OU Basketball: Oklahoma Rises in AP Poll Following Comeback Win vs. Michigan

The Sooners are 12-0 and one of only four undefeated teams remaining in NCAA Division I college basketball.

Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

NORMAN — Oklahoma’s reward for its ranked neutral-site win? A jump in the AP Top 25 poll.

The Sooners (12-0) moved up two spots to No. 12 in the latest poll, released Monday. Oklahoma’s rise comes a week after it dropped two spots despite an undefeated record.

Ironically, the two teams that Oklahoma jumped — Texas A&M and Gonzaga — are squads that jumped ahead of the Sooners in the previous poll. 

This marks Oklahoma’s fourth week in a row being ranked in the AP Top 25.

OU Basketball: Oklahoma Sails Past Central Arkansas Behind Duke Miles’ Hot Hand

The Sooners entered the poll at No. 21 on Dec. 2. They followed that with an eight-spot jump the next week to No. 13 before dropping to No. 14 last week.

OU’s jump comes after an impressive 87-86 win against Michigan at the Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte on Wednesday.

The Sooners faced two separate 11-point second-half deficits but overcame them to stay undefeated. Freshman Jeremiah Fears hit the game-winning 4-point play with 11 seconds remaining.

Oklahoma also beat Central Arkansas on Sunday in a comfortable 89-66 win. Transfer guard Duke Miles stood out in that game, scoring a season-high 29 points.

The Sooners were also named the “Team of the Week” by NCAA college basketball correspondent Andy Katz.

🏆 Weekly Awards from @TheAndyKatz 🏆

Team of the Week: Oklahoma
Player of the Week: Bruce Thornton pic.twitter.com/2Jx5mJGyY3

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) December 23, 2024

The Sooners are one of 10 teams from the Southeastern Conference ranked in the AP poll, alongside Tennessee (No. 1), Auburn (2), Alabama (5), Florida (6), Kentucky (10), Texas A&M (13), Ole Miss (16), Mississippi State (19) and Arkansas (23). Two other SEC squads — Georgia and Missouri — are receiving votes.

Through 12 games, the Sooners’ resume is impressive. They have earned wins against six opponents from power conferences: Providence, Arizona, Louisville, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma State and Michigan. Both Arizona and Michigan were ranked at the time of OU’s wins. OU is one of just four undefeated Division I squads remaining, along with Tennessee, Florida and Drake.

Still, the Sooners haven’t seen much change in their KenPom and NET standings.

OU is still No. 37, the same ranking as last week, in the KenPom rankings, which use Pythagorean expectation to rank all 364 teams that play NCAA Division I college basketball. In the NET — used heavily by the NCAA Tournament selection committee to choose teams for the tourney — the Sooners actually dropped from No. 41 to No. 42.

The Sooners started similarly strong in the 2023-24 season, winning their first 10 games before struggling to end the year and failing to reach the NCAA Tournament. OU, now 12-0, has already bested its hot start from a year ago.

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Oklahoma’s next game is its final non-conference contest of the 2024-25 season, as the Sooners will host Prairie View A&M on Dec. 29. SEC play begins for the Sooners on Jan. 4 against Alabama at the Lloyd Noble Center.

Oklahoma coach Porter Moser’s goal for the Sooners’ non-conference finale is simple.

“You just don't want to get out of character,” Moser said. “You want to stay in character. Our character is about staying together. Understand why this particular team wins and not deviate from that.”