OU Basketball: Oklahoma Nearing Top 10 in Latest AP Top 25 Poll

After beating Georgia Tech and Alcorn State last week, the Sooners rose eight spots in the AP Top 25.

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NORMAN — Oklahoma added two wins to its undefeated start last week, and as a result, the Sooners got some love in the latest AP Poll.

The Sooners (9-0) are ranked No. 13 in the AP Top 25, released Monday. They were No. 21 in last week's poll and jumped eight spots after extending their winning streak to nine games.

OU is one of just two undefeated teams ranked in the poll, alongside fellow SEC squads Tennessee and Florida, which are 8-0 and 9-0, respectively.

Oklahoma beat Georgia Tech 76-61 on Tuesday in the ACC-SEC Challenge before taking down Alcorn State 94-78 on Saturday. In both of those games, in Norman, the Sooners overcame early deficits to stay undefeated.

OU’s two-win week comes after a stellar performance in the Bahamas at the Battle 4 Atlantis multi-team event the week before.

At that tournament, the Sooners beat Providence, No. 24 Arizona and Louisville to win the event. Before that, OU won four games over mid-major opponents, all at the Lloyd Noble Center.

OU Basketball: Three Takeaways from Oklahoma’s 94-78 Win Over Alcorn State

Early in the season, the SEC has been dominant.

The Sooners are one of nine Southeastern Conference teams ranked in this week's poll, along with Tennessee, Kentucky, Auburn, Alabama, Florida, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Mississippi State. Tennesee, Auburn and Kentucky are in the top five (Nos. 1, 2 and 5, respectively), while Alabama and Florida are in the top 10 (Nos. 7 and 9).

The Sooners are ranked highly, but not as high, in other metric systems and rankings. 

OU is the No. 43 team in the KenPom rankings, which uses Pythagorean expectation to rate all 362 teams in NCAA Division I college basketball. Oklahoma is No. 44 in the NET rankings, a system that the NCAA Tournament selection committee uses heavily when deciding which teams make and miss out on the tourney.

“I'm liking the resiliency of this group and the finding ways to win,” OU coach Porter Moser said. “I love the resolve and the resiliency that we've found out going through this stretch.”

This is Oklahoma’s second season in a row starting hot.

The Sooners opened the 2023-24 campaign 10-0, earning four wins over programs from power conferences. But Oklahoma faltered later in the season, finishing 20-12 (8-10 SEC) and failing to reach the NCAA Tournament. OU declined an invitation to the National Invitational Tournament after not being selected for the Big Dance.

Oklahoma has four non-conference games remaining before the Sooners begin their first conference season as an SEC member. OU will play two more games against power-conference teams — Oklahoma State and Michigan — and also host Central Arkansas and Prairie View A&M.

The Oklahoma State game, a revival of the Bedlam Series, is the first of those contests. The Sooners will take on the Cowboys at the Paycom Center, home of the Oklahoma City Thunder, on Saturday.

Oklahoma begins SEC play at home on Jan. 4 against Alabama, which is currently ranked No. 7 in the AP Poll.