Price was limited and looked more like a decoy than the impact player he really is. A guard with one of the quickest first steps in the country could only lumber around the court and muster five points.

"He just wasn't our best player today," Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson said. "He couldn't move."

And as bad off as Price was, what happened at the Ford Center had to be a huge relief for Sampson.

It's not just getting to the Sweet 16 despite having two starters limited by injuries or illness this week. It was how the Sooners responded to that kind of adversity that told Sampson that his team was tournament tough.

Bookout was the prize freshman in Oklahoma a year ago after shooting 84.3 percent from the field at Stroud High School last season. That is not a typo. He was Parade All-American and proved to be more than a big plodder in the middle. Bookout was an athlete with terrific feet and coordination for somebody who is 6-8, 260 pounds. You don't set records in the shot put and discus and have Olympic aspirations by being a clumsy oaf.

The state of Oklahoma was especially blessed because it also had De'Angelo Alexander hooping it up in Midwest City. Alexander was considered one of the top guard prospects in the country and developed into a starter when struggled with his shot in midseason.

Oklahoma is a No. 1 seed and it doesn't appear that the Sooners are going away any time soon. Not this season.

Not next season either.

All you had to do was look at how two freshmen ignited the Sooners. Bookout and Alexander scored 15 of Oklahoma's first 21 points in the game. Bookout opened the second half just as strongly, scoring six of the Sooners' first nine points and contributing an assist on the other. Alexander finished with 15 points and seven rebounds against Cal.

"Kevin came out with a lot of confidence," said Oklahoma point guard , who had 12 points and four assists. "He didn't play like a freshman. He played like a sophomore or a junior. That's what we need out of him, leading the team for us to be good."

Bookout and Alexander weren't the only players contributing to Oklahoma's cause this week. Sophomore and athletic junior center joined Alexander in leading the Sooners in scoring against earlier this week.

"It says a lot about our team," Sampson said. "We have a lot of good players."

But few teams can afford to have two starters as limited as Price and Bookout were Thursday. Bookout credits the good Lord and a combination of antibiotics and antihistamines for his timely recovery after being listless and sick to his stomach just two days earlier.

Nor did it hurt that Bookout was playing his last game this season in Oklahoma in front of a very supportive crowd.

"If somebody told me last year that I would be playing here in City for a spot in the Sweet 16, I would have taken it in a heartbeat," Bookout said.

So would the Sooners.

Darryl Richards can be reached at his e-mail address, drichards @foxsports.com.