Oklahoma Sooners Basketball

Benjamin Schroder, one of the top European basketball prospects, announced his commitment to the University of Oklahoma on Wednesday as part of its 2022 recruiting class.

Schroder, an 18-year-old forward who's been a standout at the youth level in Germany, told ESPN's Jonathan Givony that the Sooners' coaches played a key role in his decision.

"The recruiting process was a different experience from the very beginning," he said. "They seemed really to care about me, not only as a player, but also as a person. Head coach Porter Moser, associate head coach David Patrick and the whole coaching staff want to win championships."

Schroder played for the Oberhaching Tropics in Germany's Pro B League during the 2020-21 season. He averaged 11.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists while shooting 42.3 percent from the field across 12 appearances (10 starts), per RealGM.

The 6'7'' forward also produced standout performances with the German youth national teams at the U16 European Championship in 2019 and the FIBA U18 European Challengers earlier this year.

He averaged 16.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game during the European Challengers and shot an eye-popping 71.0 percent from the field, per Givony.

Schroder told ESPN he's already finished high school and will take a gap year while potentially playing lower-division basketball in Germany before joining the Sooners.

"We talked to a lot of different schools, including some Ivy League programs and other schools from the ACC, Pac-12 and Big 12," he said. "I had five other scholarship offers, but I am absolutely sure about Oklahoma and wanted to commit during the early signing period to put the focus on my game again."

A promising two-way player, he explained his decision to play college basketball in the U.S. rather than professionally overseas is focused around learning the American style of play.

"I want to be the best basketball player I can become, while having as much fun as possible," Schroder told Givony. "The U.S. plays a different style of basketball and will give me a chance to work with the best coaches, facilities and physical programs in the world. I also love the States and hope it will be a good personal experience beside basketball."

His experience in Europe should allow him to become an instant-impact player for Oklahoma and gives him long-term NBA upside if his development arc continues at its current rate.

As rumors about the SEC moving closer to adding Texas and Oklahoma persist, the Big 12 is reportedly making an effort to keep its two signature programs from jumping ship. 

Per Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports, Big 12 officials are discussing a new financial structure that would increase revenue for Texas and Oklahoma. 

According to Dodd, the structure "would grant the Longhorns and Sooners an additional half-share annually (1.5 shares each), bumping their payouts to approximately $56 million per year."

In order to make the revenue balance out, the other schools in the conference would decrease their annual payouts. 

Dodd did note the topic came up during a conference call with conference officials and Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby on Thursday. 

The revenue increase plan was described to Dodd as being preliminary and "from the 50,000-foot level."

The Big 12 currently has a 13-year, $2.6 billion television contract with ESPN and Fox that pays each school around $20 million per year. That total doesn't include revenue earned from bowl games and the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments. 

Speculation about the Longhorns and Sooners switching conferences began on Wednesday. Brent Zwerneman of the Houston Chronicle reported both programs reached out to the SEC and an official announcement could happen “within a couple of weeks.”

Per ESPN's David M. Hale, both schools would likely have to pay the Big 12 "upward of $76 million apiece to buy out the remainder of their grant of media rights agreement, which runs until 2025."

Texas and Oklahoma are two charter members of the Big 12 when the conference began play in 1996. The two programs have combined to win 43 national championships in all sports over the past 25 years. 

Loyola University Chicago head coach Porter Moser is the next head coach at the University of Oklahoma, accepting the job Friday following the retirement of Lon Kruger. Matt Norlander of CBS Sports reported the deal is for six years. 

Porter Moser’s on his way to Oklahoma, sources have confirmed, adding that the deal is for six years.

Moser spent the past two days weighing the decision.

Credit to @joehoopsreport, who was the first to report Moser was leaving.

— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) April 2, 2021

The Ramblers reportedly offered Moser a ten-year deal to remain with the mid-major program but couldn't keep him from leaving for the Big 12. 

Sources to CBS Sports: Loyola Chicago has countered Oklahoma’s offer to Moser by putting a 10-year deal on the table for him to stay. I’m told the money is significant for the mid-major level as well.

— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) April 2, 2021

In eight seasons at LUC, Moser compiled a 188-140 record, reached the Final Four in 2018 and went back to the Sweet Sixteen this year. The 52-year-old Illinois native moves onto his fourth head coaching job after previous stints at Illinois State (2003-2007) and Arkansas-Little Rock (2000-2003).

Moser is 293-241 overall as a head coach and built the Ramblers into a perennial contender in a Missouri Valley Conference known for elevating programs like Wichita State, Northern Iowa, Drake, Creighton and Bradley to the national stage. 

At Oklahoma, Moser inherits a Sooners team that reached the NCAA tournament seven times in ten years with Kruger (195-128) at the helm. Reaching the tournament will now be the standard expectation for Moser, who will have to prove he's capable of recruiting top talent to Norman in order to meet expectations. 

