How Oklahoma HC Porter Moser is Embracing Roger Denny's Vision for Program

NORMAN — In early February, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Porter Moser’s days as Oklahoma’s men’s basketball coach were numbered.

The Sooners lost nine SEC games in a row from Jan. 7 to Feb. 7 after opening their conference slate with a home win against Ole Miss. That stretch ensured that OU would not finish conference play with a winning record, and the Sooners’ at-large chances for the NCAA Tournament seemed like they were all but gone.

Moser, though, never disassociated from his team, his family or anything that was important to him. Instead, he saw a “path” out of these struggles, regardless of the final outcome.

“I was just consumed with our guys, our family, my faith, and that’s how I handle adversity in life,” Moser said. “It’s the best way. Every day I kept believing, and I didn’t let it overwhelm me.”

During the losing streak, it seemed like the Sooners invented a new way to lose each game.

Against NCAA Tournament teams like Alabama, Arkansas and Texas A&M, OU competed until the final whistle but ultimately fell short. The Sooners dropped close road games against Mississippi State and South Carolina, two of the league’s six teams that didn’t make the tourney. And against Missouri, the Tigers allowed buzzer-beaters to end regulation and overtime, ultimately falling 88-87.

Moser, who received much of the criticism throughout the nine-game skid, called that stretch “hard.” But the coach said his faith allowed him to keep believing.

“How I handle adversity in life is my good Lord, Jesus Christ,” Moser said. “In times of trouble, everything in the Bible, everything in my faith growing up is about trust, knowing that there’s a plan and combining that with family and friends. Knowing there’s nothing that he’s going to give me that I can’t handle; I trust his path.”

Moser’s belief ultimately paid off.

The Sooners defeated Vanderbilt on Feb. 7 for their first win in a month. Oklahoma won seven of its next 10 games after that in a stretch that included victories against Georgia, Missouri and Texas A&M, all of which reached the NCAA Tournament.

The Sooners won their first two games at the SEC Tournament before they fell to Arkansas in the semifinals. OU — 19-15 overall and 7-11 SEC — made a compelling argument for the tourney over the season’s last few weeks, but the Sooners were the first team out of the field on Selection Sunday.

One day after Oklahoma’s loss to Arkansas in Nashville, athletic director Roger Denny announced that Moser would return for the 2026-27 season.

“It’s on Coach Moser to make sure that our team’s performance continues to meet and exceed our resources for the program,” Denny said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter. “He’s done that and I’m confident he will continue to.”

At Oklahoma, we’ve had a long history of embodying an underdog spirit. And in men’s basketball, that mentality has often led to us outperforming our resources. It’s on Coach Moser to make sure that our team’s performance continues to meet and exceed our resources for the program.…
— Roger Denny (@Oklahoma_AD) March 14, 2026

Over the last few weeks, Moser and Denny have had plenty of conversations about how the men’s basketball program can once again become a contender in the current college sports landscape.

“It’s been a great partnership right from the jump,” Moser said. “He made it really clear about the vision of where we want to go. He’s made it really clear that we need to up the resources put into men’s basketball. I really appreciated that… he wants to win, and I love that.”

Guard Nijel Pack transferred to OU ahead of the 2025-26 season, his final year of eligibility.

While Pack acknowledged that the nine-game losing streak “sucked,” he believes that the Sooners wouldn’t have gotten out of it without Moser’s leadership.

“He’s brought this group closer together,” Pack said. “I feel like he’s done a really good job of that, bringing guys together and getting them to buy in.”

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Though the Sooners didn’t go dancing after the regular season, their season isn’t finished.

Oklahoma will play in the College Basketball Crown — an eight-team postseason tournament in Las Vegas — starting Wednesday. The Sooners will open the tournament against Colorado.

The Sooners certainly entered the season with higher aspirations than playing in the Crown. But Moser believes that his team’s participation in the tournament can help the program reach its goals in future seasons.

“My expectations when I took this job are still the same,” Moser said. “No one’s going to work harder to drive that direction than me.”