Dismal Start Costs Oklahoma in Lopsided Loss to Arizona State

The momentum that OU appeared to generate over the last couple of weeks came to a screeching halt on Saturday.

The Sooners fell 86-70 to Arizona State in a neutral-site game, hosted at the Mortgage Matchup Center, home to the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. OU entered the game on a three-game winning streak, most recently taking down Wake Forest on the road last Tuesday.

ASU improved to 7-2 with the win, while the Sooners dropped to 6-3.

Here are three takeaways from the Sooners’ loss:

Dreadful first half

After the Sooners went up 4-0 in the first couple of minutes, they lost all control of the game.

Arizona State responded with a 27-2 run and held a 21-point lead just 10 minutes into the contest. OU slightly cut into the deficit by halftime, but the Sun Devils still held a commanding 47-28 lead at the break.

Oklahoma didn’t find any offensive rhythm in the first 20 minutes. The Sooners shot 28.1 percent from the field and went 3-of-17 on their 3-point attempts in the first half.

On the other side, ASU hit at a 55.2-percent clip from the field and made 7-of-10 from 3-point range in the first half.

OU Stars in Foul Trouble

Foul trouble for a handful of OU’s key players made a rough night for the Sooners even worse.

Big man Mohamed Wague fouled out with 4:24 remaining in the game. Saturday’s contest marked Wague’s first time fouling out this year, though he logged four fouls in four prior games.

In addition to Wague's five fouls, forward Tae Davis and guard Nijel Pack each logged four fouls. They played 20 and 29 minutes, respectively.

As a team, the Sooners finished the game with 23 personal fouls. Nine of the 10 OU players that entered the game registered at least one foul.

Arizona State attempted 33 free throws as a result of the foul surplus, and the Sun Devils converted on 23 of those attempts.

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

The lopsided loss to the Sun Devils comes after the Sooners seemingly found a rhythm.

Oklahoma took down Marquette 75-74 on Black Friday before defeating Wake Forest 86-68 on the road in the ACC-SEC Challenge on Tuesday. The loss in Phoenix is OU’s third of the year, as the Sooners fell in previous neutral-site games against Gonzaga and Nebraska. OU is now 2-3 against opponents from power conferences in the 2025-26 season.

The Sooners will get another swing at a quality opponent next week. On Saturday, OU battles Oklahoma State at the Paycom Center, home to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

After that, OU wraps up the non-conference slate with home games against Kansas City, Stetson and Mississippi Valley State.