OU Basketball: Oklahoma Looks for First SEC Win on Road Against Georgia

NORMAN — As far as quality losses go, Oklahoma’s first two SEC games fit that description — but the Sooners aren’t trying to settle for respectable defeats.

No. 17 Oklahoma lost 80-78 to No. 10 Texas A&M at home on Wednesday after losing its SEC opener last Saturday 107-79 to No. 5 Alabama.

After finishing the non-conference season 13-0, the Sooners are 0-2 in SEC play and in dire need of a win to turn things around.

Saturday is an opportunity for them to do so when the Sooners battle Georgia on the road.

“You’ve gotta have amnesia,” OU coach Porter Moser said after Wednesday’s loss. “You have to come back, get ready, and we have to win on the road.”

Georgia, though unranked, has exceeded expectations so far in the 2024-25 season.

The Bulldogs (13-2) opened SEC play with a loss to No. 24 Ole Miss before upsetting No. 6 Kentucky at home on Tuesday. They also collected wins against St. John’s, Georgia Tech and Notre Dame in the non-conference portion of their schedule, with their only non-SEC loss coming against Marquette, now ranked No. 7.

Like most teams in the SEC, size stands out for the Bulldogs.

Asa Newell, Georgia’s leading scorer, is 6-foot-11 and averaging 15.5 points and 6.9 rebounds per contest. Center Somto Cyril is the same height and is second on the team in rebounding.

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

The Bulldogs are in the upper half of the SEC in both offensive rebounds and total rebounds, and they’re third in the conference in blocks per game (5.7).

“I know how good they are. I know they’re athletic, long, can offensive rebound,” Moser said. “They’re an elite team — athleticism and rebounding. A lot of good things with them.”

Rebounding has been a struggle for the Sooners against teams with significant size advantages. In the Alabama game, the Crimson Tide outrebounded OU 50-26 and collected 22 offensive boards.

The Sooners again lost the rebounding battle against Texas A&M, but the margin was much thinner, for the Aggies outrebounded them just 32-27.

Turnovers were the bigger issue against the Aggies.

Oklahoma committed 17 turnovers in Wednesday’s loss, 10 of which came during the second half. That’s a major reason why Texas A&M was able to overcome an 18-point second-half deficit and win.

In a game where Moser was ultimately pleased with his team’s effort, that’s what he cited as the difference.

“That was the storyline,” Moser said. “When we did get the ball moving and popping, I thought we did some great things. But when we went too deep, they're elite at just digging and breaking, getting their hands on it.”

Even after two losses in a row after a 13-game winning streak to begin the season, the Sooners’ have plenty of time to climb back.

Of the SEC’s 16 members, 14 of them are ranked in the top 50 of the NET rankings, used heavily by the NCAA Tournament selection committee. With 16 regular-season games remaining, that means the Sooners have plenty of time to collect quality wins and bolster their tourney resume.

But Oklahoma’s players are well aware of the importance of Saturday’s road test.

“Every game’s a quad-one opportunity,” senior forward Sam Godwin said. “We just have to stick together, and we’ll figure it out.”