Sooners collapse late against Alabama in loss that deepens SEC spiral

To turn around a popular phrase, Oklahoma seized defeat from the jaws of victory in its home hardwood encounter with Alabama on Saturday.

Oklahoma held No. 18 Alabama to just 33 first-half points and the Sooners were up by 11 at the halfway point, but the 18th-ranked Crimson Tides' high-octane offense shot into overdrive in the second half for a come-from-behind 83-81 win and handed the struggling Sooners their fourth straight conference loss.

The Sooners (11-7, 1-4) scored the final 11 points in the first half and took a 44-33 lead at home into halftime on Saturday, but the Crimson Tide then scored 50 of their 83 points in the second half.

Oklahoma held Alabama's top scorer, Labaron Philon Jr., who ranks second in the SEC, to just six points in the opening 20 minutes, but the sophomore scoring machine found his stroke and range in the second half, scoring 18 of his game-high 23 in leading the Crimson Tide to the comeback victory.

Nineteen of Alabama's 35 first-half shots were from behind the 3-point line. The Crimson Tide made six 3-pointers in the second half on fewer attempts (14), choosing to attack the basket more and take higher-percentage shots.

Xavier Brown scored 21 points to lead the Sooners for the second straight game, but it was Tae Davis and former Alabama transfer Derrion Reid who led the way for OU in the opening half, posting 25 of their combined 30 points in the game.

Oklahoma was seeking its first win this season over a ranked team. Even after blowing an 11-point halftime lead, the Sooners rallied back on a couple of occasions in the second half to go back in front. OU mounted a 9-2 run to go back in front 55-50 with 14:38 to go, and was up six, 73-67, with just under five minutes left.

Back-to-back Alabama 3-pointers erased the Oklahoma six-point advantage and knotted the score at 73-all. The Crimson Tide went in front for good on a 3-point shot by Houston Mallette, his third of the game. From there, the two teams traded free throws.

Trailing 83-91 with :03 to go, OU's Nijel Pack missed an open 3-point look, and a follow-up tip try failed at the buzzer to preserve the Alabama win.

The win was Alabama's first basketball win in Norman after four previous tries. It also was Oklahoma's second straight home loss after going 8-0 to begin the 2025-26 season.

For the Sooners, the loss gives them a 1-4 record in the SEC and matches their disappointing start from last season. OU won its conference opener this season, beating Ole Miss, but since then has suffered four consecutive losses to Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Florida and Alabama.

Next up for Oklahoma is a road test at South Carolina on Tuesday, followed by a trip to Missouri on Saturday.

Three takeaways from a win that sadly got away from Oklahoma:

Sooners start 2nd half in rut

There were five lead changes in the first half, but an 11-0 run to finish out the half gave Oklahoma a momentum-charged 44-33 halftime advantage. It took less than three minutes to completely turn the game around. Alabama came out of the locker room to start the second and scored 12 unanswered points, making five of its first six shots to take the lead, 45-44. It took just 2 1/2 minutes to completely turn the game around.

While the Crimson Tide came out after halftime and hit the sleeping Sooners between the eyes, Oklahoma missed its first four shots and helped the Alabama offensive cause with a couple of turnovers.

Although Oklahoma was able to fight back and regain the lead on a couple of occasions in the second half, the Sooners were never able to fully recover from Alabama's onslaught to begin the second half.

Oklahoma's Xzayvier Brown had a chance

Xzayvier Brown was the Sooners' main scoring threat against the Crimson Tide. Twelve of his team-high 21 points came in the second half.

With 10 seconds remaining in the game and Oklahoma trailing 82-79, Brown was fouled on a 3-point attempt, sending him to the free-throw line with a chance to tie the game. He had been a perfect 6-of-6 at the free-throw line to that point in the contest.

Brown made the first free throw, and Alabama head coach Nate Oats called a time out to make him think about the next two attempts. Brown calmly stepped to the line and sank the second free throw, but his third attempt clanked off the iron missing the attempt and leaving the Sooners one point down, 82-81.

Oklahoma immediately fouled in the backcourt, sending Amari Allen of Alabama to the free-throw line for two shots. He made one of two, making it a two-point game, but the Sooners were unable to convert in the final seconds and the game went final at 83-81.

Twice in a month OU has allowed shocking comeback wins to an Alabama athletic team

It's probably safe to say Oklahoma fans don't want to see an Alabama team in any sport in Norman for a good while.

Twice within a month now, the Crimson Tide have mounted a furious comeback to overcome double-digit OU leads. On Dec. 19, Alabama rolled into Norman and overcome a 17-0 Sooner advantage in the opening round of the College Football Playoff to win 34-24. On Saturday, Alabama roared out of the locker room at halftime and punched the Sooners right in the face with a 12-0 scoring run to erase a 44-33 Oklahoma halftime advantage and go on to an 83-81 victory.