Oklahoma basketball: Sooners climb to No. 25 in Associated Press Top 25

Men’s Oklahoma basketball is off to a 6-0 start to the 2023-24 season, including a 72-70 win over No. 23 USC over the weekend, and on Monday the Sooner cracked the top 25, claiming the 25th spot in the Associated Press poll.

In addition to the win over USC, OU also derailed a good Iowa team, holding a potent Hawkeye offense to just 67 points in a 79-67 Sooner victory on the way to the championship in the Rady Children’s Invitational in San Diego.

The Sooners are one of five Big 12 teams ranked in this week’s AP poll. Head coach Porter Moser’s team received votes (44) in the Coaches Poll but were not ranked among the top 25. The Sooners would be No. 31 in that poll.

This marks the first time the men’s Oklahoma team has been ranked in Moser’s two-plus seasons at OU. The last time the Sooners were ranked was the last game in the 2021-22 season. No. 25 OU lost to No. 1 Gonzaga in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Purdue, Arizona, Marquette and UConn are the top four teams in both weekly polls. Former No. 1 Kansas is the highest-ranked Big 12 team in the AP poll at No. 5. Houston, one of four new members in the Big 12 this season, is No. 5 in the Coaches Poll, with Kansas right behind in the No. 6 spot. Houston occupies the No. 5 spot in the AP poll.

The other Big 12 teams ranked this week are Baylor (9 in both polls), Texas (16 in the AP, 18 in the Coaches) and BYU (19 in both polls).

Oklahoma, picked to finish 12 out of 14 teams in the Big 12 Preseason Poll conducted by the league coaches, is next in action on Thursday against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. That game will be played at historic McCasland Field House on the OU campus.