Oklahoma basketball: Who are these Sooners?

Just when some Sooner fans were ready to pull the plug on Oklahoma basketball for this season, the OU men have risen up and collectively decreed, “Not so fast!”

Following a demoralizing stretch in which the Sooners lost five in a row to drop to 3-9 in the conference, they have turned things around, and at just the right time.

After falling 59-53 at Baylor on Feb. 11, Oklahoma has reeled off four wins in its last five games and seemingly has risen from the dead, sending a surge of renewed energy and excitement throughout the program.

This is the same OU team that in early January was ranked 19th in the country and at one time was projected as high as a No. 3 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament by ESPN “Bracketology” wizard Joe Lunardi. Shortly after that, however, the Sooners took a 180-degree turn for the worse. Between Jan. 28 and Feb. 11, Oklahoma lost five consecutive games, and some fans were ready to write off the season.

By Valentine’s Day, the OU men had fallen to 3-9 in the conference and found themselves teetering on the proverbial bubble as far as an NCAA Tournament bid was concerned. Lunardi had dropped the Sooners all the way to the 13 line and had them having to play their way in in a midweek play-in game.

Since then, with its back literally against the wall and an NCAA Tournament bid seriously on the line, Oklahoma has rebounded, winning four of its last five games. The Sooners’ 81-68 win over the reigning Big 12 champion Kansas Jayhawks on Tuesday likely secured a tournament spot for Oklahoma, which will be its sixth in eight seasons under head coach Lon Kruger.

Lunardi’s latest projection has the Sooners on the nine line, with the regular-season finale at Kansas State coming up on Saturday.

What is the reason behind the recent Oklahoma turnaround? Simply put, the Sooners are making more shots and making them more consistently, and they are playing much more disciplined on the defensive end. The result is self-evident.

And with postseason play a little over a week off, the timing of the Sooner rebound couldn’t be more perfect.

Winning four of five in the season’s homestretch is quite simply the difference between playing with the big boys in the Big Dance and being among the non-invited and subjected to the NIT.

To be completely safe, Oklahoma may still have to win a game next week in the Big 12 Tournament, but the crimson and cream is clearly in better shape than it was just a week and a half ago. And that’s saying something.