Oklahoma's Non-League Finale an Opportunity to Rest, Empty Bench Ahead of SEC Play

The Sooners have won seven of their last eight games, and they'll wrap up non-conference play against Mississippi Valley State on Monday.

Oklahoma forward Tae Davis dribbles against Stetson. | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

NORMAN — With one game remaining in non-conference play, the outlook for Oklahoma’s 2025-26 men’s basketball team looks more positive than it once did.

The Sooners have won seven of their last eight games after starting the season 2-2. OU will wrap up its non-conference slate against Mississippi Valley State on Monday.

Early struggles

Oklahoma center Mohamed Wague goes for a rebound against Stetson. | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

In the first few games, Oklahoma struggled to find an identity — and not because the Sooners had a bad team.

The 2025-26 squad is almost entirely different from what it was a year ago. Key players like Jalon Moore, Kobe Elvis and Sam Godwin graduated from the program, while guard Jeremiah Fears declared for the NBA Draft after only one season in Norman. Guard Duke Miles and forward Luke Northweather also transferred out of the program.

Because of the losses, Oklahoma went portal shopping. The Sooners picked up four transfers — guards Xzayvier Brown and Nijel Pack and forwards Tae Davis and Derrion Reid — in addition to the players that OU signed as part of its 2025 recruiting class.

The Sooners’ lack of experience playing with each other showed in the first several games.

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OU lost neutral-site games against Gonzaga and Nebraska in the first two weeks of the season, and the Sooners got dominated in the paint in both losses. 

The Sooners also struggled in phases of their lopsided wins over Saint Francis and Arkansas-Pine Bluff. OU led by just one point at halftime against the Red Flash, and the Sooners didn’t pull away from the Golden Lions until late in the game.

Steady improvement

Oklahoma guard Xzayvier Brown looks for a pass against Stetson. | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

OU’s surge started with wins against Oral Roberts and Alcorn State, and then the Sooners kicked into another gear.

The Sooners won a neutral-site against Marquette on Black Friday before beating Wake Forest on the road in the ACC-SEC Challenge a few days later. OU earned another marquee neutral-site win against Oklahoma State a couple weeks later before comfortably beating Kansas City and Stetson.

Overall, Oklahoma’s frontcourt play has been much better in the last few weeks, and the Sooners have also improved defensively. Pack is shooting 47.8 percent on 3-pointers, and Brown has established himself as another key backcourt option, averaging 14.8 points per game.

The lone outlier in this stretch was OU’s game against Arizona State on Dec. 6, which the Sooners lost 86-70 in Phoenix.

Going forward

Oklahoma guard Nijel Pack dribbles against Kansas City. | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

On Monday, the Sooners host a Delta Devils squad that is arguably the worst in Division I college basketball. MVSU is 1-12 overall, and its only win came against Mississippi University for Women, which competes at the Division III level.

The Delta Devils are ranked last in the NET rankings at No. 365.

Ultimately, Monday’s game is just filler for what lies ahead: OU opens SEC play against Ole Miss on Jan. 3.

The conference is similarly deep this year, as 14 of the league’s 16 members are in the top 100 of the NET. 

While the conference’s depth is impressive once again, the SEC isn’t as strong at the top. Vanderbilt — No. 6 — is the league’s only team in the top 10 of the NET, and Alabama (No. 19) is the only other team in the top 20.

More than anything, Oklahoma’s main goals should be to stay healthy and give quality minutes to bench players. Soon, every game will be an opportunity for the Sooners to bolster their resume, so a tune-up game against a far inferior opponent could be just what they need.