OU basketball playing its ‘best basketball’ after win at Texas ahead of SEC Tournament

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AUSTIN, Texas — Seconds before Kobe Elvis, Jalon Moore and Porter Moser — who sported a black suit with a red tie — entered the Moody Center postgame interview room, the OU locker room was a party.

Moser was given a bottled water bath by his players, who streamed the festivities on Instagram Live while Chief Keef played so loud on the aux that the walls shook.

Just three weeks ago, it seemed like the Sooners had bottomed out after a collapse in the final seconds to an LSU team that was then 1-10 in SEC play.  Ten days ago, when OU dropped out of most NCAA tournament projections after falling to Kentucky by one at home, some were calling for Moser’s job and a reset of the program.

Following those disastrous late-game blunders, it now appears the Sooners (19-12, 6-12 SEC) are figuring it out when they need to most, surviving rival Texas 76-72 Saturday night at Moody Center in an ultimate bubble battle that will leave them likely on the right side of the bubble after back-to-back wins. The victory was Moser’s first over the Longhorns since he took the helm, ending a seven-game losing streak. He’s also 3-0 this season when wearing a suit.

“I talked to (Reid Lovelace), he’s a guy from Oklahoma on our team,” Elvis said, “he takes so much pride in this rivalry. He willed us to this, he made sure we all understood how much this meant to people in Oklahoma, so we really wanted to come in and get the W.”

More: What is SEC tournament schedule? Full bracket, game dates, how to watch for Sooners fans

Mar 8, 2025; Austin, Texas, USA; Oklahoma Sooners head coach Porter Moser signals to players during the first half against the Texas Longhorns at Moody Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Entering Saturday night’s contest, OU was largely seen as the final team out of the field. Now it heads to the SEC Tournament in Nashville, Tennessee, likely as one of the last teams in but needing a win against No. 11-seeded Georgia at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday to feel confident.

For a few minutes…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/ou-basketball-playing-best-basketball-103102109.html

Author : The Oklahoman

Publish date : 2025-03-09 10:31:00

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