With 1:26 remaining on the clock, the Sooners followed the Kentucky 80-70. Game finished, right? Fake.
Jeremiah Fears and Oklahoma had other plans. The fears finished an incredibly impressive one-minute stretch with two free throws, a flight, a decisive pass, another flight and a bucket of green light to give the Sooners an advance of 84-83 with 5.6 seconds to play.
It was one of the most impressive moments of the Era Era Moser, but unfortunately, the former Otega Otega Oweh made the descent and made a left -hand float on three defenders when the weather expired to give Kentucky an 85-84 victory – the second time they beat Oklahoma to one point thanks to an Oweh game.
However, Oklahoma played some of its best basketball at the right time, and Thursday evening in Nashville, it showed why it belongs to the 68-year-old domain. The Sooners entered the dry tournament with their NCAA tournament in the hopes in great shape, and after a victory over Georgia on Wednesday, they have everything except their place. Thursday’s match is only strengthening it.
On Sunday, Oklahoma will hear its name called for the big dance not only for the first time in the Moser era, but the first time since 2021.
If you said to the Sooners fans after Oklahoma’s defeat against LSU on February 15, they would have been incredulous. But this team did what she had to do in March.
Here is why the Sooners have the necessary ingredients to race in the NCAA tournament next week.
Strong game
One of the main blows against Moser was that his Oklahoma teams still seemed to peak in November and December. This season did not seem different from the start, because the Sooners won the Battle 4 Atlantis and won notable victories against Louisville, which finished second in ACC, and Arizona, which finished third in the Big 12.
Then came another moment of signature when the fears struck a game of four points winning in Charlotte to push the Sooners after Michigan, which finished second in the big ten. These three victories seemed to be proof that this team was different, and now they help Oklahoma a lot.
But as the dry game started, familiar concerns have resurfaced. The Sooners exploded an 18-point lead in the second half at Texas A&M, did not appear in the first half against Texas and lost against the worst conference team, LSU. At that time, Oklahoma was 3-9 in play.
It seemed to be another collapse at the end of the season of a team led by Moser, but instead, the Sooners overturned the script.
In their last seven games, Oklahoma went 4-3, with the three defeats from a single possession. Two were on the winners of the game, and one was on a dagger from Sean Pedulla. Their victories were impressive, beating the state of the Mississippi, taking care of the Missouri and finally entering Austin to beat Texas for the first time in Moser’s mandate. Then they opened the dry tournament with a huge 81-75 victory against Georgia.
In other words, this team plays its best basketball at the right time, what you want exactly with a group that seeks to start in depth in March.
Jérémie’s factor of fears
It was clear throughout the season that Oklahoma will go as fears do, and lately, it was at its best. We have seen special moments of the real first year which should always be in high school, the very first sign being the battle 4 Atlantis where he dropped 26 points, five assists and five rebounds against Arizona.
Then he had a spectacular performance against Michigan, marking 30 points and hitting a game of four points to win it for the Sooners. But in his first dry games, you could say that the first year had hit a little wall.
But now this has not been. Fears closed the conference with four impressive performances, one of which, against the Missouri, where he marked a career summit of 31 points, collected five assists and took four rebounds on a turnover.
In the last seven games, he collected an average of 22.7 points, 5.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds. In two games of the dry tournament, the fears collected 28 points, five assists, four rebounds and three interceptions against Kentucky and 29 points, six rebounds, three interceptions and two assists against Georgia.
The member of the SEC All-Freshman team looked like one of the best first-year students in the whole country. Everyone knows that you win with a good guard game in March, and the native of Joliet, Illinois, will be a problem for anyone who is twinned with Oklahoma in the first round.
With fears playing at the level he was, the Sooners will have the chance to stay with almost anyone. He has provided exciting moments in the dry tournament, and he is about to do the same when Oklahoma returns to the NCAA tournament next week.
Three -point shot
One of the biggest goals for Moser and its staff during the offseason was to add a three -point shot. Last season, Oklahoma drew 34.5% in depth, ranking 144th in the country. This season, they drew 37%, which places them not only 35th nationally but also second in the dry.
