OU Basketball: Oklahoma Hosts South Carolina, Still Looking for First SEC Win

NORMAN — Oklahoma needs a spark, and it needs it quickly.

After starting the year 13-0 and reaching No. 12 in the AP poll, the Sooners (13-4, 0-4 SEC) are on a four-game losing streak and losing the luster of their resume by the day.

Oklahoma’s first three losses of conference play were — more or less — understandable. The Sooners fell on the road to Alabama, No. 5 at the time, before dropping games to Texas A&M and Georgia, both of which are ranked in the top 25 of the NET rankings.

But Wednesday’s defeat was disastrous.

Against Texas, one of only four SEC squads not receiving votes in the AP poll, the Sooners went down 23 points and came back, eventually taking the lead before falling 77-73 to the Longhorns to stay winless in conference play.

OU Basketball: Oklahoma Drops Crucial Rivalry Game Against Texas

The Texas game was the first of a five-game stretch where the Sooners were supposed to make amends for their SEC woes.

Still, OU’s players are confident that the four-game slide is just part of the process that will make them a strong team in March.

“It’s a learning experience, and we’re going to get better because of it,” forward Jalon Moore said on Wednesday.

In addition to the Longhorns, OU will battle Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Texas A&M and South Carolina in this span — Texas A&M is the only ranked squad of the five.

First of the lighter stretch is South Carolina on Saturday.

The Gamecocks (10-7, 0-4 SEC) are the lowest ranked SEC team in the NET at No. 90. Even though they are the bottom-feeder for SEC standards, they’re in the top quadrant of all 364 teams that compete at the NCAA Division I level, per the NET.

South Carolina opened the season with an embarrassing non-conference loss to North Florida. But of the Gamecocks’ six other losses, five of them were against ranked foes. They also picked up power-conference wins against Virginia Tech and Clemson.

The Gamecocks’ offense has been well-spread thus far, with eight players averaging more than eight points per game. With 15.6 points per game, sophomore Collin Murray-Boyles is their leading scorer.

Saturday’s game will be OU’s last at the Lloyd Noble Center until Feb. 1 when the Sooners host Vanderbilt. And it’s almost a must-win.

Even though South Carolina’s resume is respectable enough, Saturday’s game will go down as a quad-three win or loss for the Sooners. (Home games against teams ranked No. 76-160 in the NET are graded as quad-three contests).

A quad-three win wouldn’t do much for OU, but a quad-three loss would be a devastating blow.

The Sooners, No. 56 in the NET, are 9-0 against quad-three and quad-four opponents. Their only quad-two loss was the Texas game.

Oklahoma can’t improve drastically on its current standing with a win, but it would take a nosedive in the NET — used heavily by the NCAA Tournament selection committee — with a loss.

With 14 games remaining in the regular season, the Sooners have plenty of time to bolster their resume. Of the SEC’s 16 members, 12 are ranked in the top 50 of the NET, giving them several more opportunities to collect resume-building wins.

As disappointing as the start to OU’s debut season as an SEC member has been for Sooner players, coaches and fans, Moore believes they’ve grown during the first few weeks of league play.

“We have to come together as a team and stay connected,” Moore said. “That has to change, and it will change going forward.”