OU Basketball: Oklahoma Drops in AP Poll After Blowout Loss

The Sooners suffered their first loss of 2024-25 in blowout fashion, and as a result, dropped several spots in the AP Top 25.

Will McLelland-Imagn Images

NORMAN — Oklahoma’s undefeated men’s basketball season is no more, and as a result, the Sooners dropped in the AP Top 25.

OU is ranked No. 17 in the latest poll, released Monday. The Sooners were No. 12 in last week’s rankings.

The nosedive in the poll comes two days after the Sooners lost 107-79 to No. 5 Alabama to break up their perfect record. In that game, the Crimson Tide exposed Oklahoma’s lack of size.

With three starters listed at 6-foot-11, Alabama outrebounded Oklahoma 50-26 and collected 22 offensive rebounds to OU’s eight. The Crimson Tide also outscored the Sooners 56-42 in the paint and logged 25 second-chance points.

OU also struggled to contain Alabama’s backcourt, as guards Mark Sears and Labaron Philon combined for 38 points.

OU Basketball: Oklahoma Blown Out by Alabama for First Loss in SEC Opener

The Sooners entered that game 13-0 and were one of just three undefeated teams remaining in NCAA Division I college basketball. OU and Florida both lost on Saturday, making Tennessee the only remaining unbeaten squad.

It was a wake-up call for OU, which beat several power-conference foes — Providence, Arizona, Louisville, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma State and Michigan — in the non-conference portion of their schedule. Both Arizona and Michigan were ranked at the time of Oklahoma’s wins against them.

Five teams — Texas A&M, Houston, Illinois, Mississippi State and Michigan State — jumped the Sooners in the poll.

The Sooners also saw their position drop in the Coaches Poll. They cracked the top 10 a week ago at No. 10 but are now No. 16 in the latest poll, also unveiled on Monday.

Even after the blowout loss, OU didn’t see significant drops in other ranking systems.

In the NET rankings, a system used heavily by the NCAA Tournament selection committee to pick teams for the tourney, Oklahoma dropped only four spots from No. 41 in last Monday’s rankings to No. 45 this week. OU is No. 44 in KenPom (a ranking system using Pythagorean expectation) after a No. 37 standing last week.

Once again, the Southeastern Conference had a strong showing in the poll. The league placed nine teams in the top 25, down one from last week.

The ranked SEC squads are Tennessee (No. 1), Auburn (2), Alabama (5), Kentucky (6), Florida (8), Texas A&M (10), Mississippi State (14), Oklahoma (17) and Ole Miss (23). Four SEC teams — Arkansas, Georgia, Missouri and Vanderbilt — received votes.

All 16 teams in the SEC are ranked in the top 100 of the NET rankings. South Carolina is the league’s lowest-ranked squad at No. 93. The Sooners’ No. 45 ranking is 14th in the conference, ahead of only South Carolina and LSU (No. 61).

OU Basketball: Previewing Oklahoma's First SEC Basketball Season

Next for Oklahoma is its first-ever SEC home game against No. 10 Texas A&M on Wednesday. The Aggies slaughtered Texas 80-60 on Saturday to improve to 12-2.

Wednesday’s game at the Lloyd Noble Center between the Sooners and Aggies will tip off at 8 p.m.