Men's basketball has been going better than football for Oklahoma
Football is king at Oklahoma, which is why you were probably too distracted by games, an offensive coordinator search and recruiting updates to keep up with what was happening on the court this past month.
With football season basically over and basketball season now heating up, here are three storylines to help OU fans get caught up on what they need to know before turning their focus to basketball.
There's a group of Sooners actually winning more than losing
First, OU has a good men's basketball team that's doing nothing but winning. The Sooners are undefeated at 7-0 a month into the season.
There could have been doubt early because of OU's lackluster schedule, but then last week the Sooners proved the soft schedule is not the only reason they're not losing. OU took the title at the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis over Thanksgiving weekend.
The Sooners went 3-0 in the Bahamas, beating Providence, Arizona and Louisiville. OU was Providence's first loss of the season, and at the time was the Sooners' best win of the young season, but for only a day. On Thanksgiving day, the Sooners upset then-No. 24 Arizona 82-77. OU then won a close one to Louisiville 69-64 in the finals on Friday.
The undefeated start and tournament championship catapulted the Sooners into the top 25 at No. 21 in both major polls, meaning voters around the country are now also realizing there's a good basketball team in Norman.
Jeremiah Fears will be a star
The only thing incorrect about that above statement is that freshman Jeremiah Fears might already be a star.
There were high expectations for Fears as a four-star combo guard in the 2024 class, according to 247Sports. Fears is already playing at the level he was expected to, even though he should still technically be in high school after reclassifying from the 2025 class.
Fears just earned SEC Freshman of the Week after his performance in the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis. He averaged 18.7 points, 5.3 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 2.7 steals in the three wins. Fears put up a career-high (for now) 26 points and also dished out five assists in the upset over Arizona. The three-game showcase was also enough to put Fears on the all-tournament team.
For the season, Fears is averaging 16.9 points as one of the youngest players in the country. He scored 16 in his debut against Lindenwood in the Sooners' season opener. And Fears is just getting started, having scored at least 20 points in three of the past four games.
Yes, the SEC is also good in basketball
The SEC is thought of as a football conference, but that's not all its members are good at.
It was obvious the Sooners would have a more daunting football schedule with the move to the SEC, but it was expected the change would actually be more of a relief for the men's basketball program. The Big 12 is promoted as the toughest conference in men's basketball, but right now, the SEC actually features more ranked teams in the most recent AP Top 25.
Eight SEC teams are inside the top 25, compared to the Big 12's five, which dropped from six last week after OU beat Arizona. The Big 12 can boast having the top team with Kansas, but four of the top-10 teams in the country hail from the SEC. That includes No. 2 Auburn, No. 3 Tennessee, No. 4 Kentucky and No. 10 Alabama.
The Sooners still get all of December without a conference matchup. OU's first-ever SEC matchup on the hardwood will be a trip to Alabama on Jan. 4. Including that Bama game, eight of the Sooners' conference games are against teams currently ranked.
There is a good chance, though, with Oklahoma State looking unimpressive, and Georgia Tech and Michigan the only other teams with winning records on the slate, that the Sooners could head into SEC play still undefeated.
Read more about OU basketball
Oklahoma men crack top 25 this week at No. 21 in AP, Coaches Poll
Sooners go to 7-0 with win over Louisville for Battle 4 Atlantis championship