3 takeaways as Sooners stun Michigan with game-winning 4-point play to stay unbeaten

Down by three points with just 11 ticks remaining in the game, Oklahoma's Jeremiah Fears fearlessly launched a 3-point shot that found its mark, tying the game. But hold on. ... he was fouled on the play.

That breathtaking sequence proved to be the difference in the game as the true freshman Fears casually stepped to the charity stripe and calmly completed the improbable four-point play as the 14th-ranked Sooners pulled off a stunning 87-86 win over the Michigan Wolverines in the Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte, North Carolina, to remain one of just four unbeaten teams in the country.

It was an unlikely ending to a game that for portions of the second half looked like No. 24 Michigan was on the verge of pulling away and burying the Sooners.

Oklahoma struck quickly to open the second half, erasing a five-point, 43-38 halftime deficit within the opening minute, but succumbed to 11-0 and 7-0 runs over the next 10 minutes to fall behind by 11 points twice.

Oklahoma refused to fold, slowly whittling away at the Michigan advantage. With the Wolverines leading by one, 74-73, High Point transfer Duke Miles buried a 3-point shot with just under six minutes to go, putting the Sooners on top 76-74 and giving them their first lead since the 15:40 mark in the first half. OU was able to stretch its advantage to four points before Michigan rallied with a 10-3 run to go back out in front 86-83 and set up the frenzied final sequence.

Fears, a top-50 recruit who became a Sooner late in the 2024 cycle, led the OU attack with a game- and career-high 30 points. He was brilliant throughout the contest, especially in the clutch in the closing seconds when his team needed it the most. While he ended up wearing the heroes hat, he could just as easily been the goat after misdirecting a pass that was picked off by the Wolverines with 58 seconds remaining.

The Sooners blocked a Michigan shot attempt at the rim, but the Wolverines were able to corral the offensive rebound. They weren't able to get off a second scoring chance, however, as the Wolverines' Roddy Gayle Jr. returned the turnover favor, having a pass stolen by the Sooners with 30 seconds left in the game. OU coach Porter Moser immediately used the Sooners' final timeout to set up the final sequence of events.

The OU men completed a two-game sweep over Michigan. The OU women defeated Michigan 72-62 the night before in the second game of a doubleheader that also featured the 7th-ranked Florida men's team pulling off a thrilling 90-84 come-from-behind win over North Carolina.

With the win, Oklahoma improved to 11-0, its third-best start in the past decade, and with a pair of very winnable nonconference games at home to close out the calendar year, it is highly likely the Sooners will begin the SEC portion of their schedule a perfect 13-0, which would be their second-best start to the season in program history.

1. Sooners' struggled with Michigan's serious size advantage

Oklahoma experienced a great deal of difficulty with the size and length of the two 7-footers in Michigan's starting lineup. Shots in the paint and close in to the basket were tightly defended. The same advantage worked in the Wolverines' favor on the offensive end, with Vladislav Goldin collecting a team-high 26 points on 10-of-12 shooting and teammate Danny Wolf adding 15. The two big men also pulled down 10 rebounds each.

The Sooners were able to adjust somewhat in the second half, holding the pair to a combined 14 points, but Michigan posted a 50-28 advantage on points in the paint.

2. 3-point shooting a major difference and kept OU in the game

OU struggled to score in the paint against Michigan's size in the frontcourt to score, but from the perimeter, the Sooners were equal to the challenge. Oklahoma shot a season-high 48% from behind the arch, making 12-of-25 3-point attempts. Jeremiah Fears, Jalon Moore and Duke Miles each made three 3-balls.

OU was just dialed in defending the 3-point shot at the Michigan end of the court. The Sooners held the Wolverines to just 4-of-28 3-point shooting for a season-best 14.3 3-point shooting percentage defense.

3. Freshman Fears has become heart and soul of this Sooners' team

Jeremiah Fears has scored in double figures in every game this season, and his 30-point performance in the win over Michigan was his best of the season, marking the fourth time in 11 games that he has scored at least 20 points. He is not a prolific 3-point marksman, averaging just one a game, but he drained three of four on Wednesday night and none more clutch than the one he buried while also drawing a foul in the act of shooting with 11 seconds remaining.