Oklahoma Rolls Over Texas A&M, Advances to SEC Tournament Quarterfinals

The Sooners did what most other NCAA Tournament bubble teams haven’t done so far on Thursday — impressed those watching them.

Oklahoma stomped Texas A&M 83-63 to advance to the SEC Tournament quarterfinals, where the Sooners will battle No. 3-seed Arkansas. OU’s win avenges its two losses to the Aggies during the regular season.

The Sooners’ win is their sixth in a row and their eighth in the last 10 games. This recent surge follows a nine-game losing streak that spanned from Jan. 7 to Feb. 7.

"People show their true colors through struggles," OU coach Porter Moser said on the SEC Network's postgame show following the win. "We were struggling, and they kept on coming up, preparing, staying together... we just kept on saying, 'There's a path.'"

OU improved to 19-14 overall after Thursday’s win, while Texas A&M will likely head to the NCAA Tournament with a 21-11 record.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

Stellar first half paves the way

Both offensively and defensively, the Sooners dominated the first 20 minutes.

Oklahoma went to the locker room shooting 59.4 percent from the floor. The Sooners made six threes in the first half, and Nijel Pack scored 15 points on six field goals and three 3-pointers.

Texas A&M, on the other hand, couldn’t get into a rhythm, due to OU’s suffocating defense.

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The Aggies shot 29.4 percent from the field over the first 20 minutes. They were also ice-cold from deep, logging a 22.2-percent (4-of-18) clip on 3-pointers.

OU’s superb play on both sides of the ball allowed the Sooners to hold a commanding, 49-27 lead at halftime.

"These guys are just really, really hungry and chasing right now," Moser said.

The Aggies outscored OU 36-34 in the second half, but they didn't do nearly enough to overcome the steep deficit that they faced at halftime.

Pack had a game-high 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting, and he made four 3-pointers. Three other Sooners — Derrion Reid, Xzayvier Brown and Tae Davis — also finished in double figures.

Strong play down low

Oklahoma’s frontcourt has been much improved throughout the winning streak, and the Sooners put together another strong performance in the paint against the Aggies.

The Sooners outrebounded A&M 48-33. Reid led OU with 10 rebounds, while Davis and Mohamed Wague weren't far behind him with nine and eight boards, respectively.

OU’s big men did a terrific job at collecting rebounds off of misses. The Sooners finished the game with 19 offensive rebounds, and they scored 18 points on second chances.

Texas A&M tallied 11 offensive boards. But the Aggies scored only one second-chance point.

Another massive opportunity

After Thursday’s win, the Sooners have a legitimate chance to reach the NCAA Tournament, regardless of what happens against Arkansas.

OU entered the night on the “first four out” of ESPN reporter Joe Lunardi’s bracketology. CBS Sports had them in the Sooners in the same grouping.

A&M is No. 42 in the NET, meaning OU’s win goes down as a quad-one victory, its fourth of the 2025-26 season. The Sooners have also gotten plenty of help from other bubble teams — like Texas, SMU, Auburn, Cal and Virginia Tech — over the last two days, as all of those squads bowed out of their conference tourneys.

The Sooners can secure another quad-one win on Friday, though it won’t be easy.

Arkansas, led by star freshman guard Darius Acuff Jr., has won four of its last five games, and the Razorbacks are 23-8. They took down Oklahoma 83-79 in Norman in January.

OU could already be in the field of 68. And a win against the Razorbacks might solidify the Sooners’ status as a tournament team.

"We know Arkansas has been waiting, and they're a terrific team," Moser said. "(Arkansas coach John Calipari) has them playing at a really high level... but we're not done yet."