Tag: Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball

Sooners guard Otega Oweh to enter the transfer portal

The Oklahoma Sooners are losing guard Otega Oweh to the transfer portal per reports.

The 2023-2024 Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball season went better than many expected. The Sooners worked their way into the top 10 and looked like a shoe-in for the NCAA Tournament until conference championship Saturday and Selection Sunday kept them out of the field of 68.

But as the Sooners fell short of the tournament for the third straight year under Porter Moser, transfer portal turnover will once again be a theme of the offseason.

According to On3Sports’ Joe Tipton, Sooners guard [autotag]Otega Oweh[/autotag] plans to enter the transfer portal.

In his second season with the Sooners, Oweh was second on the team in scoring, averaging 11.4 points per game. He shot 49.3% from the field and played an average of 24.8 minutes per game.

In his final game as a Sooner, Oweh put up 16 points in 31 minutes on 6 of 9 shooting in Oklahoma’s seven-point loss to TCU.

Otega Oweh’s an athletic guard that can get up and down the floor in transition. He does a great job at finishing around the basket. As he continued to develop his shooting touch away from the paint, he’ll become a dangerous player on the college basketball scene.

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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.

Oklahoma Sooners drop in College Sports Wire’s Big 12 Power Rankings

The Sooners took a dip in the latest Big 12 power rankings from College Sports Wire.

Last week was a rough one for the Oklahoma Sooners. They had an opportunity to really make a statement to kick off the final stretch of the regular season, but couldn’t put together good enough performances against Baylor or Kansas.

Last week was just the dip in what’s been a roller coaster ride in Big 12 play. Now sitting at 6-7, the stretch doesn’t get easier as they prepare to face Oklahoma State in Stillwater, No. 6 Iowa State, No. 2 Houston, Cincinnati, and then close the season at Texas.

They’re still very much in the mix for an NCAA tournament berth, but they’ve taken a step back in College Sports Wire’s latest Big 12 power rankings.

The Sooners were coming off two wins before suffering back-to-back double-digit losses to ranked opponents last week. Baylor and Kansas were able to take care of business that will likely send OU out of the top 25 in the coaches poll this week. – Patrick Conn, College Sports Wire

It’s unlikely the shorthanded Sooners will find their way back into the Coaches Poll or the AP top 25 with the stretch they have left. However, the difficult stretch that’s coming will be what gets them into the NCAA tournament field.

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Despite Struggles, Oklahoma Men’s Basketball team is far from the NCAA tournament bubble

Despite recent struggles, the Oklahoma Sooners are still in good shape to make the NCAA tournament.

The Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball team has had an up-and-down go of it during Big 12 play. As things stand right now ahead of Saturday’s final conference Bedlam matchup, the Sooners are 18-8 overall and 6-7 in Big 12 play.

They’ve had opportunities to be better than their sub-.500 record. But such is life in the Big 12. Up 11 on Kansas one minute, suffering another disappointing loss the next.

And yet, the Oklahoma Sooners are still an improved basketball team from a year ago when they finished 5-13 in conference play and in last place. And despite the roller coaster ride they’ve been on in the toughest basketball conference in the country, Oklahoma is still on solid footing for to make the NCAA tournament for the first time under Porter Moser.

Even if they finish the season on a sour note, their strength of schedule will be enough for the Oklahoma Sooners to make the tournament. But let’s check in with where Oklahoma’s at in the latest NET ratings, RPI, and bracketologies from around the world of college hoops.

Best Photos from the Oklahoma Sooners loss to the Baylor Bears

The best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners 79-62 loss to the Baylor Bears.

This season has been an up-and-down roller coaster of results for the Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball team.

They’ve proven to be pretty good this year but have struggled when matched up with top 15 opponents. And that’s what happened on Tuesday night in Waco as the Baylor Bears mauled the Sooners 79-62.

They didn’t have a terrible shooting night. The Sooners shot 46.7% from the field and 33.3% from three. However, they lost the turnover battle by seven and Baylor was lights out, shooting 54.9% from the field and 52.4% from three.

