Legendary NFL coach Bill Parcells famously said, "You are what your record says you are," and the Oklahoma men's 4-10 record in the SEC says the Sooners have struggled in their inaugural season in the conference widely viewed as the best in college basketball this season.
The Sooners, who began the season with 13 consecutive wins, are just 4-10 since then and are likely to log a few more losses with three ranked teams in their final four regular-season games. OU picked up its fourth conference win on Saturday, outlasting then-No. 21 Mississippi State 93-87.
Oklahoma is 17-10 overall and among those 17 wins were victories over several teams -- Arizona in the Big 12, Louisville in the ACC and Michigan in the Big Ten -- that currently are among the leaders in their respective conference standings. But the Sooners have found the going tough in a conference that ESPN's Joe Lunardi projects to have as many as 12 teams, not including the Sooners, in this year's NCAA Tournament.
OU is credited with four wins in 14 games against SEC opponents. Looking back, however, missed opportunities and the failure to come up with the big play in the biggest moments has cost the Sooners as many as four more conference wins.
Although the Sooners have lost several games by 20-plus points, the average margin of defeat in OU's 10 conference losses has been 14.6 points. Interestingly, the scoring margin in the Sooners' four SEC victories is virtually the same (14.7).
In home losses to Texas A&M and LSU and a road loss earlier in the season at Georgia, Oklahoma led at the half in all three games, as well as midway into the second half. The Sooners led by as many as 18 points in the second half against the Aggies and by 13 against LSU, only to squander away the advantage and succumb to double-digit comebacks by both teams in the end.
The Sooners also overcame a 23-point second-half deficit against Texas and trailed by just two points with 15 seconds remaining before losing by four, 77-73. Another potential win that got away was in the second game, in College Station, against Texas A&M. OU trailed by one at halftime, and it was still a one-possession game late into the second half with the Aggies holding on in the closing minutes for a 75-68 win.
For the fourth straight season, fourth-year head coach Porter Moser introduced as many as 11 newcomers to the Oklahoma roster, including eight from the transfer portal. With that much turnover every season, it is difficult to build team chemistry and continuity. This is an issue that Moser has faced every season at OU, and the level of competition the Sooners are going up against virtually every game this season in the SEC, it is easy to see how wins are so hard to come by.
Of the Sooners' 14 conference games so far, five were games in which OU was soundly beaten, practically wire to wire. Five others were games that had the ball bounced once or twice differently, an OU loss just as easily could have ended up in the win column.
The law of probability says its probably not realistic to think that Oklahoma would have won all five of the conference games in question. For the sake of argument, let's say the Sooners were able to reverse the outcome in three of the five. That would change their record to 20-7 overall and 7-7 in the conference instead of 17-10 and 4-10, as things stand currently.
And if you really want to go out on a limb, how nice would it be if Oklahoma had found a way to pick up all five additional wins? How does 22-5 and 9-5 sound? Just think, we'd be talking a sure bid to the NCAA Tournament, and Porter Moser's job would be secure for at least another year.
OK, everybody. Back to reality.