The Sooners have the firepower behind the arc to become hot and become a major problem for any team. It starts with Brycen Goodine, who is second in the dry in percentage of three points (for 100 attempts), pulling 43.4% in depth. He recently led Oklahoma with 14 points against Texas, presenting the team’s depth of the team.
He also exploded for 34 points out of 9-11 pulling out of three against Texas A&M and lost 24 points out of 5-9 of deeply against Texas A&M. And it is not only the good – Duke Miles, who tried 91 three, draws an impressive 44% of the arc.
In addition, Kobe Elvis has really emerged lately. He started the strong year, noting in particular 26 points against Providence, but hit a rough patch in the middle of the dry game, leading to a drop in minutes. These minutes are back, just like his shot – Elvis struck 45% in the last seven games, a great reason why the Sooners have played so well.
Oklahoma clearly has the depth firepower to hang with almost anyone in the tournament, especially if someone like fears also connects beyond the arc. If the Sooners make a race, their ability to shoot three will be a major factor.
A coach who was there
The last time a team trained by the Moser to Porter made the NCAA tournament, Loyola Chicago reached Sweet 16 in 2021, overthrowing the Illinois as a series as 8 seeds. Three years earlier, the Ramblers had a Cinderella race in the Final Four in 11 Seeds.
It is useful to have a coach who knows how to win in March – someone with experience in the pressures of the NCAA tournament. This is a great reason why certain teams are considered potential sleepers, and Oklahoma has this advantage. Moser has proven that he can lead a team deeply in the tournament.
Beyond the NCAA tournament, its teams have always prospered in the tournament parameters. The Sooners have won each of their last three non -conference tournaments – The Battle 4 Atlantis, ESPN Events Invitational and Rady Children’s Invitational – and they had success in the dry tournament this season.
The problem was from Oklahoma to the first place, but this year he did.
Moser excels in winning this first game in a tournament. He did it several times – whether in Loyola Chicago or Oklahoma. The Sooners saw it earlier this season, managing Providence before finally winning battle 4 Atlantis. They also beat Georgia in the SEC tournament and were only one winner of the match before going to the third round.
Oklahoma has also prospered on neutral land this season. Apart from a defeat against Kentucky, the Sooners have shot Providence, Louisville, Michigan, Arizona, Oklahoma State and Georgia when they play on neutral sites. This augurs well for their chances of making noise in March.
Strong depth
The Sooners have won three of their last five games, but during these victories, Milore Moore did not score more than 14 points, even recording a 2 -point point point in one of the competitions. This highlights the depth of Oklahoma, but also suggests how dangerous the team could be if Moore returned to the level of play which made him an average of 16 points on the season. A week of rest could be exactly what he needs.
In addition, the Oklahoma played without Sam Godwin in their last three games, and during this section, Mohamed Wague had considerably intensified. Back in Atlantis, Wague only played six and three minutes in two games and did not see the ground in the third. Its recent emergence has contributed to approaching one of the biggest question points of Oklahoma: the depth of the front area.
Wague is not the only bench player to intervene recently. Elvis reappeared after seeing his minutes plunge in the middle of the dry game. He scored 12 points and collected four assists against Kentucky on Thursday evening, marking his total higher level points since January 11.
Glenn Taylor Jr. also carried out solid performance, marking 9 points on 3 shooting out of 5 against Kentucky and 10 points on 4 shots on Texas. These are his two most scores games since December 29.
Dayton Forsythe is another player to monitor for the depth of score of Oklahoma. There are only four games, he lost 25 points out of 7 shots from the field. In addition, Forsythe made two key throws in 10 minutes of action against Georgia and contributed six points in an 11 -minute section against Kentucky before being sidelined by an injury.
In the end, the Sooners have a starry star, play their best basketball, have a coach who proved in March, has powerful three -point shots and boasted of solid depth – all the essential ingredients for a successful March race.
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