The Bears earned 16 more points off turnovers than the Sooners, which, combined with four more threes made than Oklahoma, provided a hefty margin of victory.

The Oklahoma Sooners have a chance to get back on the winning side of things when they welcome the Kansas Jayhawks to Norman on Saturday. But until then, this loss is going to sting.

Here are the best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners loss to Baylor.

Sooners back into the top 25 of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

Oklahoma Sooners back into the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll after beating BYU Cougars and Oklahoma State.

The Oklahoma Sooners went through a tough stretch, losing four of six, dropping them out of the top 25 in both the USA TODAY Sports Coaches and AP Polls.

But they’ve rebounded in a strong way, winning three of their last four, including a 20-point win over Kansas State and 16-point win over top-20 ranked BYU Cougars.

They’re coming off of a tough, gritty win over Oklahoma State and are now 18-6 on the season and looking like a shoe-in for the NCAA tournament.

After falling out of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, the Oklahoma Sooners jumped back in, moving all the way to No. 21 in the nation ahead of a tough stretch. Over the next five games, they’ll play No. 13 Baylor, No. 7 Kansas, Oklahoma State, No. 10 Iowa State, and No. 3 Houston. They’ll then close the season at home against Cincinnati and at Texas.

While it’s a tough slate, the strength of their schedule should be looked upon favorably by the tournament committee. If they can come away from their final seven games with a winning record, that’ll fortify their resume ahead of the Big 12 tournament and March Madness.

A look at the full Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports:

Rank Team Record Points Change
1 UConn 22-2 792 (24) –
2 Purdue 22-2 776 (8) –
3 Houston 21-3 722 +2
4 Marquette 18-5 647 +3
5 North Carolina 19-5 643 -2
6 Arizona 19-5 642 +2
7 Kansas 19-5 635 -3
8 Duke 18-5 529 +2
9 Tennessee 17-6 524 -3
10 Iowa State 18-5 510 +4
11 South Carolina 21-3 475 +9
12 Auburn 19-5 421 -1
13 Baylor 17-6 402 –
14 Illinois 17-6 356 -2
15 Alabama 17-7 337 +1
16 Creighton 17-7 242 +2
17 BYU 17-6 202 +2
18 Dayton 19-4 195 -1
19 St Mary’s 20-6 185 +7
20 Kentucky 16-7 136 -5
21 Wisconsin 16-8 117 -12
21 Oklahoma 18-6 117 +10
23 Virginia 19-5 109 +7
24 Indiana State 22-3 106 +3
25 Colorado State 19-5 96 +4

Schools Dropped Out

No. 21 Utah State; No. 22 Florida Atlantic; No. 23 Texas Tech; No. 24 San Diego State; No. 25 New Mexico

Others Receiving Votes

Utah State 94; Texas Tech 89; Florida Atlantic 63; Clemson 38; Gonzaga 35; San Diego State 34; Nevada 27; TCU 20; Washington State 18; Grand Canyon 13; Texas A&M 9; New Mexico 8; Florida 8; Northwestern 6; South Florida 5; Wake Forest 4; VCU 4; Michigan State 4; James Madison 3; Richmond 1; App State 1

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BEDLAM: Best photos from Oklahoma’s win over Oklahoma State

The Oklahoma Sooners pulled out a tough win over the Oklahoma State Cowboys and here are some of the best photos from Bedlam

Just win. That’s the name of the game in a rivalry. It wasn’t pretty on Saturday night, but the Oklahoma Sooners came away with an important win over the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the first leg of Bedlam.

It may have started ugly, but the Sooners were up to the task to hold Oklahoma State to 30% shooting from the field and just 16% from three.

The Sooners rebounded from a rough first ten minutes to shoot 45.7% for the game and 39.1% from three. Sometimes it’s not about how you start but how you finish. And with the Sooners trailing late, they finished strong with a 9-0 run to take control and pull out the win.