OU has produced a number of notable stars in recent years with Buddy Hield and Trae Young leading the way. 

On a macro level, the Moser hire comes at a pivotal moment on the college basketball coaching carousel. Chris Beard just left Texas Tech for Texas, Kansas signed Bill Self to a lifetime contract, Indiana hired Mike Woodsen, and North Carolina has one of the most desirable jobs in the country open following Thursday's retirement of Roy Williams. 

Loyola will now have to find Moser's replacement in a highly-competitive market. 

Before Moser made the Ramblers relevant again in 2017-18, the program hadn't made the NCAA tournament since 1985. Building on Moser's tenure won't be easy. 

Oklahoma guard De'Vion Harmon told reporters Sunday that playing in a March Madness game would fulfill a lifelong dream. But he'll have to wait a bit longer to achieve it. 

Sooners coach Lon Kruger said Wednesday that Harmon returned a positive test for COVID-19 and he would miss the first two rounds of tournament play (h/t Jeff Goodman of Stadium).  

Harmon averaged 12.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game for Oklahoma this season. 

"Players have this as a goal, so it's so sad for De'Vion," Kruger said, per John E. Hoover of Sports Illustrated. "He's not gonna have that opportunity the first weekend. We challenged our guys to win a couple and so he can come back next weekend." 

Harmon, an All-Big 12 honorable mention, was the team's second-leading scorer behind Austin Reaves, who was named an Honorable Mention on the Associated Press All-American Team and earned a spot on the All-Big 12 first team. 

He made significant progress from his freshman year, hitting 47.7 percent of his shots from the field this year after shooting 36.4 percent through 31 appearances as a freshman. 

After a 15-10 campaign that ended in a quarterfinal loss to Kansas, the Sooners drew a No. 8 seed in the NCAA tournament. They are slated to tip off against No. 9 Missouri in first-round play on Saturday at 7:20 p.m. ET. 

Alabama's 10-game winning streak came to an end Saturday with a 66-61 loss to No. 24 Oklahoma at the Lloyd Noble Center. 

The Crimson Tide entered today's game ranked No. 9 in the Associated Press Top 25, their highest ranking since December 2006. Their 10 consecutive wins was their longest streak since opening the 1996-97 season with 10 straight victories. 

Oklahoma is playing its best basketball of the season with three straight wins against Top 10 opponents. The Sooners beat Kansas and Texas leading up to their showdown with Alabama. They had to play this game without leading scorer Austin Reaves and Alondes Williams because of COVID-19 protocols. 

Oklahoma is the third team since the introduction of the AP Poll in 1948-49 with 4 regular-season victories over top-10 opponents in a single calendar month.

They join NC State in January 1974 and Saint Joseph's in December 1964. pic.twitter.com/Qj4tzcWYQ9

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 30, 2021

Sophomore De'Vion Harmon led the Sooners with 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting. Jalen Hill made four straight free-throw attempts late in the second half to turn a 60-59 deficit into a three-point advantage for Oklahoma. 

Alabama missed its last eight field-goal attempts and only scored one point in the final 3:44. 

After trailing by as many as 12 points midway through the second half, the Crimson Tide appeared to hit their stride by going on a 17-4 run to take a one-point lead. 

That's when the wheels fell off for their offense, even as the defense played well enough to keep them in the game. 

Oklahoma only scored 11 points after Harmon's three-pointer gave it a 55-43 lead with 9:44 remaining. Neither team was particularly effective shooting the ball. The Sooners made 40.3 percent of their field-goal attempts, slightly better than Alabama's 38.9 shooting percentage. They combined to go 18-of-49 from three-point range. 

Part of Alabama's problem was John Petty Jr., who entered Saturday leading the team in scoring with 13.9 points per game, being held to nine points on 2-of-8 shooting. The senior is really struggling of late with a 33.3 field-goal percentage over the past three games.

Petty also had one assist to four turnovers. The Crimson Tide also got no production from their bench outside of Keon Ellis' 11 points. The four other reserves who played combined to score zero points on four field-goal attempts. 

Oklahoma is still chasing Baylor and Texas in the Big 12 standings, but its recent hot streak against ranked opponents certainly indicates head coach Lon Kruger has a roster in place capable of making a deep run in the NCAA tournament.

Former Oklahoma Sooners basketball coach Billy Tubbs died Sunday morning at the age of 85.

His family asked Oklahoma Basketball to confirm as much by sharing a statement that explained he was diagnosed with a form of leukemia in 2015.

We are heartbroken to hear that legendary coach Billy Tubbs passed away this morning at the age of 85.

His family has requested that we share the following statement. pic.twitter.com/GOBLiubBQ3

— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_MBBall) November 1, 2020

"Wherever Billy Tubbs was, he made it the best he possibly could," the statement said. "And we know that's true right now, too. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you again for all of your love, prayers and support."

Mac Engel and Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Friday that he was placed in hospice care.

