If there were any doubts about Oklahoma earning its way into the NCAA Tournament, it should now be a moot point following the Sooners' 81-75 victory over Georgia on Wednesday night in the opening round of the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament.
Jeremiah Fears exploded for 29 points with 16 in the second half as 14 seed Oklahoma posted its third-consecutive win and avenged an earlier loss this season to the 11 seed Georgia Bulldogs.
Fears was held to just two points in the earlier game between the two teams on 1 of 11 shooting. He was a different player in this game, making big shots at important times in leading the Sooners to their 20th win of the season for the second year in a row.
The turning point in the game came with 8:26 to go and Oklahoma trailing 64-58. Fears made a pair of two-point field goals on successive possessions triggering a 16-0 run over the next 6:30 that put the Sooners up by 10, 74-64, with just under three minutes remaining.
Georgia closed within four in the final two minutes, but Oklahoma held on, making 7 of 10 free throws down the stretch to close out its first win in its first SEC tournament.
Jalon Moore had 14 points for Oklahoma, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range, and Alabama transfer Mohamed Wague, getting the start for the injured Sam Godwin, added a dozen points and seven rebounds.
Silas Demary Jr. (24), Asa Newell (21) and Blue Cain (17) combined for 62 of Georgia's 75 points. The Sooner victory ended a four-game winning streak for the Bulldogs.
After suffering a five-game losing streak in February that threatened to dash OU's postseason hopes and drill home the notion that the Sooners weren't built to survive the grind and grief that is SEC basketball this extraordinary season, Oklahoma has rebounded to win four of its past six games. And it could have easily been six straight with the two losses being by a total of four points.
Three observations on how this season-defining victory came to be:
1. Jeremiah Fears was defining difference in the game
OU's super freshman has been on fire the past six games. In five straight games prior to Wednesday night, Jeremiah Fears had averaged over 20 points, and his game-high 29 points was the difference in the game. He had five turnovers in the first half, but had none in the second half while contributing 16 points and helping the Sooners take control of the game.
2. Free throws more equitable this time around
In the first game this season between OU and Georgia, the Bulldogs shot 37 free throws and made 27. The Sooners had just nine total free throws in the game, making seven. OU lost that game by 10 (72-62) with a 20-point difference at the free-throw line. In the SEC Tournament game, Oklahoma had a nine-point free-throw advantage (17 of 25). Meanwhile, this time around, Georgia registered one-third as many free-throw points (9 of 16).
3. Sooners shot much better than in first meeting
Oklahoma shot 51% in the first half on Wednesday night on the way to a 43-39 halftime advantage. The Sooners ended up shooting 48% for the game, including 12 3-pointers. OU shot just 38% from the field in the first meeting between the two teams this season and just 31% in the second half.