Before the season even began for the Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball team, the coaches put out their Big 12 preseason rankings. The Sooners led by head coach Lon Kruger were picked to finish 6th in the standings. A lot has changed since the rankings came out. It is a big reason why Kruger is among 15 coaches vying for the Naismith Coach of the Year award.
Preseason Rankings:
| Ranking | Team | Points | First Place Votes |
| 1 | Baylor Bears | 79 | 7 |
| 2 | Kansas Jayhawks | 73 | 3 |
| 3 | West Virginia Mountaineers | 61 | 0 |
| 4 | Texas Longhorns | 58 | 0 |
| 5 | Texas Tech Red Raiders | 53 | 0 |
| 6 | Oklahoma Sooners | 39 | 0 |
| 7 | Oklahoma State Cowboys | 35 | 0 |
| 8 | Iowa State Cyclones | 19 | 0 |
| 9 | Texas Christian Horned Frogs | 18 | 0 |
| 10 | Kansas State Wildcats | 15 | 0 |
As it sits right now the Sooners are second in the Big 12 standings as they march closer to the conference tournament and NCAA Tournament. The latest bracketology from USA TODAY Sports have Oklahoma as a No. 3 seed in the tournament. They missed out last season due to the cancellation of basketball tournaments due to the coronavirus pandemic. Kruger has this team just on the verge of returning.
Since the year 2000, Oklahoma has played in 13 tournaments.
A full breakdown of each tourney run for the Sooners: