After falling to Texas Tech 56-55 in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament, Oklahoma (18-15, 7-11 Big 12) just missed out on making the NCAA Tournament. Now, the Sooners have to refocus and turn their attention on showing the tournament selection committee what it missed out on.
At least, that’s what Oklahoma head men’s basketball coach Porter Moser has imparted upon his team ahead of its opening-round matchup of the NIT against Missouri State (23-10, 13-5 Missouri Valley Conference) inside the Lloyd Noble Center.
“We got a lot to play for. It’s the postseason. There’s a lot of teams that are home. There’s 250 teams that are home, you know, and in our first year, yeah, I wanted to go. I want to go to the NCAA Tournament every year. But we’ve got a chance to play postseason. What’s our legacy? You can be mad at people for not being selected or you can prove them wrong. And I choose to prepare, to fight, to go into this tournament trying to prove people wrong. That’s how I’m choosing it. And I want the players to follow my lead, and we’re going to have this film session and practice and they’re going to follow our coaching staff’s lead,” Moser said.
OU earned a No. 1 seed in the NIT along with fellow No. 1 seeds Dayton, SMU and Texas A&M. If the Sooners beat Missouri State, they will host the winner of Colorado and Saint Bonaventure.
How to watch:
- Date: March 15
- Time: 6 p.m. CST
- TV Channel: ESPN
- Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)
- Radio: KRXO 107.7 FM The Franchise in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa; Varsity Radio App
Missouri State at Oklahoma injury report:
Oklahoma:
- Guard, Elijah Harkless: Harkless announced that he had suffered an unspecified season-ending injury on Feb. 18. Harkless averaged 10.0 points per game on 45.9 percent field goal shooting this season.
— Elijah Harkless (@ejay_hoops2) February 18, 2022
Missouri State:
- Guard, Demarcus Sharp: According to the USA TODAY Sports injury database, Sharp has been out indefinitely after undergoing surgery to repair a lower-leg injury. Sharp last played on Jan. 5 in Missouri State’s 71-69 win over Bradley.
Players to watch:
Oklahoma:
- Guard, Umoja Gibson: 12.5 points per game, 2.1 rebounds per game, 1.3 steals per game, 37.7 percent 3-point field goal shooting
- Forward, Tanner Groves: 11.8 points per game, 5.6 rebounds per game, 53.9 percent field goal shooting, 37.9 percent 3-point field goal shooting
- Point guard, Jordan Goldwire: 10.5 points per game, 3.4 assists per game, 1.5 steals per game, 44.5 percent field goal shooting
- Forward, Jalen Hill: 9.1 points per game, 5.9 rebounds per game, 58.3 percent field goal shooting
Missouri State:
- Guard, Isiaih Mosley: 20.1 points per game, 6.1 rebounds per game, 2.4 assists per game, 50.2 percent field goal shooting, 42.9 percent 3-point field goal shooting
- Forward, Gaige Prim: 16.4 points per game, 8.0 rebounds per game, 1.2 blocks per game, 57.0 percent field goal shooting
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