Tag: Oklahoma Sooners Basketball

Oklahoma star Otega Oweh a transfer portal dream for UCLA

Otega Oweh an option for UCLA in the portal.

The UCLA Bruins are doing whatever they can to get the men’s basketball program back on track for the 2024-2025 season. The Bruins have reached out to a number of players in the portal.

Perhaps the biggest player on their radar is Oklahoma Sooners star Otega Oweh. Oweh entered the portal and has been contacted by a large number of programs, per Dylan Lutey. The programs that have expressed early interest in Oweh include Oregon, Illinois, BYU, Georgetown, Missouri, Wake Forest, Utah, Virginia Tech, Washington, Indiana, Xavier, and LSU along with the Bruins.

Milos Uzan and John Hugley are two other Sooners who entered the portal at the end of the season, so there are a lot of changes coming in Norman for the men’s team.

Oweh was the second-leading scorer for the Sooners at 11.2 PPG with 3.7 rebounds and had 16 points in the Sooners’ final game against TCU.

He just finished his sophomore campaign so he has a lot of eligibility left and will be an intriguing option in the portal.

Sooners sophomore point guard Milos Uzan set to enter transfer portal

Sooners sophomore Milos Uzan, who started all 32 games, is entering the portal.

Oklahoma will be in the market for a new starting guard. Sophomore Milos Uzan is expected to the transfer portal, according to a report Sunday evening from Joe Tipton of On3.

Uzan’s decision comes after the Sooners missed the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive year.

The 6-foot-4 sophomore point guard averaged nine points, 4.4 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game this season, while shooting 39% from the field. He started all 32 games for OU.

A former four-star prospect, Uzan joined the Sooners in 2022-2023. In that first season with the Sooners, he cracked the starting lineup and finished with 7.6 points and three assists per game. Uzan was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team.

Expectations were high for Uzan in his second season with the Sooners. There was even some NBA draft buzz. His numbers improved this year but didn’t quite reach the lofty heights some had anticipated. His decision-making never took a step forward.

One of the biggest knocks against him this year was his three-point shooting. His efficiency from deep dropped from 40.8% in his freshman year to 29.6% this season.

Uzan joins Otega Oweh and John Hugley as key rotational players departing for the portal this offseason.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.

Oklahoma snubbed from NCAA Tournament for third straight year; dubbed first team out

Oklahoma is the first team out in this year’s NCAA Tournament, narrowly missing the cut.

[autotag]Porter Moser[/autotag] and the Oklahoma Sooners will not be participating in this year’s NCAA Tournament, as the Sooners found out on Sunday when the brackets were unveiled to the world.

The Sooners will remain in an NCAA Tournament drought for yet another year as the Sooners found out their fate.

Despite winning twenty games and finishing with zero losses to teams in Quad 2-4, the Sooners narrowly missed the cut and were ranked as the first team out, meaning the Sooners finished 69th instead of 68th.

Oklahoma sputtered to the end of the season, losing four of its last five games due to injuries, rigid scheduling, and lackluster play. However, Porter Moser and bracketologists like Joe Lunardi stood firm that Oklahoma would be good enough to make the cut narrowly.

The Virginia Cavaliers are the most surprising team to make it over the Sooners. The Cavaliers played in a weaker conference and had a lower NET rating than the Sooners.

All told, when Oklahoma was fully healthy, they were 18-6 and worthy of an NCAA Tournament spot. Oklahoma was victim over an unprecedented conference tournament weekend as teams like Oregon stole bids from right under the nose of Oklahoma. Oregon upset Colorado to win the final Pac-12 tournament. The Ducks were dead in the water before their conference tournament started, and they had only one hope: Win their conference tournament. They did that and punched their ticket.

The Sooners missing this year’s NCAA Tournament brings their tournament drought to three years.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

‘Horns down the Sooners, 94-80

Texas reached 20 wins to cap the regular season with a win over Oklahoma.

For the third consecutive year, the Texas Longhorns swept the Oklahoma Sooners on the basketball court. It was the Longhorns’ seventh consecutive win over their hoops rival.

