Oklahoma Basketball Preview: Will a portal overhaul boost the Sooners?

It has to be frustrating for anyone involved and interested in Oklahoma basketball the last few years. The 2024-25 version went 6-12 in the SEC, but still made the NCAA Tournament because they beat Arizona, Louisville, and Michigan before conference play started. But OU couldn’t get out of their own way at times during their first foray as a member of the SEC.

Then last season, the script nearly repeated itself just with a different cast of characters. After winning their first game against Ole Miss, Oklahoma lost their next nine contests. Some were close, some were not. But after losing 9 straight, the Sooners took to the road and beat Vanderbilt on the road. Then they beat Georgia, suddenly they won six of their last 8 games to recover to a 7-11 final record. It wasn’t enough to make the tournament again, but it was enough to restore a little faith in the Porter Moser era.

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But maybe the most important part was the impression on Xzayvier Brown and Derrion Reed, two of the prized portal recruits from the season before. They fell all the way to 71st in KenPom.com’s rankings before recovering to finish 41st at the end of the year.

Now the question is how much can one team carry momentum from one season to the next?

Previous SEC Previews:

Oklahoma Sooners

Last season: 21 – 16 (7-11 in conference) #41

The Masses Prediction: 11th in conference

Analytics Average: 9th in conference, 29th overall

LAS VEGAS, NV – APRIL 01: Head coach Porter Moser of the Oklahoma Sooners looks on during the 2026 College Basketball Crown – Quarterfinal game against the Colorado Buffaloes at the Grand Garden Arena at the MGM Grand Resort on April 01, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) | Getty Images

HEAD COACH: Porter Moser | 6th Season, 95-75

It’s definitely been a time for Porter Moser since taking over in Norman. OU fans maybe took their program for granted for a lot of years. From Billy Tubbs to Kelvin Sampson to Lon Kruger, and even Jeff Capel for a few years,…

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Publish date : 2026-10-16 17:00:00

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