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

The Sooners' senior guard led OU's scoring efforts with 29 points as they beat Central Arkansas 89-66 on Sunday.

Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

NORMAN — It took a while for the Sooners to pull away for good, but Oklahoma got the job done on Sunday.

The No. 14-ranked Sooners (12-0) beat Central Arkansas 89-66 at Lloyd Noble Center to keep their undefeated season alive. The game was OU’s second-to-last non-conference contest, as the Sooners open their first conference season as an SEC squad against Alabama on Jan. 4.

Here are three takeaways from the Sooners’ victory:

Duke Miles masterclass

Senior guard Duke Miles had the hot hand for OU on Sunday.

Miles, playing in his first season in Norman after stints at Troy and High Point, notched a team-high 29 points. The guard did so on 11-of-17 shooting and also logged three assists and three rebounds.

"I just wanted to come in here, get the win and do what it takes to get the win," Miles said. "When you come in, you hit a first shot and things get rolling. I was just trying to make the flow come to me and build the confidence, bring my energy and lift everybody up as well."

Miles last played at High Point, where he was the Panthers’ star player and averaged 17.4 points per game. In 12 games for the Sooners, Miles has averaged 12.1 points per game.

He once scored 32 points in a game at High Point, but Miles’ 29-point total against the Bears is his best since arriving at OU.

"I was thinking about it a little bit, but I was just excited for the win," Miles said. "Career high or not a career high, I was excited to get the win."

Miles has logged double-figure scoring seven times in the 2024-25 season.

While Miles hasn’t needed to be the high-volume scorer that he was at High Point, games like Sunday’s show his offensive abilities when he needs to be the command guy.

Another strong outing from Fears

He didn’t need to hit a game-winning 4-point play on Sunday, but freshman guard Jeremiah Fears played another exceptional game against the Bears.

Fears finished with 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting and has now reached double-figure scoring in all 12 games of his college basketball career. His strong performance against UCA comes after he scored 30 points and hit an and-one 3-pointer to beat Michigan on Wednesday.

Fears turned 18 years old in October, meaning he should still be in high school. But the guard reclassified in the summer, committed to Oklahoma and joined the squad.

So far, Fears is averaging 18 points per game, which leads Oklahoma.

Fears has already won SEC Freshman of the Week once this season. There’s a good chance he does so again this week.

12 down, one to go

The Sooners are just one win away from finishing the non-conference portion of their 2024-25 schedule unbeaten.

OU is one of just four undefeated squads remaining in college basketball, along with No. 1 Tennessee, No. 7 Florida and Drake.

En route to Oklahoma’s 12-0 opening, the Sooners have taken down several quality opponents, including Providence, Arizona, Louisville, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma State and Michigan. Both Arizona and Michigan were ranked at the time of OU’s wins.

Just one game stands in the way of Oklahoma entering its first Southeastern Conference season 13-0.

The Sooners will host Prairie View A&M on Sunday, Dec. 29, for their non-conference finale. The Panthers are 1-10, and their only win came against the College of Biblical Studies.

The Prairie View A&M game isn't one that should be particularly tough for the Sooners. But OU coach Porter Moser has plenty he wants to see from his team in its final non-conference game.

"What you’re looking for? Is to not get out of character," Moser said. "Understand why this particular team wins and not deviate from that."

OU kicks off SEC play against the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday, Jan. 4, at Lloyd Noble Center.