Tubbs started his coaching career with Lamar University from 1976-77 through 1979-80 and won three regular-season Southland titles before going to Oklahoma. He was with the Sooners from 1980-81 through 1993-94 and went 333-132 with nine NCAA tournament appearances.

He led Oklahoma to the national championship game in 1988 and won four Big Eight regular-season titles.

KOCO News noted his 333 wins and .716 winning percentage are both the best in program history.

Following his tenure with Oklahoma, he coached at TCU from 1994-95 through 2001-02 and made the NCAA tournament once. He finished his coaching career where it started and was at Lamar for three seasons.

The Oklahoma Sooners likely earned a date with the top-seeded Virginia Cavaliers thanks to their first NCAA men's tournament win since 2016.

The No. 9 seed in the South region defeated the No. 8 Ole Miss Rebels 95-72 in the round of 64 on Friday in Columbia, South Carolina. As long as the Cavaliers avoid losing to a No. 16 seed for the second straight year, Oklahoma will have a shot at the ACC powerhouse.

Rashard Odomes (20 points), Christian James (20 points), Kristian Doolittle (19 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and two steals) and Brady Manek (18 points and three steals) led the way for the Sooners in a balanced attack. The Big 12 representative never trailed. 

Terence Davis spearheaded the losing effort for the Rebels with 17 points, six assists and five rebounds.

             

Oklahoma Flashes Offensive Firepower Needed to Upset Virginia

Oklahoma made its living on the defensive side of the ball this season, and logic dictated it would do the same in the Big Dance.

March has no time for logic.

The Sooners were the 70th-best offensive team in the country and 20th-best defensive team in the country during the season, per KenPom's pace-adjusted rankings, but they poured in the first 12 points of the game and finished the first half with 50 on 66.7 percent shooting from deep and 59.4 percent shooting from the field.

Oklahoma scored 50 points in the 1st half vs Ole Miss, their most in a NCAA tournament half under Lon Kruger.

The Sooners forced 9 turnovers and outscored the Rebels 12-0 in points off turnovers. pic.twitter.com/lX1tvqQrVg

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 22, 2019

Oklahoma saving its best half of basketball for the NCAA Tournament is a real heady play.

— Eddie Radosevich (@Eddie_Rado) March 22, 2019

Their defense deserves plenty of credit for forcing turnovers and parlaying them into transition opportunities on the other end, but it was just the type of offensive firepower that leads to upsets in the tournament.

Oklahoma will likely have a chance to do just that against Virginia in the next round.

Thriving against the Cavaliers' stout defense is much easier said than done. A pack-line defense that finished fifth in KenPom's rankings clogs the lane and cuts off any penetration, which forces opponents out of their comfort zone and into contested long-range shots. What's more, opposing offenses don't have the same number of possessions they are accustomed to as they look to establish a rhythm.

Rashard Odomes (19 PTS) is having himself a day! Sooners up by 18. 👀#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/FpB3QQL0TA

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 22, 2019

Virginia finished last in the country in KenPom's tempo (353rd) and minimizes possessions by dribbling the air out of the ball and swinging passes along the perimeter until it gets an ideal look.

That shrinks the margin of error for the opponent because falling behind by even six or seven points against the Cavaliers feels like falling behind by 15 or more against other teams due to the snail-like pace.

Virginia lost a mere three games all season, but two of them were to the mighty Duke Blue Devils who can attack that slower pace and stifling defense with three potential top-five picks in Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish. The other was to Florida State, who has the extreme size and athleticism to shoot over the pack-line defense.

Oklahoma didn't have that type of consistent offensive talent during the regular season, as James was the only player who averaged more than 12 points a night. However, the firepower and ruthless efficiency on display Friday was a different story.

I watched plenty of Oklahoma basketball this season.

Watching this offense in Big 12 play was typically as fun as watching a root canal.

You're lying if you said you expected anything close to this.#MARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRCH

— Matt Zemek (@MattZemek) March 22, 2019

Oklahoma’s strategy is a good one here. Namely, their plan is to shoot the basketball and not miss.

— Red Cup Rebellion (@RedCupRebellion) March 22, 2019

Odomes used his size and physicality at 6'6" to bully his way into the lane against the overmatched Rebels guards. The versatile Doolittle did a little bit of everything by cutting into the lane, facilitating and battling for boards so he could immediately hit ball-handlers with outlet passes to get the offense rolling in the other direction.

James and Manek combined for six three-pointers, taking advantage of situations when Ole Miss sent defenders toward Odomes and Doolittle.

If the Sooners are able to replicate the offensive explosion they unleashed against the Rebels with a variety of playmakers when they face the Cavaliers, they can stun the South Region's top seed and play their way into the Sweet 16.

          

What's Next?

Oklahoma will face the winner of the game between the Virginia Cavaliers and Gardner-Webb Bulldogs in the round of 32 on Sunday.