Oklahoma is 11-0 and one of just four unbeaten teams remaining in Division-I college basketball. That's impressive any way you look at it, so why are Sooner fans somewhat ambivalent about it?
Largely because they've seen this movie before, and the finish was never like the start.
Porter Moser's fourth Oklahoma team as head coach, however, seems to have something different about it, and the confidence that it can play with and beat any team in the country. So far, so good.
But you don't win championship banners in November and December, and we're about to find out just how good this Sooner team really is when the real season -- the SEC conference season -- tips off at the first of the new year.
Like Moser's previous Sooner teams, the 2024-25 edition is loaded with transfers and freshmen. This year's roster includes eight transfers, three true freshmen and just two returning starters.
His previous three OU teams have had a similar makeup, which has made it difficult to build team chemistry and continuity, let alone any stability. All four seasons, Moser has had overall and replenish the roster as a result of players out of eligibility, the transfer portal and declaration for the NBA Draft.
Freshman of the Hour 📺@jeremiahfears2 x @SportsCenter pic.twitter.com/yBoS9T75RM
— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_MBBall) December 19, 2024
For the second season in a row, the Sooners have started with at least 10 straight wins, a new program record for back-to-back seasons. After firing out of the gate last season with 10 straight wins, however, Oklahoma managed just that many in its next 22 games to finish out 2023-24 with an overall record of 20-12.
In Trae Young's one and only season at Oklahoma, in 2017-18, the Sooners were 12-1 to begin the season, then won four of their next 14 games and finished out the season with a respectable, yet disappointing given how the season began, 18-14 record.
The next year, the season started out the in similar fashion as the Sooners roared out to another 12-1 start. Then the Big 12 conference schedule kicked in, and OU won just eight of the next 21 games. Lon Kruger, Moser's predecessor at Oklahoma, was the Sooner's head coach in both of those seasons.
This recent history is why there is some trepidation over what the rest of the current season might bring.
So why should we think the 2024-25 edition of Sooner men's basketball will surprise us with a better season outcome than Moser's past three Oklahoma teams and the two under Kruger that started off like a ball of fire only to cool its heels when the schedule got harder?
For one thing, Moser set out via the transfer portal this last offseason to bring in more consistent scoring and a deeper roster of players who were effective scorers. He also wanted more athleticism and players who would play with quickness and with the same intensity at both ends of the court.
He appears to have done that with a team that is averaging 82 points a game and winning games by a double-digit margin of over 15 points a game. He also wanted more size in the interior to complement Sam Godwin, one of just two Sooner starters who returned this season.
Check...check...and check.
Previous OU teams have had one or two players you could count on to carry the offensive load night in and night out. The difference in this year's team is there are multiple players who can light up the scoreboard if one of the big guns -- in this year's case Jalon Moore or freshman sensation Jeremiah Fears, both averaging over 17 points a contest -- is having an off game. Prior Sooner teams in recent years did not have that luxury.
Moser has long been an advocate of creating offense from defense. Oklahoma is currently tied for 19th nationally in steals per game (10), and that often translates into points off turnovers and, at the very least, additional scoring opportunities.
Through the first 11 games, the Sooners are averaging 22 points a game off of turnovers. And to put that in more realistic terms, OU has averaged 16 points against the six teams it has played from major conferences.
Another difference in what we have seen from this year's Oklahoma team is its never-say-die attitude and the ability to finish off games.
That was clearly evident this week when the Sooners fought back from an 11-point second-half deficit to defeat 24th-ranked Michigan. A major criticism of Moser's past Sooner teams were they generally were not able to hold on to second-half leads and finish off opponents.
As stated earlier, as Sooner fans, we've all been down this road before with OU men's basketball. A little over a week from now, when the SEC conference slate kicks in, we will begin to find out the validity of the higher-expectations assessment of this year's Oklahoma team.
Oh, did I mention that seven SEC teams, including No. 14 Oklahoma, are ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 this week? This group includes No. 1 Tennessee, No. 2 Auburn and five of the top-seven teams.
The Sooners start off with No. 6 Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Jan. 4.
Let the good times roll. Boomer Sooner!