Tag: UNC Tarheels

Oklahoma Sooners skyrocket in latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

Oklahoma rose 10 spots in the latest USA Today Sports Coaches Poll and now sits at No. 12.

Oklahoma is on a heck of a run to start the season. The Sooners are stacking wins and building a strong resume that has them on the path to breaking their NCAA Tournament drought.

Oklahoma sits 9-0 and will have two games this week to continue building an impressive resume as the nonconference slate starts to wind down. The rest of the nation notices what Porter Moser is doing with his basketball team in Norman.

On Monday, the newest edition of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll was released, and the Sooners had the most significant rise of any team in the top 25 moving from No. 22 to No. 12.

That 10-spot jump comes on the heels of Oklahoma dominating two Power Five opponents from two of the best basketball conferences in the country in Providence from the Big East and Arkansas from the SEC.

Oklahoma remains one of seven teams in Division 1 basketball that is unbeaten.

Arizona is the No. 1 team after they dismantled Wisconsin. The standard bearer of the Big 12, Kansas, is ranked second, while the newest Big 12 member, Houston, led by former Oklahoma head coach Kelvin Sampson, comes in at third.

Purdue and Connecticut round out the top five. Another undefeated Big 12 team, Baylor, ranks sixth, while Marquette and Creighton rank 7th and 8th.

Oklahoma will take on the now No. 9 UNC Tarheels in a massive matchup on Saturday. Tennessee and Clemson round out the schools right in front of Oklahoma.

Oklahoma has a chance to make a significant splash this week with a win in Charlotte, North Carolina in the Jumpman Invitational against a talented UNC squad led by Hubert Davis. A win there, and the Sooners could be on the cusp of a top-five ranking by the time the calendar turns to 2024.

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Sooners Soaring: Fox College Football’s Joel Klatt includes Oklahoma in top 10 after week 6

The Oklahoma Sooners earned a huge win over Texas and Fox College Sports’ Joel Klatt thrusted OU into his top 10 after week 6.

Through the first five weeks of the season, there was a hesitancy from the national media regarding the Oklahoma Sooners.

Coming off the season they had in 2022, many folks had adjusted expectations for the Sooners.

Through six games and coming off a win over Texas, the Sooners are beginning to look like a tough, hard-nosed Brent Venables team.

Each week, Fox Sports College Football’s Joel Klatt updates his top 10. After Week 6 action, here’s a look at Klatt’s top 10.

Oklahoma Sooners drop one spot in latest AP Poll; remain a top 20 team

Oklahoma gets leapfrogged by Colorado and Ole Miss in latest AP Poll.

Despite winning their game on Saturday, the Oklahoma Sooners dropped in the latest AP Poll that dropped on Sunday.

Oklahoma fell to No. 19 and was passed by Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes, who moved up four spots to No. 18.

Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss Rebels also passed the Sooners after they dispatched  Tulane, the only Group of Five team in the top 25.

At the top, there were a few new top-five teams. After dismantling Ball State, Georgia remains the top dog in the NCAA. Michigan is No. 2. FSU moves up to No. 3 while Oklahoma’s biggest rival, Texas, finds itself at No. 4. The Longhorns made the trip to Tuscaloosa and manhandled the Alabama Crimson Tide.

USC slides into the top five while Ohio State ranks No. 6. Penn State, Washington, Notre Dame and Alabama round out the top 10.

Big 12 foe Kansas State stays steady at No. 15, while UNC, Duke, and Miami all give the ACC nice representation at the bottom of the top 25.

At this rate, the Sooners will not take on a ranked opponent until they meet the Texas Longhorns in Dallas. That game will have major College Football Playoff and Big 12 implications if both schools stay undefeated until the Red River Rivalry.

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’s nonconference schedule highlighted by games against UNC, Arkansas

Taking a look at Oklahoma’s nonconference schedule with marquee games against UNC, Arkansas on the schedule.

Oklahoma’s 2023-2024 men’s basketball season schedule is taking shape, and the nonconference portion is officially locked in.

Oklahoma’s nonconference opponents and the games’ dates, times, and locations were officially announced on Tuesday afternoon.

The out-of-conference slate includes a pair of headliners that will move the needle. They’ll face off against blueblood UNC in the Jumpman Invitational for Jordan Brand-affiliated schools. Then there’s the neutral court rematch with Arkansas, with whom Oklahoma will share a conference in 2024.

