Oklahoma basketball: Lon Kruger's 5 worst Sooner losses

Oklahoma basketball: Lon Kruger’s 5 worst Sooner losses

By Chip Rouse | Mar 10, 2018

NORMAN, OK - FEBRUARY 17: Head Coach Lon Kruger of the Oklahoma Sooners questions a call with a referee during the game against the Texas Longhorns at Lloyd Noble Center on February 17, 2018 in Norman, Oklahoma. The Longhorns defeated the Sooners 77-66. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) /

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NORMAN, OK – MARCH 1: Lester Medford /

#4 – Baylor 76, Oklahoma 50, Dec. 30, 2016

Oklahoma opened up the Big 12 season on New Year’s Eve eve in 2016. The Sooners were 6-5 to open up the season that year, just eight months after appearing in the Final Four in the NCAA Basketball Tournament.

OU had lost three key starters off of the Final Four team, including national player of the year Buddy Hield. Lon Kruger knew that the 2015-16 season would be a rebuilding season, and the Baylor Bears came to Norman in late December to remind Kruger and his team of that fact.

Baylor jumped on the Sooners early and often and raced out to a 36-17 halftime lead. The Bears, who came to Norman with a perfect 12-0 record and ranked fourth in the country, started off the second half just as the left off at the break. At one point in the second stanza, Baylor led by as many as 34 points.

Jonathan Motley led the Baylor offensive attack with 19 points. Manu Lecompte and Jo Lual-Acuil (a pair of names that should ring a bell for Big 12 followers this season) added 14 and 12 points, respectively. Sophomore Christian James led the Sooners with 11 points.

The loss was the worst in Kruger’s five previous seasons at OU and was the worst Oklahoma home loss since 2010-11, when Jeff Capel was the OU head coach.

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