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Oklahoma Basketball: Sooners’ Five Best NCAA Tournament Years

By Chip Rouse

Mar 11, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Oklahoma Sooners head coach Lon Kruger reacts to a call in the first half against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the Big 12 Conference tournament at Sprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 11, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Oklahoma Sooners head coach Lon Kruger reacts to a call in the first half against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the Big 12 Conference tournament at Sprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 13, 2016; Stillwater, OK, USA; A referee holding the game ball during the Oklahoma Sooners and the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Gallagher-Iba Arena. OU won 74-72. Mandatory Credit: Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 13, 2016; Stillwater, OK, USA; A referee holding the game ball during the Oklahoma Sooners and the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Gallagher-Iba Arena. OU won 74-72. Mandatory Credit: Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports /

1946-47 Oklahoma Sooners

The Oklahoma Sooners have played in a number of national championship games in football, but basketball is a different story. The Sooners have played for the national championship in men’s basketball just twice in program history. Forty-one years separates the two games.

The Sooners’ first trip to the NCAA Finals was in 1947. Oklahoma was led that season by its first National Player of the Year, Gerald Tucker, and won a then school-record 24 games.

Oklahoma edged by its first two NCAA Tournament opponents, Oregon State and Texas, winning both games by a combined two points. The Sooners defeated the Texas Longhorns 55-54 in the Western Regional final in Kansas City on a short jumper by Ken Pryor from the left wing with just seconds remaining.

The win over Texas sent OU to Madison Garden in New York City for a national championship date with Holy Cross. The Crusaders, led by tournament MVP George Kaftan and a freshman guard named Bob Cousy, proved to be too much for the Sooners, pulling out a 58-47 victory.

Holy Cross was the No. 8 seed coming into the eight-team tournament. That would be the closest Oklahoma would come to winning a national title in basketball until the 1987-88 Sooner team made it to the Final Four.

Next: 1938-39 Oklahoma Sooners

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