OU Basketball: Oklahoma Drops Out of AP Top 25, Coaches Poll Amid Three-Game Skid

After a 13-0 start to the 2024-25 season, the Sooners have lost three games in a row and are now unranked.

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NORMAN — Now on a three-game losing streak, Oklahoma dropped out of the rankings in both the AP Top 25 and the USA Today Coaches Poll on Monday.

The Sooners were previously ranked No. 17 in the AP poll and No. 16 in the Coaches Poll. They are still receiving 63 votes in the AP and 14 in the Coaches Poll.

OU is 0-3 in SEC play with losses to Alabama, Texas A&M and Georgia after finishing the non-conference portion of its schedule 13-0.

OU Basketball: Oklahoma Collapses in Second Half as Sooners Fall to Texas A&M

A few days after their SEC-opening beatdown loss to Alabama, the Sooners appeared in prime position to get to .500 in league play on Wednesday. They held an 18-point lead against Texas A&M in the second half before allowing the Aggies to come back and win 80-78.

On Saturday, the Sooners lost 72-62 at Georgia, shooting below 40% from the field and committing 28 fouls. Though unranked at the time of OU’s loss, the Bulldogs are No. 26 in the NET rankings, used heavily by the NCAA Tournament selection committee to decide which teams reach the tourney.

Despite their 13-3 overall record that includes three quad-one wins, the Sooners are No. 47 in the latest NET rankings, which is 13th-best in the SEC. But even after two losses last week, they dropped only six spots from their previous ranking of No. 41.

Oklahoma is No. 44 in the KenPom rankings, which use Pythagorean expectation to rank all 364 teams that compete in NCAA Division I men’s basketball.

OU’s recent struggles are similar to last year’s conference collapse. After entering Big 12 play 13-1, the Sooners went 8-10 in conference games and failed to reach the NCAA Tournament.

Thankfully for the Sooners, they have plenty of time to amend their disappointing start to league play.

In addition to the lengthy list of SEC teams ranked in the AP poll, every team from the conference is ranked in the top 100 of the NET.

OU Basketball: Oklahoma Falls on Road Against Georgia, Drops to 0-3 in SEC

Of the SEC’s 16 members, 14 are ranked within the top 50 of the NET. That gives OU several opportunities for quad-one wins in the final 15 games of the regular season.

In the AP poll, nine SEC squads — Auburn (No. 1), Alabama (4), Florida (5), Tennessee (6), Kentucky (8), Texas A&M (11), Mississippi State (15), Ole Miss (21) and Georgia (23) — are ranked. Along with the Sooners, Missouri is also receiving votes (eight) for the poll.

Oklahoma’s games this week should be winnable, as the Sooners host Texas on Wednesday and South Carolina on Saturday. The Longhorns (11-5) and the Gamecocks (10-6) are Nos. 39 and 91 in the NET, respectively.

In the Sooners’ final season competing in the Big 12, they lost both Red River Rivalry games to the Longhorns. Wednesday’s contest against Texas will begin at 9 p.m.