OU Basketball: Three Takeaways from Oklahoma's 93-87 victory over Mississippi State

NORMAN — There would be no blown lead this time.

Oklahoma took on No. 21 Mississippi State on Saturday at Lloyd Noble Center and built a 12-point lead in the final minutes before hanging on to a 93-87 victory over the Bulldogs.

OU came in on a five-game losing streak, but this time held off Mississippi State's late rally.

Here are three takeaways from Saturday's big win.

Jeremiah Fears Legacy Game

Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears has been through some battles during SEC play but he had continued to give it all that he had and he kept his play and effort up against the Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon.

The freshman was all over the court for the Sooners and was the team's leading scorer with 27 points.

Fears did take a scary fall towards the midway point and landed on his wrist, so that could be something to watch. This was the type of game that gets NBA scouts and general managers extremely excited about the potential of what Fears could become at the next level.

Rebounding Was Not the Problem

In several of Oklahoma's SEC contests, you could say that rebounding has been a major issue for this team. Porter Moser's team was able to keep it lose enough in the rebounding category, it allowed them to be able to get some extra scoring opportunities and the Oklahoma shooters to get going from the 3-point arc.

Oklahoma shot 11-of-26 from the 3-point line. The Sooners kept Mississippi State guessing on the offensive end, especially in the first half.

Oklahoma turnovers kept the Bulldogs as close as they were. In the second half the Sooners were able to fix the turnover and free throw issues and it put them on the path to victory against a really good Mississippi State team.

The late game situations were still a little bit to be desired but this was a really impressive win by Oklahoma in a must-win situation.

Sooners Scoring Trio Stands Tall

Oklahoma had its own big three of offensive weapons as Sam Godwin and Jalon Moore were able to assist Jeremiah Fears in leading the team's scoring output.

The three of them combined for 62 points and 22 rebounds, including Godwin's first double-double since December. The trio played the type of game that Porter Moser and company are going to continue to need if they want to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive.

As for OU's future, before their matchup Saturday afternoon against Mississippi State, Oklahoma found itself on the wrong side of the bubble for the first time, according to ESPN's Joe Lunardi.

Lunardi has the Sooners at the first team out of the NCAA Tournament. Oklahoma came into this game on a five game losing streak and were looking to get back to their winning ways against the Bulldogs. It was a complete team effort as the Sooners had nine different players in the scoring column including three different scorers in double figures.

Up next for Oklahoma is another massive home test as the Kentucky Wildcats come to Norman this Wednesday Night. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.

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— Joe Lunardi (@ESPNLunardi) February 21, 2025