OU Basketball: Oklahoma Falls in AP Top 25 Despite Bedlam Blowout

A 15-point win against Oklahoma State wasn't enough to move the Sooners higher in the AP Poll.

BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

NORMAN — Despite a convincing 80-65 win against Oklahoma State in the Bedlam Series, Oklahoma dropped a spot in the AP Top 25.

The Sooners are ranked No. 14 in the latest poll, released Monday, down one spot from last week’s No. 13 ranking. It is the third week in a row that OU (10-0) is ranked in the AP Poll.

UConn and Texas A&M, ranked Nos. 11 and 12, respectively, are the teams that jumped Oklahoma. The Sooners leapt in front of Purdue, previously No. 11, after the Boilermakers lost to Texas A&M.

The Sooners are one of eight SEC teams ranked in the AP Poll, alongside Tennessee (No. 1), Auburn (2), Kentucky (4), Alabama (6), Florida (7), Texas A&M (12) and Ole Miss (18). Five teams from the SEC — Mississippi State, Arkansas, Missouri, Georgia and Texas — are receiving votes.

Despite dropping a spot in the AP Poll, OU once again played quality basketball last week. The Sooners’ only game came at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City against the Cowboys, but stout defense and a career game from Sam Godwin allowed OU to win by double digits.

OU Basketball: Three Takeaways from Oklahoma’s Bedlam Blowout

"For us, we’re getting resume wins," OU coach Porter Moser said after the Bedlam game. "We keep trying to log wins."

Oklahoma first entered the rankings at No. 21 on Dec. 2 after beating Providence, Arizona and Louisville at the Battle 4 Atlantis multi-team event. Then, a week later, the Sooners shot up eight spots to No. 13 after beating Georgia Tech and Alcorn State in Norman.

While Oklahoma fell a spot in the AP Poll, the Sooners jumped a few spots in other rating systems.

In the KenPom ratings — which use Pythagorean expectation to rate all 362 teams in NCAA Division I college basketball — the Sooners rose from No. 43 to No. 37. And in the NET Rankings, used heavily by the NCAA Tournament Committee to choose which teams make and miss out on the tourney, OU went from No. 44 to No. 41.

The 2024-25 campaign is OU’s second year in a row starting out hot.

Oklahoma opened last year’s campaign 10-0 as well, beating four opponents from power conferences en route to the undefeated start. But the Sooners faltered in their final season of Big 12 play, finishing 20-12 (8-10 Big 12) and failing to reach the NCAA Tournament.

OU Basketball: Breaking Down Metrics, Rankings for Oklahoma’s 7-0 Start

The Sooners have three games remaining in their non-conference schedule.

OU will face No. 24 Michigan at the Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte on Wednesday. Then, the Sooners will host Central Arkansas and Prairie View A&M at the Lloyd Noble Center to wrap up the slate, with those games scheduled for Dec. 22 and Dec. 29, respectively.

Oklahoma opens its first season in the SEC on Jan. 4 against Alabama. The regular season concludes on March 8 when the Sooners battle Texas at the Moody Center in Austin.