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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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Feb 24, 2016; Norman, OK, USA; Country music recording artist Toby Keith watches college basketball action between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Oklahoma State Cowboys during the first half at Lloyd Noble Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 24, 2016; Norman, OK, USA; Country music recording artist Toby Keith watches college basketball action between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Oklahoma State Cowboys during the first half at Lloyd Noble Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

1984-85 Oklahoma Sooners

After OU’s 1946-47 Final Four appearance in the NCAA Tournament, nearly four decades went by before Oklahoma made another deep run in the national March spectacle.

The 1984-85 edition of the Oklahoma Sooners featured three-time All-American and arguably the greatest Sooner player all-time in the late, great Wayman Tisdale. Oklahoma finished that season winning 22 of its final 24 games, ending its season in a two-point loss to Memphis in the Midwest Regional final.

In addition to Tisdale, that Sooner team included a talented cast the likes of Tim McCallister, Anthony Bowie and Darryl “Choo” Kennedy. Given that group, it wasn’t that big a surprise that Oklahoma was one of the No. 1 seeds going into the 1985 NCAA Tournament.

As talented as the 1984-85 Oklahoma team was, the Sooners got off to a bit of a rocky start to the season, given the high expectations. OU lost two of its first four games that season and three of the first nine before going on a winning string that resulted in Big Eight regular-season and postseason tournament championships.

The Sooners handily defeated North Carolina A&T and Illinois State in its opening two NCAA Tournament games. In their round of 16 matchup with the Karl Malone-led Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, however, the Sooners barely escaped, winning by a bucket, 86-84, in overtime.

That sent Oklahoma to the Elite Eight and the Midwest Regional final with Memphis State, where the Sooners found themselves on the other side of a two-point decision in an 63-61 loss to the Tigers.

Tisdale had only 11 points in the NCAA loss to Memphis State, which rode a 22-point performance from its All-American Keith Lee to the victory.

Memphis State was eliminated by eventual national champion Villanova in the national semifinals.

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