As OU men’s basketball enters SEC play, what have we learned about the Sooners?

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NORMAN — After being picked to finish 15th out of 16 Southeastern Conference programs, the OU men’s basketball team will open 2025 undefeated at 13-0 and ranked in the top 10 in the USA TODAY SPORTS Coaches Poll.

With six days off after concluding non-conference play, the Sooners will open their conference schedule with a road trip at Alabama at 5 p.m. Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Before OU looks to continue its impressive start to the season, here are three things we learned about Oklahoma heading into the new year:

More: Where is OU men’s basketball in updated AP Top 25, new USA TODAY Coaches Poll?

True freshman guard Jeremiah Fears is a star

Eighteen-year-old Jeremiah Fears appears to be on his way to becoming a freshman All-American and a first-round draft pick.

Fears has started the season as one of the top freshmen in the country, averaging 18.1 points, 4.5 assists and 2.2 steals per game. Sooners head coach Porter Moser coached some talented players in his first three seasons with the program but he hasn’t had a consistent scorer and playmaker like Fears.

He dropped 20 points and five assists on 7-for-10 shooting in his first start against East Texas A&M on Nov. 21. He then scored 20 points and dished out seven assists against Providence and finished with 26 points against Arizona in the Bahamas. But his breakout came when he converted a four-point play in the final seconds and recorded a career-high 30 points to lift OU over Michigan in front of a nationally televised audience.

A top 25 recruit committed to Illinois in the 2025 class, Fears reclassified to 2024 so he could play immediately. He’s ranked as the No. 16 player in ESPN’s latest 2025 NBA draft big board, which ranks the top 100 prospects.

If the Sooners continue racking up wins and secure an NCAA Tournament berth, Fears will be one of the most talented players in the field.

OU men’s basketball schedule: Dates, times, TV channels for 2024-25 season

Oklahoma Sooners guard Jeremiah Fears (0) is introduced…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ou-mens-basketball-enters-sec-113110061.html

Author : The Oklahoman

Publish date : 2024-12-31 11:31:00

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