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Oklahoma Basketball: Joe Lunardi Has Sooners ‘Dancing’ Next Season

By Chip Rouse

Apr 2, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Villanova Wildcats forward Kris Jenkins (2) bring the ball up court defended by Oklahoma Sooners guard Buddy Hield (24) during the first half in the 2016 NCAA Men's Division I Championship semi-final game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 2, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Villanova Wildcats forward Kris Jenkins (2) bring the ball up court defended by Oklahoma Sooners guard Buddy Hield (24) during the first half in the 2016 NCAA Men's Division I Championship semi-final game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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The 2016-17 men’s Oklahoma basketball season was a difficult one for Sooner fans to endure, even in full knowledge that better days were straight ahead.

Mar 4, 2017; Norman, OK, USA; TCU Horned Frogs forward JD Miller (15) fouls Oklahoma Sooners forward Kristian Doolittle (11) on a shot attempt during the second half at Lloyd Noble Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 4, 2017; Norman, OK, USA; TCU Horned Frogs forward JD Miller (15) fouls Oklahoma Sooners forward Kristian Doolittle (11) on a shot attempt during the second half at Lloyd Noble Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

In addition to being on the wrong side of the score on 20 different occasions last season, the most ever by a Sooner men’s team, Oklahoma earned the dubious distinction of being good enough to make it to the Final Four one year, but not good enough to make it as far as the NCAA Tournament the very next.

With a roster that included a combination of 11 freshmen and sophomores on squad of 16, it was not all that surprising that the Sooners went through considerable growing pains very typical of a young team and struggled with closing out games in a conference that includes some of the best teams in the country.

History indicates that things should get better very quickly as far as Oklahoma basketball is concerned. After all, the Sooners have suffered through a losing season just five times in the past four decades and are just a year removed from an OU team that won 29 times in 2016-17.

“Bracketology” high priest Joe Lunardi, who makes a very good living projecting which teams will make the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and how they will be seeded in the bracket, is one expert who believes Oklahoma’s absence from March Madness will be a one-year aberration.

Less than 24 hours after the final buzzer sounded in the NCAA championship game on Monday night, Lunardi was out front with his “way too early” projections on which teams will make the NCAA Tournament 68-team field for next season.

Lunardi’s projections for the 2018 NCAA Tournament include seven teams from the Big 12, including Oklahoma. He has the Sooner men seeded ninth, which would place them as one of the 36 best teams in the tournament. Of course, there is much that will happen between now and then that could chance all of this, not to mention an entire season of 30-plus games.

According to Lunardi, the Sooners will be the fourth highest seeded of the seven teams from the Big 12 he projects to make it to next season’s Big Dance.

Lunardi’s early tournament forecast has Kansas as one of the four No. 1 seeds, which is recent seasons has become almost an automatic, despite the Jayhawks’ failure to make a return trip to the Final Four since winning it all in 2008.

Other Big 12 schools Lunardi believes will make the 2018 NCAA Tournament field are West Virginia (a two seed), Baylor (six seed), TCU (eight seed), Iowa State (10 seed), Texas Tech (11 seed).

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