Tag: 2023-2024 Oklahoma Sooners Basketball

Oklahoma Sooners up two spots in the latest AP Poll

After their win over Iowa State, the Sooners moved up to No. 9 in the latest AP Poll.

The Oklahoma Sooners have had a tremendous season in 2023-2024. They’re 13-1 overall 1-0 in the Big 12 after their latest win over Iowa State. Oklahoma’s lone loss came to at top 10 North Carolina squad in Charlotte in the Jumpman Invitational.

They’ve since bounced back with three straight wins including their latest over the Cyclones. With that win, OU is up to No. 9 in the latest AP Top 25. They’re also No. 9 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.

This sets up a top 10 matchup with the Kansas Jayhawks next Saturday in Lawrence. Oklahoma will have to contend with a strong TCU Horned Frogs team Wednesday evening in Fort Worth.

The Big 12 will be even tougher this year than it has been in years past with the additions of Houston, Cincinnati, BYU, and UCF. Houston is the only remaining undefeated team in the nation and they moved up one spot in the latest AP Poll to No. 2. BYU is also in the top 25.

The Sooners are one of the better defensive teams in the nation, ranking No. 14 in adjusted defensive efficiency over at KenPom. Their athleticism and effort on that end of the floor has made up for some of their inconsistencies on offense. But against Iowa State, the Sooners shot 47% from the field and 40% from three.

If they can shoot like that and continue to stymie opposing offenses, they’ll be a tough team to beat, even in the mighty Big 12.

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Oklahoma will play North Carolina in Charlotte as part of the 2023 Jumpman Invitational

The Oklahoma Sooners will take on the North Carolina Tar Heels as part of the Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte, NC.

After a disappointing season last year and an overall rocky start to the Porter Moser era, the Sooners look to bounce back in 2023-2024.

They will have to do that with one of the premier programs, facing off on Dec. 20, 2023.

The Sooners will be making the trip to Charlotte to take on the basketball blue-blood North Carolina Tar Heels in the Jumpman Invitational this winter.

The Sooners are coming off a 15-17 (5-13) season where they finished last in the Big 12 conference. They are also tasked with replacing most of their roster, including their top three scorers in, Grant Sherfield, Tanner Groves and Jalen Hill. In addition to Hill, five other players entered the transfer portal, according to 247Sports.

The Tar Heels are also coming off a disappointing season as well. After being ranked preseason No. 1, the Tar Heels went 20-13 (11-9) and rejected their bid to the NIT tournament. The Tar Heels will have to replace their top scorer from last year, Caleb Love, who transferred to Arizona.

In what could be a make-or-break season for Porter Moser, beating a blue blood like North Carolina could be a program-building win.

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Small forward transfer Jalon Moore commits to the Oklahoma Sooners

The Oklahoma Sooners dipped back into the transfer portal to add SF Jalon Moore, who spent the last two seasons with Georgia Tech.

The Oklahoma Sooners have been busy in the transfer portal this offseason to retool their roster for the 2022-2023 season. Their latest addition is transfer portal small forward Jalon Moore.

Moore spent the last two seasons with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and averaged 7.6 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in the 2022-2023 season. An athletic wing prospect, Moore was a three-star prospect coming out of high school and had notable offers from Mississippi State, Georgia, and Georgia Tech.

Last season, Moore shot 43.1% from the field but just 11.4% from three-point range. He joins a roster that has added transfer additions F John Hugley (Pitt), G Rivaldo Soares (Oregon), G LeTre Dathard (Utah Valley), and G Javian McCollum (Siena).

This is a pivotal season for Moser and the Oklahoma Sooners coming off back-to-back seasons without a tournament appearance. It’s clear that with their additions, Moser is looking to get more athletic in both the front and backcourt.

The Sooners had some really good moments last season, but struggled with consistency in Big 12 play. They were a streaky shooting team that has to get better from three. The improved athleticism should give them a chance to get easier buckets next season and be less reliant on the three-ball.

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Rutgers transfer guard Cam Spencer to visit Oklahoma

The Oklahoma Sooners are expected to host Rutgers guard transfer Cam Spencer.

The Oklahoma Sooners still have a pair of scholarship spots open as Porter Moser looks to retool his roster for the 2023-2024 basketball season.

One player that could help fill out the guard depth is Rutgers transfer Cam Spencer.

According to Jeff Goodman of Stadium and previously of ESPN and Fox Sports, Spencer has lined up a visit with the Sooners. Additionally, he’ll take a look at Miami, UCONN, and UCLA as well.

Spencer is a 6-foot-4 guard and averaged 13.2 points, 3.1 assists, and 3.8 rebounds per game in 2022-2023. One thing he does well is shoot from three. He’s a career 40.5% shooter from three-point range. Prior to last season with Rutgers, Spencer spent three seasons with Loyola-Maryland.

In the 2021-2022 season, Spencer averaged 18.9 points per game but wasn’t as efficient from three, hitting just 35.3% of his attempts from beyond the arch.

This offseason, the Sooners have added guards Rivaldo Soares (Oregon), LeTre Dathard (Utah Valley), and Javian McCollum (Siena). But with Grant Sherfield, C.J. Noland, and Bijan Cortes out the door, the Sooners could use another guard that’s a shooting threat.

