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 on Lloyd Noble Center and built a 12-point lead in the final minute 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 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 and a career-high 10 assists.

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 Wasn't the Problem

In several of Oklahoma's SEC contests, you could say that rebounding has been a major issue for this team. The Sooners kept it somewhat close in the rebounding margin as they were only outrebounded by 11 by the Bulldogs. The rebounds allowed them to get some extra scoring opportunities and the Oklahoma shooters were able to get going from the 3-point arc.

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

Oklahoma turnovers kept the Bulldogs close throughout the first twenty-five minutes of the contest. In the second half the Sooners were able to fix their turnover and free throw issues and it put them on the path to victory against a really good Mississippi State team.

Porter Moser said during his postgame press conference that his team never lost their belief in themselves and each other.

“The crazy thing about it is to keep believing," Moser said. "There becomes a narrative, and we’re right there.”

Moser is right the Sooners are firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble but still in the hunt for a berth.

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

Sooners Scoring Trio Stands Tall

Oklahoma had its own big three of offensive weapons as Jalon Moore joined Fears and Sam Godwin atop the OU scoring chart with 15 points.

Saturday's game was the first time since the 2019-2020 season that Oklahoma had two different players record a double-double in the same game. In addition to Fears' 27 points and 10 assists, Godwin had 17 points and 10 rebounds, his first double-double since December.

With Moore's 18 points (15 in the second half) and seven rebounds, the trio combined for 62 points and 22 boards. They played the type of game that 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