Down Elijah Harkless, Oklahoma Heads to Ames Seeking Season Sweep

From here on out, Oklahoma needs every game it can get.

In Porter Moser’s first year in Norman, he has his Sooners (14-12 overall, 4-9 Big 12) flirting on the NCAA Tournament Bubble. With only five games left in the regular season, OU will have to string a couple of wins together to build some momentum heading into March.

But Saturday’s task at Iowa State (17-9, 4-9) got a bit harder on Friday afternoon.

Senior lockdown defender Elijah Harkless announced he'll miss the rest of the season with an undisclosed injury.

When, How to Watch

Oklahoma vs. Iowa State, 1 p.m., ESPN+

“First and foremost we are all hurting for Elijah,” Moser said in a press release on Friday. “He is such a competitor and his spirit is such an integral part of our team. It is hard for any athlete to have their season to come to an abrupt end. We will be praying for a speedy recovery.”

While Harkless announced he’d be back next year, Moser and the Sooners now have to figure out how to replace 10.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game for the remainder of the season.

OU’s top three scorers, Tanner Groves, Umoja Gibson and Jordan Goldwire, are all still intact, but they’ll all have an even bigger load on their shoulders the rest of the year.

The absence of Harkless will be another early test of the culture Moser is building at Oklahoma, as the team will have to dig and find another gear to trudge on without the San Bernardino, CA, native.

Goldwire is confident the team has a great foundation, however, as he praised the work ethic of the group in a Thursday Zoom press conference before Harkless’ injury was disclosed.

"I think ultimately – just the team – everybody wants to win,” Goldwire said. “Everybody wants to get to that tournament.

“… Some people have played in that tournament and just know how big of an experience that is and how it can change your life. Everybody is just hungry to get to that point because we know once we get out of the Big 12 it's fair game. I think we can play with anybody.”

The first step to getting to the tournament in March will be completing the season sweep of the Cyclones on Saturday afternoon.

In the first meeting between the two teams back in January, Oklahoma trailed for most of the game before true freshman Bijan Cortes sparked a massive late comeback.

As of late, however, the Sooners have battled through close games but been unable to get back in the win column.

The Sooners are 2-8 over their last 10 games, and they’re 0-4 in one-score games during that stretch.

In the past two games, OU has lost to the No. 6-ranked Kansas Jayhawks and the No. 20 Texas Longhorns by a combined four points.

Poor decision making plagued the Sooners late in both contests, something which Moser believes the team can turnaround.

“We need to make some plays at the end,” Moser said in a Zoom press conference on Thursday. “…It takes a lot.

“I mean, these guys, mentally toughness, we’re right there. Just gotta make some winning plays at the end. We’ve made a bunch.”

As the days run short in February, every game is an opportunity to flip momentum. Oklahoma hasn’t lost faith in its postseason fate despite the recent skid, and Goldwire said the team can still play inspired basketball headed into Selection Sunday.

“We've put ourselves in this position to have to fight to get into the tournament,” Goldwire said. “The committee has still been liking us… But we can't just rely on them.

“… We have to get some of these games. I think we're capable of doing it. We've been right there with three of the Top 20 teams in the country, so I think it's there. We just have to pull through."

The next chance comes Saturday at 1 p.m. inside Iowa State’s Hilton Coliseum, and the Big 12 battle will be streamed on ESPN+.

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