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2024 combo guard prospect T.O. Barrett talks Oklahoma recruitment

Oklahoma Sooners 2024 guard target T.O. Barrett talks recruitment.

T.O. Barrett is on Oklahoma’s radar as a combo guard. He’s a local kid out of Edmond, O,kla. and he plays at Link Academy. He’s the No. 113 ranked player in the 2024 On3 rankings for basketball prospects. He hasn’t gotten a ton, but it should heat up more before signing day next year.

He stands at 6-foot-4 and weighs 180 pounds. Barrett has the size to play shooting guard or even small forward but also displays an ability to play point guard with his proficiency for distributing the basketball.

He averaged 15.5 points and 4.1 assists per game last season in high school. Barrett is averaging 7.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.3 steals per game on the Nike EYBL Circuit.

He recently took a visit to Missouri, but also talked about his recruitment overall and mentioned what he thinks of Oklahoma.

“So what’s standing out to me the most with them is how much they want me there,” Barrett shared with On3’s Jamie Shaw. “They’ve expressed that a lot. I’ve been to some of their games. I feel like I will fit into their play style of play well, especially with the way they use pick-and-roll reads and their mentality on the defensive end. I talk regularly with Coach (Ryan) Humphrey and Coach (Porter) Moser.”

When you watch his tape, he already has a great shooting stroke. He can get in the lane as well. Barrett shows up well on the defensive end of the floor where his length can cause problems for small guards.

TO Barrett’s Recruiting Profile

Projections

  • On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine projection has him leaning towards Missouri at 74.9%, but nothing is official just yet. Oklahoma State is second at 23.3% and then Oklahoma is next at 1.8%.

Film

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Oklahoma on the outside looking in of Joe Lunardi’s early 2024 bracketology for ESPN

The Oklahoma Sooners have added talent through the transfer portal. Is it enough to get them back to the tourney in 2024?

The first two years of the Porter Moser era ended outside of the NCAA Tournament. If the early bracketology from Joe Lunardi of ESPN is any indication, the Sooners might not make it in Year 3 either.

The Sooners made strides last season, highlighted by the blowout win against Alabama in Norman. However, they couldn’t find consistency, especially in Big 12 play.

Lunardi has eight Big 12 teams projected into the tournament, including new additions to the conference, such as Houston. Kansas is projected to be the best team in the league by Lunardi. The Jayhawks are the 1-seed in the South.

After the season ended, Moser and his staff faced a big rebuilding job again. They had six open spots on the roster due to transfers, and Grant Sherfield entered the NBA draft.

The roster is an issue in addition to how stacked the Big 12 is going to be once again. Houston is the best newcomer to a conference already loaded with powerhouses Kansas, Baylor, Texas and Texas Tech. The Houston Cougars are projected to earn a No. 3 seed in 2024’s March Madness.

Roster Additions:

Le’Tre Darthard (6-4, 180, Utah Valley): Darthard averages 14 points, 4 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Darthard is originally from Denton, Texas, and should provide some help for the Sooners on the perimeter.

Rivaldo Soares (6-6, 205, Oregon): Soares was brought in for experience. He’s using his final year in Norman and following Armon Gates over from Oregon, too. He’ll help a lot with the Sooners’ toughness because he averages 4 rebounds per game as a guard.

John Hugley (6-9, 265, Pittsburgh): Hugley comes in to help the front court and is exactly what the Sooners need after Tanner Groves used up his eligibility. Hugley was injured some of last year, but averaged 15 points and 8 rebounds per game two years ago.

Javian McCollum (6-foot-2, 155 pounds, Siena): McCollum averaged 16 points, 4 assists and 2 rebounds last season. He’s going to be a massive help for the Sooners as they try to push the pace more with him in the backcourt.

Expectations for next year:

It’s still early to predict, but the Sooners look better than they were last year. They’ve added more depth and athleticism with their transfer portal and recruiting additions.

Oklahoma needs another front-court player to pair with John Hugley. The interior is where Oklahoma State and Texas Tech took advantage of the Sooners. They’re still in the running for a big-time transfer, Keshad Johnson, from San Diego State. If they can land Johnson, they’ll be a more formidable team in their final year in the Big 12.

There are many unknowns with this team because of the roster turnover. But if the transfer portal acquisitions can make them more efficient from three and provide more athleticism, they’ll have a chance to get back into the tournament for the first time since 2021.

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Oregon transfer guard Rivaldo Soares commits to the Oklahoma Sooners

The Oklahoma Sooners added another backcourt piece, earning the commitment of Oregon transfer Rivaldo Soares.

Rivaldo Soares entered the transfer portal looking for a fresh start after two seasons with the Ducks. The guard started 33 games for Oregon this past season. He averaged 7 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists while shooting 25% from 3-point range and 47% from the field.

Soares started his career at South Plains College in Texas. He was there for two seasons before heading to Oregon out of the junior college ranks.

Soares joins [autotag]John Hugley[/autotag] and [autotag]Javian McCollum[/autotag]as members of Oklahoma’s transfer class. He’ll add valuable Power Five experience as a depth option in Porter Moser’s guard rotation, joining McCollum, Milos Uzan and Otega Oweh.

Porter Moser has brought in a decent transfer class so far, and he’s likely not done. With the portal window open for another month and the needs the Sooners have up and down the roster, Moser isn’t anywhere close to rounding out the Oklahoma Sooners for 2023-2024.

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