Commentary: Why is Oklahoma Still Unranked?
Porter Moser and Oklahoma are starting to get the attention of the college basketball world.
A team that entered the year without much national recognition after massive turnover in the transition to Moser from previous head coach Lon Kruger, the Sooners have found themselves with a 12-3 record and three top-15 wins in the first two months of the season.
But, while the recognition has grown throughout the year, Oklahoma has strangely had a hard time breaking through in one key avenue: the Associated Press Top 25.
While the AP Top 25 doesn’t have much bearing on really anything in terms of winning a national title, the tournament committee forms the bracket themselves with their own criteria at the end of the season, the rankings are the inarguable measuring stick that fans and media look at around the country to see how teams stack up.
The Sooners have been knocking on the door for weeks as one of the top vote-getters of the unranked squads, but haven’t found a way to crack into the poll.
On Monday, after playing No. 1 Baylor tough in Waco and defeating No. 11 Iowa State by double figures in the previous week, it seemed like a near-certainty that OU would make the jump.
Nope.
The rankings were released with the Sooners, once again, on the outside looking in as the unofficial No. 26 team in the country as the top vote-getter of the unranked teams.
Naturally, Moser isn’t going to concern him with these rankings for the exact reasons just mentioned. They don’t really matter in the grand scheme of things.
“I’ve always been someone that’s so focused on the process and that will take care of itself,” Moser said last week. “If you win, it takes care of itself. If you are getting better, it’s going to take care of itself.
“Rankings will come if they come. But it’s not the end all. We really haven’t talked about it with our guys.”
But, Moser did acknowledge it would be nice to have the recognition, all the while still knowing that he has bigger fish to fry than concerning himself with where his team falls in the polls.
“It’s nice to think the fans like it,” Moser said. “It means you are doing something right if you are ranked. You are moving your team forward. But I don’t spend a ton of time if we’re not ranked getting pissed. It’s not something that I’m consumed with. I’m more consumed with getting the team better.”
Porter Moser
Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports
It’s hard to pinpoint what it is that is holding Oklahoma back at this point, as they seem to fit the criteria of a top-25 team.
The Sooners’ wins over No. 14 Florida, No. 12 Arkansas and No. 11 Iowa State all stand out as a rock solid trio of impressive victories.
Perhaps Oklahoma’s two glaring losses, against Utah State in Myrtle Beach and at home against Butler, are the main factor.
But it would seem the Sooners’ wins, plus a solid showing against the No. 1 Bears in Waco, should outweigh those games that came earlier in the season.
Take No. 24 Alabama for example, who currently sit with an 11-4 record.
All four of the Crimson Tide’s losses have come to unranked teams. But their big wins, seemingly, are outweighing the losses.
Similar sentiment goes for No. 25 Illinois, who sit at 11-3, with two of their losses coming to unranked teams. But, in the Fighting Illini’s case, they are still yet to pick up a single ranked win.
How can one justify putting Illinois ahead of Oklahoma right now based off of their respective resumes?
Alabama and Illinois are the two teams ranked directly ahead of the Sooners so are naturally the easiest to point to, but there are other teams ranked as well that OU could have a gripe with being behind.
Is this just a case of voters not paying much attention to Oklahoma? Is it the style of basketball Moser has the team playing with that doesn’t jump off the screen?
It is anyone’s guess what the hold up is at this point, but it seems like only a matter of time before the Sooners get the recognition they have seemingly earned at this point.
Another chance for Oklahoma to pad their resume and get another ranked win lies ahead of Tuesday night when they travel to Austin to battle No. 21 Texas.
