Oklahoma Can't Overcome Miscues in Road Loss to Texas A&M

The Sooners led Texas A&M for much of the second half, but turnovers and a late drought cost them down the stretch.

Jan 10, 2026; College Station, Texas, USA; Oklahoma Sooners head coach Porter Moser reacts during the first half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Reed Arena. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Oklahoma will want to flush this two-game road stand.

The Sooners fell 83-76 to Texas A&M in College Station on Saturday. The loss follows OU’s defeat against Mississippi State on Wednesday.

OU fell to 11-5 overall and 1-2 in SEC play with the loss, and the Aggies improved to 13-3 and 3-0.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

Trouble with the press

Oklahoma struggled with ball control throughout Saturday’s game.

The Sooners committed 17 turnovers in their seven-point loss. Texas A&M scored 18 points on those 17 miscues.

The most costly turnover came in the game’s final minutes, when forward Kuol Atak traveled before attempting a 3-pointer. OU trailed by five at that point, and if Atak had the chance to shoot and make that shot, the Sooners could have cut the deficit to two.

Texas A&M, led by first-year head coach Bucky McMillan, runs a unique play style nicknamed “Bucky Ball,” which utilizes a full-court press at all times defensively and relies on 3-pointers and layups on offense.

At times, the Sooners did well penetrating the press and finding lanes for easy 3-pointers and uncontested layups. Both in other phases of the game, A&M’s suffocating defense forced costly errors.

Nijel Pack

Nijel Pack fueled Oklahoma’s offensive effort against the Aggies.

The guard finished the game with 24 points. Pack went 8-of-20 from the floor and made six of his 13 three-point attempts.

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In addition to Pack’s 24 points, he also logged six rebounds and five assists. Pack, though, got called for his fourth foul midway through the second half, forcing the Sooners to give him a few minutes off. It’s likely that his stat line would have been even flashier if he wasn’t in foul trouble.

Pack’s strong showing followed up his inefficient performance against Mississippi State on Wednesday. He finished the Sooners’ 72-53 loss to the Bulldogs with only 11 points on 5-of-12 shooting, and he made only one 3-pointer.

Pack entered Saturday’s contest averaging 15.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.

Headed home

The last thing that the Sooners will want to do is dwell on Saturday's loss — they are set to play two of the SEC’s best teams at the Lloyd Noble Center next week. 

OU hosts Florida on Tuesday before battling Alabama in Norman on Jan. 17.

The Gators are 2-1 in SEC play and routed Tennessee on Saturday. The Crimson Tide, ranked No. 13 in the AP poll, are 1-1 in league games and will battle Texas later on Saturday.

While the loss against A&M dropped OU below .500 in conference play, there are 15 conference games remaining before the postseason. All 16 SEC members are currently ranked in the top 100 of the NET rankings — used heavily by the NCAA Tournament committee — which gives the Sooners plenty of time to bolster their resume before Selection Sunday.