When all hope was lost for the 2024-25 Oklahoma men's basketball team, it upset No. 15 Missouri in the final week of the regular season.
The Sooners took down Missouri 96-84 on Wednesday night at Lloyd Noble Center for their best win of the season. The No. 15 Tigers were the highest-ranked team OU has beaten this season.
OU improved to 18-12 with just one game left in the regular season against Red River rival Texas on Saturday in Austin. The Longhorns, too, upset a ranked team this week after beating No. 25 Mississippi State 78-82 in overtime Tuesday night.
The Sooners' chances at making the NCAA Tournament seemed gone after two losses last week and some earlier blowouts against ranked teams. They were Joe Lunardi's last team out in his latest ESPN Bracketology, but a top-15 upset might be enough to slip OU back into the field of 68, especially with a win over Texas on Saturday.
For the first time since early in SEC play, Sooner Nation seemed to have hope again in its men's basketball team because of the upset and a 31-point performance from freshman Jeremiah Fears.
OU basketball pic.twitter.com/pCRnlZdObA
— Jerry Ramsey (@TVsJerry) March 6, 2025
This Oklahoma men's basketball team is like a cockroach. The Sooners' NCAA Tournament chances just won't die.
— Dekota Gregory (@dekotagregory) March 6, 2025
We lost to Texas A&M by 2, Texas by 4, LSU by 3,
— OKLAHOMA IS THE GREATEST TEAM ALIVE! (@OKDAVE3) March 6, 2025
Kentucky by 1, and Ole Miss by 3. If we pull those games out, or even half of them, we’re easily in the tournament. We’re 13 points from being 23-7 in our first season in the SEC. We’re not as bad as some of our fans think we are. https://t.co/7GfeESJ84i
— Barstool Sooners (@OUBarstool) March 6, 2025
Beat Missouri in Norman on Billy’s birthday.
— Tyler McComas (@Tyler_McComas) March 6, 2025
Absolutely perfect. pic.twitter.com/NKV2RsNu69
Look, there’s plenty you can pretty fairly criticize with the overall state of the program
— Josh Callaway (@JoshMCallaway) March 6, 2025
But you cannot deny that Porter Moser still has these guys playing hard
They have not - and evidence suggests they will not - give up until it’s over
The rest of the college basketball world also took notice.
Oklahoma over Mizzou by double digits for those wondering why Lunardi never took the Sooners off of the bubble.
— Barstool SEC (@SECBarstool) March 6, 2025
Just a huge win for Oklahoma at home over Missouri. That's the Sooners' fifth Quad 1 win. I've gotta think that's enough, right?
— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) March 6, 2025
Missouri coach Dennis Gates: “Oklahoma is an NCAA Tournament team.” #Sooners pic.twitter.com/q0l825KVfp
— Colton Sulley (@colton_sulley) March 6, 2025
But apparently OU is still an easier job than Green Bay.
Good for Porter. Guy is a stud coach. OU is a hard job. Especially in the SEC.
— Doug Gottlieb (@GottliebShow) March 6, 2025
Eddie's technically not wrong.
Win out and you win the national championship. Those are facts, folks.
— Eddie Radosevich (@Eddie_Rado) March 6, 2025