Although the Oklahoma Sooners finally got into the NCAA Tournament under Porter Moser last season, it's obvious things have to be better in 2025-26.
The Sooners snuck into the NCAA Tournament thanks to a late run after going 6-12 in their first SEC slate and 20-14 overall. They were one of a record 14 SEC teams to make the 68-team field. Unless the NCAA does indeed expand the NCAA Tournament, the Sooners might not get so lucky next time to go dancing.
Here are three specific stats that need to improve year-over-year for the Sooners to take a step forward.
What needs to improve for Sooners on the court
Rebounding
Rebounding was the Sooners' biggest downfall last season, especially early on and on the offensive end. Success down low is needed to succeed in the physical SEC, so needs to be the No. 1 problem Moser solves.
The Sooners went and added two forwards from the transfer portal this offseason, and three of their incoming freshmen are big men. One of them must excel on the boards even better than Jalon Moore, who led OU with 5.8 rebounds a game and is now gone.
3-point shooting
The Sooners averaged 8.5 3-pointers a game last season, which ranked just inside the top 100 in the country, but was still under the mark to be considered dangerous from beyond the arc.
Brycen Goodine was OU's best 3-point shooter last season, so that's a role OU needs to replace. Dayton Forsythe could step up and OU also added sharp-shooting point guard Nijel Pack from the portal. One or both will not only need to emerge as a deep threat, but be more consistent than Goodine was.
Especially if the Sooners struggle down low again, defenses worrying about a deep threat could alleviate the paint and go a long ways beyond just more points on the board.
Ball movement
OU had a future first-round 2025 NBA Draft pick at point guard in Jeremiah Fears, yet ball movement still lacked throughout the season. This issue was even more glaring at the end of close games when it seemed like OU could never get a good look.
This could have been because Fears was an underaged freshman, but he still led the Sooners with 4.1 assists a game while they averaged 13.4 as a team.
The Sooners added two veteran point guards from the transfer portal and will need someone to facilitate the ball better to have a greater chance against a lot teams who will outmatch OU once SEC play starts.
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