The Sooners couldn’t afford to drop a game to last place Oklahoma State, especially with the slate of teams coming up. The Sooners will play four top 15 teams in their next five games, starting with No. 13 Baylor on Tuesday night. Then they’ll take on No. 4 Kansas at home before going to Stillwater for the second leg in Bedlam. After facing Oklahoma State again, the Sooners will play at No. 13 Iowa State and then host No. 5 Houston before finishing the season with Cincinnati and Texas.

Oklahoma’s likely done enough to make the NCAA tournament. They look like they’re heading toward a top-eight seed, but in order to stay in that projection, they had to beat Oklahoma State.

Here are the best photos from Oklahoma’s win in Bedlam.

Where the Oklahoma Sooners are heading in USA TODAY Sports latest bracketology

The Oklahoma Sooners are currently a seven seed in USA TODAY Sports latest bracketology.

The Oklahoma Sooners have been on a roller coaster since entering Big 12 play. The up-and-down nature of the nation’s top basketball conference has the Sooners at 5-5 in league play after a big win over BYU on Tuesday night.

They’ve pretty well established themselves as a tournament team at this point, but still have work to do to secure their spot in the Big Dance.

As of this week, Oklahoma looks like a team heading for a top eight seed in March Madness. Over at USA TODAY Sports, their latest Bracketology has the Sooners holding the No. 7 seed in the West Regional. If the projection holds up, Oklahoma would face the Texas A&M Aggies in Indianapolis.

Their four-team grouping would also include Marquette and Colgate in the 2-15 game.

Fellow Big 12 school Houston is the 1-seed in the West, but will open the tournament in Memphis.

The Oklahoma Sooners are hoping to make the NCAA tournament for the first time under head coach Porter Moser. They’ll have an opportunity to enhance their resume over the next six games as they play Oklahoma State twice and then four teams ranked in the top 15 in the nation. If the Sooners can come away with a win or two in those top 15 matchups, they’ll have a chance to push for a five-seed in the tournament.

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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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Oklahoma Sooners drop another close one at home, 62-60 to the Baylor Bears

The Oklahoma Sooners lost another close one to a ranked opponent, losing to the No. 21 Baylor Bears 62-60 on Saturday.

The Big 12 is the best conference in college basketball. But that’s no consolation for an Oklahoma Sooners team that fell to 2-5 in conference play after another close loss. This time, they dropped another tight contest to the No. 21 Baylor Bears 62-60.

The Sooners took a 58-56 lead over the Bears with 1:39 remaining on a [autotag]Milos Uzan[/autotag] lob to [autotag]C.J. Noland[/autotag]. Baylor responded on their next possession with a three-pointer by Jalen Bridges. Grant Sherfield drove to the basket to retake the lead, but his floater off the backboard rattled off the rim. The Bears extended their lead with a contested three-pointer by Adam Flagler. It was a strong defensive possession by Sherfield, Flagler was clutch in the moment to extend Baylor’s lead to four with 24 seconds to play.

Oklahoma pulled within two in the final seconds but couldn’t get the ball back in the waning moments.

It was another frustrating home loss for Oklahoma against a ranked opponent. The Sooners led by four at halftime in what was a tightly contested game that saw multiple lead changes throughout.

[autotag]Jalen Hill[/autotag] led the way with 17 points and nine rebounds. He was 8 of 13 from the field. [autotag]Tanner Groves[/autotag] was the only other Sooner in double-figures with 16 points on 6 of 13 shooting and was 2 of 5 from three.

The Sooners struggled again from three-point range, shooting 23.8% from behind the arch on 21 attempts.

Oklahoma’s leading scorer on the season, [autotag]Grant Sherfield[/autotag], was just 3 of 10 from the field for eight points.

With the loss, Oklahoma falls to 11-8 on the season and is just 2-6 in Big 12 play. For their next challenge, the Sooners head to Fort Worth to take on the No. 14 ranked TCU Horned Frogs (15-4, 9-2 in Big 12). The Frogs picked up a big win on Saturday over Kansas, 83-60.

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