Why Porter Moser Had to 'Evaluate Everything' After Oklahoma's NCAA Tournament Disappointment

The Sooners used last year's exclusion from the NCAA Tournament as motivation this offseason as OU prepares for its first season in the SEC.

Oklahoma Sooners head coach Porter Moser talks with the media during SEC Media Days at Grand Bohemian Hotel. / Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

NORMAN — Hope springs eternal for Porter Moser. 

The Oklahoma basketball coach is gearing up for his fourth season in Norman, and as the Sooners chart their first path through the Southeastern Conference, Moser is looking for his first bid to the NCAA Tournament in Norman. 

Last year, Moser felt OU was robbed of a bid to the Big Dance, a feeling that has driven his entire program through the summer. 

“I was pissed off this summer,” Moser said during a preseason press conference on Wednesday. “It was the hardest day — that Sunday was one of the hardest days of my professional career… To go through that on that Sunday when we felt unequivocally we were in and had the year we had with 20 wins in the best conference in the country and not get in — so this summer was a summer of what can we do better? Where are those final inches of every close game?”

As is the case throughout college basketball, before making improvements, Moser and his coaching staff had to fill out the roster through the transfer portal. 

The Sooners landed seven transfers — Kobie Elvis from Dayton, Brycen Goodine from Fairfield, Jeff Nwanko from Cowley College, Mohamad Wague from Alabama, Jadon Jones from Long Beach State, Duke Miles from High Point and Glenn Taylor Jr. from St. John’s — as well as a trio of freshmen in Jeremiah Fears, Dayton Forsythe and Kuol Atak to round out the roster. 

Returners Jalon Moore, Sam Godwin and Luke Northweather understand the night-to-night grind of a conference like the SEC, but getting consistent contributions every game has been a struggle for other OU portal additions the past few years — especially those trying to step up from mid-major conferences. 

Getting that balance right this year will be essential for Moser.

“It’s getting to understand the bumps and physicality,” Moser said. “The playing through contact, you’ve to play through contact. And the speed and athleticism and the power of these Big 12, SEC-type athletes.”

Oklahoma made a new addition off the floor to help, too. Ty Terrell was tabbed as OU’s new Director of Men’s Basketball Strength and Conditioning after Bryce Daub left to join the Charlotte Hornets. 

Terrell worked closely with the Sooners’ nutrition staff to get the roster stronger and ready to battle in the SEC this winter. 

“Sam Godwin for instance is close to 15 heavier of muscle,” Moser said. “So I think all our guys are improved this summer.”

As he’s done each of the last three offseasons, Moser said he studied all of Oklahoma’s close defeats to put the team in a better position to close out those games. 

But the composition of the roster this year will push the Sooners toward playing a slightly different style this season. 

“We’re going to play differently. Not super different but we’re really going to — we’ve recruited some shooters,” Moser said. “We’re going to try to utilize the 3-point shot. We’re playing with pace and space. So we’re doing some things that we do differently there.”

A year ago, OU finished 144th in the country in 3-point shooting, knocking down 34.5 percent of its attempts. 

Oklahoma especially struggled to shoot in conference play, which will again be a problem for the Sooners if the new faces can’t make a positive impact. 

“What we went through and where we were, to not get in, we felt like that got taken from us,” Moser said. “We combined guys that have been there with some other guys that had the same feeling I did.”