The win turns up the heat on Oklahoma head coach Porter Moser who has yet to beat Texas since taking over in Norman.

Texas head coach Rodney Terry took pressure off himself getting to the 20-win mark for the season. His team did so for the most part without reliance on three point baskets.

The Longhorns attempted 12 three-point shots making six of them. Consequently, Texas made 63.5% of its field goals and scored 94 points. The high scoring output was bolstered by a 22-for-23 performance from the free throw line.

The high field goal percentage and volume of free throw attempts are perhaps a result of more two-point shot attempts. Perhaps, for a program who isn’t afraid to shoot from long range, the team might have found a more efficient way to score given its personnel.

Texas isn’t loaded with three point scorers, but that doesn’t mean it lacks scorers altogether. The scoring output was well distributed on Saturday.

Veteran guard Tyrese Hunter led the scoring for the Longhorns with 30 points on 13 shot attempts. By comparison, fellow guard Max Abmas put up 11 points on 13 shot attempts.

Forward Dylan Disu added 16 points in post-injury action while Dillon Mitchell scored 14 points off the bench. Texas reserves Chendall Weaver and Kaden Shedrick put up nine and eight points respectively.

The Longhorns will look to follow one of their more complete offensive performances with a win in the Big 12 tournament.

Oklahoma Sooners move up one spot in latest Women’s Basketball AP Poll

After beating Texas, the Sooners move up one spot to No. 19 in the latest Women’s Basketball AP Poll.

The Oklahoma Sooners prepare for the Big 12 tournament starting March 7 in Kansas City. The Sooners head into the tournament coming off of a big win over No. 3 Texas but were upset in Lawrence on the final day of the regular season.

Still, with a Big 12 regular season title in hand, OU is a threat to win the Big 12 tournament.

The win over Texas, more than the loss to Kansas, helped the Sooners rise one spot in the latest AP Top 25 to No. 19 in the nation. They’re the fourth highest-ranked Big 12 team behind Texas at No. 6, Kansas State at No. 16, and Baylor at No. 17.

Though they weren’t able to make a significant move this week in the poll, a strong showing in the Big 12 tournament could get them closer to the top 10.

The South Carolina Gamecocks head into tournament play as the unanimous No. 1 team in the nation.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

Best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners 87-85 loss to the No. 1 Houston Cougars

Best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners 87-85 buzzer-beater loss to the Houston Cougars on Saturday night.

Close losses all count the same, but after the Sooners’ disappointing effort in Ames earlier this week, going toe to toe with the No. 1 team in the nation was an encouraging site.

When the Oklahoma Sooners are hitting their shots, they’ve proven this season that they can hang with just about anyone. And in this contest, the Sooners shot very well. Oklahoma had a chance to send the game to overtime, getting an initial stop on Jamal Shead’s game-tying attempt on Houston’s final possession.

However, the Sooners couldn’t collect the rebound, and the ball found Shead again, who did what good players do when given a second chance and buried the game-winner and Oklahoma’s upset bid.

Still, it was an encouraging performance for the Sooners as they head into the final week of the regular season. Sure, you hate to lose any game but the 2023-2024 season has shown improvement. Oklahoma sits 7-9 in Big 12 play after they won just five games a year ago. Overall, the Sooners are one win away from a 20-win season.

Despite how the rest of the season goes, this team looks like they’re heading for the NCAA tournament. Now it’s about earning the best seed they can in March Madness.

Check out the best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners loss to the Houston Cougars.

 

Social media reacts to the Oklahoma Sooners Bedlam Basketball Sweep

Both the Oklahoma Sooners men’s and women’s basketball teams completed sweeps of Oklahoma State in Bedlam on Saturday and here’s how social media reacted.

It was a wonderful day to be a Sooner fan on Saturday. In addition to the displays put forth on the diamond by OU Baseball and Softball, the teams that call the hardwood home provided some memorable performances in Bedlam.

The OU Men’s team won in dramatic fashion on Javian McCollum’s buzzer-beating three-pointer in overtime. OU Women’s Bedlam win was a little less dramatic as Jennie Baranczyk and the Sooners cruised to a 35-point win in Norman.

