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Oklahoma Basketball: Sooners’ Still Have Path to the Postseason

By Chip Rouse

Feb 25, 2017; Norman, OK, USA; The Oklahoma Sooners react after a play against the Kansas State Wildcats during the second half at Lloyd Noble Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 25, 2017; Norman, OK, USA; The Oklahoma Sooners react after a play against the Kansas State Wildcats during the second half at Lloyd Noble Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /
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We have known for quite a while that postseason dreams for this season’s men’s Oklahoma basketball squad were just that: illusions of grandeur.

Feb 27, 2017; Lawrence, KS, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Christian James (3) and Kansas Jayhawks forward Carlton Bragg Jr. (15) battle for a rebound during the first half at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 27, 2017; Lawrence, KS, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Christian James (3) and Kansas Jayhawks forward Carlton Bragg Jr. (15) battle for a rebound during the first half at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /

Well, that is not completely accurate. Odds are more than heavily stacked against an NCAA Tournament appearance by this year’s edition of Sooner men’s basketball, but the door is not locked.

It’s not over until the final horn sounds, to paraphrase a popular saying. Were the Sooners to surprise the world and come up with four wins in four days  at the Sprint Center in Kansas City this week, they not only would be crowned champions of the Big 12 postseason tournament, they would be awarded the conference’s automatic berth in the NCAA Basketball Championship.

Admittedly, that is not likely to happen, especially given that after traversing the Big 12’s double round-robin schedule, Oklahoma stands 5-13, the second worst record in the conference. But as they say, never say never.

Only one team with a losing record has ever made it as far as the championship game in the Big 12 Tournament, and that was in the league’s inaugural season in 1996-97. Missouri made it to the championship game after sporting a 5-11 conference record in the regular season (16-17 overall). The Tigers were handily defeated by Kansas, however, 87-60.

Oklahoma has made it to the finals five times in the Big 12 Championship tournament, but not since 2003. The Sooners were tournament champions for three successive seasons from 2001 to 2003 and runners-up twice (1998 and 2000).

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Only Kansas has won more Big 12 Tournament titles than Oklahoma in the 21-year history of the conference. The Jayhawks have won the tournament championship 10 times, including four of the past seven. Oklahoma and Iowa State both have three Big 12 Tournament titles.

Oklahoma own the second best tournament record at 22-17, a winning percentage of .564. The Sooners won 10 consecutive Big 12 Tournament games between 2001 and 2004, which is tied with Kansas for the most consecutive conference tournament victories.

The Sooners will begin Big 12 Tournament play this season on Wednesday, when they will face TCU, the team they beat by five points, 73-68, in the regular-season finale last Saturday. The Horned Frogs also own a win over OU this season, winning by three points (60-57) in a game played in Ft. Worth earlier in the year.

OU is 19-3 in the all-time series with TCU in basketball, including victories in 11 of the last 13 meetings.

Oklahoma is the nine seed in this year’s postseason conference tourney. The Sooners were able to escape the 10th seed with their win on Saturday over TCU.

If the Sooners make it out of the first round, No. 1 seed Kansas will be waiting for them in the quarterfinals on Thursday afternoon. OU and Kansas have met four times in the conference tournament in the Big 12 era, with each team winning twice.

It may be a very low probability that Oklahoma will make it more than two rounds in this year’s Big 12 Tournament, but not an impossibility, either.

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