NORMAN — In an unconventional setting, Oklahoma’s men’s basketball team did what it’s done all year: win.
The No. 21 Sooners beat Alcorn State 94-78 at McCasland Field House to stay undefeated (9-0) on the young 2024-25 season.
Here are three takeaways from OU’s win against the Braves:
For how strong the Sooners were in their first eight games, they were sluggish out of the gates on Saturday.
Alcorn State led for most of the first half before OU went on a 16-6 run to end the half. But the Sooners, in spite of a start where they struggled to grab offensive boards or make inside shots, played sound basketball at the end of the first half to hold an eight-point lead at the break.
“I thought we were a step behind in our communication,” OU coach Porter Moser said. “We have to make them miss.”
It’s the second game in a row that Oklahoma played less-than-ideal basketball in the first 20 minutes.
Against Georgia Tech — in the ACC-SEC Challenge held in Norman — the Sooners trailed by double digits. OU played much better in the second half, though, opening the second half on a 15-5 run against the Yellow Jackets and winning 76-61 against a power-conference opponent to keep its undefeated campaign alive.
The start wasn’t pretty, but that doesn’t matter a lot. Oklahoma still won and advanced to 9-0.
After holding a single-digit lead at halftime, the Sooners blew the game open early in the second half. They went on a 17-3 run in the first few minutes of the half and forced five Alcorn State turnovers, giving them firm control of the game.
But it isn’t celebration time for the Sooners.
OU started similarly strong in the 2023-24 season, opening the year 10-0. The Sooners, though, failed to reach the NCAA Tournament and finished 20-12 (8-10 in Big 12 play).
Still, the Sooners seem to be on the right track.
They’re ranked No. 21 in the latest AP Top 25 poll and will likely rise in the rankings after a handful of ranked teams ahead of them lost this week. Oklahoma is one of three teams in the Southeastern Conference who holds an undefeated record, along with Florida and Tennessee.
The Sooners still haven’t begun conference play, as they’ll start their debut conference season of SEC play on Jan. 4 against Alabama.
But the undefeated start is a good sign that they’ll be competitive in their new league. And, unlike college football, the NCAA Tournament committee doesn’t really care about how games started and ended.
As long as the Sooners win, that helps their resume.
Oklahoma plays almost all of its home games at Lloyd Noble Center, but Saturday was the exception.
The Sooners hosted the Braves at the McCasland Field House, which was the home for OU basketball from 1928-1975 before OU moved to the LNC.
Oklahoma used to play an annual, students-only game for multiple decades before ending it in 2012. The Sooners revived the tradition a year ago, so Saturday’s game was the second year in a row that they played — and won — in their previous home.
With a 5,000-person capacity, McCasland provided an intimate, students-only setting for the Sooners’ win.
“It was super electric in here,” OU guard Dayton Forsythe said. “It was a lot of fun. We appreciate all of them coming here on a weekend and providing the energy that we needed for this game.”