Porter Moser hadn’t beaten Oklahoma State prior to this year and now he’s earned a sweep. Baranczyk, on the other hand, is 6-0 against the Cowgirls, who can’t wait for the OU Women’s team to be in the SEC and not a thorn in their side.

Freshman [autotag]Sahara Williams[/autotag] had a career-high 20 points to lead the Sooners, while [autotag]Lexi Keys[/autotag] became a part of NCAA history with her 1,000th career point.

Javian McCollum cemented his legacy with the buzzer-beater to win the game. It was a huge win that likely helped solidify Oklahoma’s spot in the NCAA tournament.

Here’s a look at some of the best reactions on social media from both the men’s and women’s outcomes.

Best photos from Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball’s overtime win over Oklahoma State

A look at the best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners dramatic overtime win over the Oklahoma State Cowboys in Bedlam.

If that was the last time the Oklahoma Sooners and the Oklahoma State Cowboys meet on the hardwood, the two sides played a classic.

The second leg of this season’s edition of Bedlam looked like it might go to the hometown team in Stillwater. The Sooners trailed by as much as 11 points and were down 38-30 at halftime.

But they battled in the second half and were able to push the game to overtime. And that’s when the magic happened.

With time running out in overtime, Javian McCollum hit a stepback three at the buzzer to give the Sooners the win and sweep Bedlam in the 2023-2024 season.

The win pushed their record to 19-8 on the season and 7-7 in Big 12 play with four games to go.

Here are the best photos from Oklahoma’s 84-82 win over the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

Three takeaways from Oklahoma’s 84-82 overtime thrilling win to complete Bedlam sweep

Three takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners buzzer beater overtime win over Oklahoma State.

Saturday could have been a bad day for the Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball team. For 90% of the game, things weren’t looking great for the Sooners. But somehow, with time dwindling in the second half, Oklahoma fought back to force overtime.

In the extra period, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State went back and forth. As the seconds ticked of the clock and the teams exchanged and-ones, OU found a two-point lead with 1:51 left.

John-Michael-Wright’ rained down a 3-pointer, put Oklahoma State back in front 82-81 with just seconds remaining.

After a timeout, Porter Moser tried to draw up something to get Javian McCollum to the rim. The Cowboys’ defense was stout and McCollum was forced into a step-back three, which he buried as time expired, sealing the season sweep in Bedlam.

They avoided a devastating blow to their NCAA Tournament chances with the win.

It was massive and will go down in Oklahoma basketball history because of the shot and what the win means to the Bedlam rivalry. With that said, here are three takeaways from Oklahoma’s victory over Oklahoma State.

Sooners No. 9 in The Oklahoman’s Big 12 basketball power rankings

The Sooners still have a lot to prove as the end of the season winds down, coming in at No. 9 in The Oklahoman’s latest Big 12 rankings.

The Oklahoma Sooners are entering the stretch run of the Big 12 basketball season. With five games left to play, the Sooners are one game under .500 in Big 12 play and 18-8 overall.

They’re in a good position to make the NCAA tournament. The Sooners are at No. 39 in NET Rating, which is a strong indicator that they’ll earn a berth in March Madness.

But they’ve still got a lot to prove if they want to grab a top-eight seed. In The Oklahoman’s latest Big 12 basketball power rankings from Jacob Unruh, the Sooners come in at No. 9.

Will a week off help the Sooners regain their footing? Rivaldo Soares getting healthy would be a big boost, especially with two tough road games on the schedule. – Unruh, The Oklahoman

One has to hope the time off gives [autotag]Rivaldo Soares[/autotag] and [autotag]John Hugley[/autotag] a chance to get closer to game. The two bench pieces have been key to the Sooners success this season.

While things haven’t gone smoothly over the last week, they can reset the narrative a bit with a win over Oklahoma State in Stillwater. Can the Sooners pull off the Bedlam sweep this Saturday before a stretch that features top 10 programs Iowa State and Houston?

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.