 

Outside of those two marquee matchups, the Sooners will host four nonconference games at home to start the season. The games should serve as an excellent opportunity for a team with an overwhelming amount of new faces to gel against lesser competition.

OU will face Central Michigan, Mississippi Valley State, Texas State, and UT-Rio Grande Valley. The Sooners have never lost to any of those teams.

Oklahoma’s first in-season tournament comes when they travel to San Diego, California, to participate in the Rady Children’s Invitational. The Invitational happens on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday at LionTree Arena on the UC-San Diego campus. Joining Oklahoma will be Seton Hall, USC, and Iowa. Iowa and USC made the NCAA Tournament this past season, and both should compete to make it again this year. The Trojans and the Hawkeyes will provide significant tests for the Sooners.

OU returns to Norman on Nov. 30 to face Arkansas-Pine Bluff in McCasland Field House, which is meaningful to Oklahoma basketball. They played there for over 40 years until 1975. The Sooners last played there during the 2012-13 season.

After hosting Providence out of the Big East on Dec. 5, OU will continue the Crimson & Cardinal Classic series with another game against Arkansas at the BOK Center in Tulsa. Oklahoma won in 2021 but lost to Arkansas last year. The Razorbacks went on to make the Sweet Sixteen before bowing out to the eventual national champion, UConn.

OU gets to tune up against an aggressive Green Bay on Saturday, Dec. 16, before traveling to Charlotte, North Carolina, for the Jumpman Invitational. The Sooners will face North Carolina on Dec. 20. UNC beat Florida in the showcase last year.

And to wrap up nonconference and the 2023 calendar year, the Sooners end with a pair of home games over winter break against Central Arkansas and Monmouth on Dec. 28 and Dec. 31, respectively.

It’s not the most challenging schedule, but the possible matchups against some of their Power Five competition should give Oklahoma plenty of tests to gauge where this year’s team is at before they embark on what will be their final season in the Big 12.

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Oklahoma’s pitching staff gets boost with commitment of James Nesta

In addition to his prowess on the football field, the Oklahoma Sooners baseball team got a gem with the commitment of James Nesta.

Oklahoma found themselves a gem from the Tarheel State when they landed two-sport athlete James Nesta earlier this week.

It’s a win for Oklahoma on the gridiron as they landed their first linebacker of the 2024 class. Nesta has exceptional versatility where he can play in space as an off-ball linebacker or rush the passer off the edge. He stands 6-foot-4 and could be a candidate to play cheetah in Brent Venables’ system.

As a junior last fall, Nesta was credited with 41 tackles, including 13 for loss and nine sacks. He also had a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. The draw of learning from Brent Venables helped the talented four-star linebacker choose OU over UNC and Miami. It wasn’t his only reason for picking Oklahoma, though.

Nesta’s ability on the diamond is special in its own right. Nesta has played baseball virtually his whole life. For his high school and travel ball teams, he pitches and plays in the outfield. Nesta’s value to the Oklahoma baseball program over the next three years will be because of his right arm. Perfect Game named Nesta a preseason underclassman second-team All-American for the summer baseball circuit. The Oklahoma commit plans to battle with his South Charlotte Panthers squad this summer.

Nesta has a fastball that has been clocked as high as 94 MPH. That’s incredibly impressive for a high school pitcher heading into his senior year. It’s something that head baseball coach Skip Johnson and his staff will dream of all summer. His fastball’s velocity will improve with dedicated time in two different strength and conditioning programs, along with his body maturing with age.

Nesta also features promising offspeed offerings that will also continue to improve. Lowering his arm angle would help with his command, which he’s worked on diligently over the last year. Oklahoma’s pitching was a significant thorn in their side in 2023. Johnson has already added to his staff with the transfer commitment of Jace Miner from Wichita State, so adding Nesta feels like a cherry on top.

If Nesta blossoms and shines as a pitcher, Venables may have to have some tough conversations. An arm with the possibility to throw triple digits is a money maker in the MLB and something many scouts will be monitoring going forward as Oklahoma enters the SEC next season. Either way, you slice it, Oklahoma athletics is better after having landed James Nesta. Now we wait and see how and where he shines brightest.

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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.