Oklahoma Men’s Basketball Surprises Early in SEC, Now a Contender for NCAA Tournament Bid
Ahead of the 2024-25 college basketball season, very few experts expected the Oklahoma men’s basketball team to make any significant noise in the SEC standings. Most preseason predictions had the Sooners missing the NCAA Tournament for a fourth consecutive year. The last time Oklahoma danced in March Madness was in 2021, during the final season of Lon Kruger’s tenure as head coach.
When news broke that Oklahoma would leave the Big 12 and join the SEC, many Sooner fans believed the move would benefit the team, especially in basketball. The SEC, while primarily known for its football dominance, has steadily grown into one of the nation’s top basketball conferences, much like the Big 12 in recent years. The expectation was that Oklahoma would be better positioned in the SEC, despite its competitive reputation.
However, the results so far have exceeded all expectations. Heading into the season, the Sooners were picked to finish 15th out of 16 teams in the SEC Preseason Media Poll. The conference is stacked, with eight teams ranked in the latest Associated Press Top 25, including three in the top five. Yet, after a perfect 8-0 start to the season, including a championship run at the prestigious Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas, Oklahoma is suddenly one of those eight ranked SEC teams.
This fast start has caught the attention of college basketball experts, including ESPN’s Joe Lunardi. In his most recent Bracketology update, Lunardi now projects Oklahoma as a No. 8 seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament—an impressive turnaround from earlier predictions that had the Sooners on the outside looking in.
While it’s still early in the season with months of games left to play, the recognition is a big step for the program. If Oklahoma were to end up as an 8-seed, they would likely face a tough second-round matchup with the region’s No. 1 seed, a scenario the Sooners know all too well from their 2021 NCAA Tournament appearance. As a No. 8 seed, Oklahoma defeated Missouri in the opening round before being eliminated by top-seeded Gonzaga.
Porter Moser, now in his fourth season as head coach of the Sooners, is still searching for his first NCAA Tournament appearance. Despite a 62-45 record at Oklahoma, Moser has faced substantial roster turnover each year due to the combination of players graduating and the constant flux of the transfer portal. This season, he lost three starters and seven players total, but reloaded with 10 new players—seven transfers and three incoming freshmen. So far, this new roster is proving to be a winning combination, much to the delight of Sooner fans.
With a long way to go, the 2024-25 Oklahoma men’s basketball team is already proving its potential, turning heads and looking like a legitimate contender for the NCAA Tournament. Time will tell how the rest of the season unfolds, but for now, the Sooners are making their presence felt in the SEC—and in the national conversation.
