Oklahoma Sooners message continues to be the same even after suffering another loss in the worst way possible
The 2025 basketball season started so well for the Oklahoma Sooners. They were one of three undefeated teams remaining in the country, that is, until they entered conference play. Much like the football season, the Oklahoma Sooners entered their first year in the SEC not really expecting the competition to be as big of a […]
The 2025 basketball season started so well for the Oklahoma Sooners. They were one of three undefeated teams remaining in the country, that is, until they entered conference play.
Much like the football season, the Oklahoma Sooners entered their first year in the SEC not really expecting the competition to be as big of a step up as what they played before. But, it was that and some — the SEC this year in men's hoops was as competitive of a league as we have likely ever seen in the history of the sport. At one point, there were nine or 10 teams in the SEC ranked in the top 25. Even right now during the SEC tournament, there are seven teams ranked in the top 25.
The Sooners' first year in the SEC wasn't a disappointment by any means, but it certainly wasn't a season that they will look back on and be happy about. This team has gone through some hardships this year, and Thursday night against Kentucky was no different. The game started tough for the Sooners, but they battled back.
"Really just continue to keep our heads up and keep fighting," Jeremiah Fears said after the loss to Kentucky. "There's more basketball for us to play, so really just staying together through it all."
And that's what they did. Kentucky went up 8-0 to start the game on some pretty impressive shots and defense, forcing turnovers and hitting two threes to go along with a nice layup. The Sooners looked out of the game before it really even started. But, that's not really what happened.
They battled back.
"I think it's just being in a situation we've been in before, and then just continue to be resilient," Jalon Moore followed up. "Stay connected the whole game. Us being resilient and staying connected."
The Sooners battled back late in the game while being down pretty much the entire game. The Sooners trailed 77-65 with nearly four minutes remaining, and then with one minute remaining the Sooners trailed by 10. Somehow, with five seconds remaining, they had the lead.
Otega Oweh, a former Sooners player, hit the game-winning floater over Moore. That being his former team, you have to think that it's the highlight of his career, and maybe he was going crazy afterwards. Well, not necessarily.
He did the same exact thing just a month ago to the Sooners.
The last month or so for Oklahoma basketball has been a complete roller coaster. There's the big time games they have won, and then there's the losses they have to teams they should beat, but by buzzer-beater shots they end up winning. But the message remains the same.
"First of all, I want to say just how incredibly resilient our guys have been, and not just tonight, but for weeks now," head coach Porter Moser said. "You know, these guys have fought through hard adversity. We lost two heartbreakers to Kentucky and then Ole Miss on last-second shots. How do we respond to that? We have three straight Quad 1 wins. Come back today, I mean the opening, it was a storm. How we handled that, and how our team has been, resilient. Never quit, never die, staying together."
It's obvious the message with this team is that they stay resilient, and I think you can say that's true. They were dead in the water not long ago and people were talking about OU firing Moser on the spot after the nasty loss to LSU. Now, they have made a compelling case to be in the NCAA tournament.
They are resilient.
2026 four-star defender reveals a cool connection to the Oklahoma Sooners after receiving an offer
That could really help the Sooners.
