Gut check time.
Oklahoma (11-6, 1-3), currently on a three-game losing streak, has its back against the wall when it hosts No. 18 Alabama (12-5, 2-2) at the Lloyd Noble Center on Saturday.
Simply put, the Sooners really need a win. Despite some encouraging signs in the final stretch of nonconference play and a very solid performance in the SEC opener, OU hasn’t played any winning basketball in recent weeks. After back-to-back road losses, Oklahoma laid an egg on its home floor Tuesday night with a decisive loss to the defending national champion Florida Gators.
The Sooners still have time to turn their season around, but they need to do so quickly, starting with a tough test at home against a top-20 Crimson Tide team that advanced to the Elite Eight a season ago. Alabama defeated Mississippi State on the road in Starkville on Tuesday night, moving into league play with a 2-2 record. The Tide is coached by Nate Oats, who is in his seventh year in Tuscaloosa.
Saturday’s tilt will be the 12th overall meeting between Oklahoma and Alabama, with OU leading the series 7-4, including a 4-0 loss in the game in Norman. That included one of the most memorable and signature wins of the Porter Moser era, when the Sooners defeated the second-ranked Crimson Tide 93-69 in 2023, after which fans packed the court at Lloyd Noble Center.
Last season, Oklahoma traveled to Tuscaloosa for its first SEC game since joining the conference. This game didn’t go all that well for the Sooners. In one of the most lopsided games of Coach Porter Moser’s tenure, OU lost 107-79.
After hosting the Crimson Tide, Oklahoma State will be back on the road, playing in back-to-back road contests at South Carolina and Missouri before returning home to take on No. 17 Arkansas State on Tuesday, January 27th.
Here’s what you need to know about Saturday’s clash between the SEC’s two crimson-clad teams.
Hint time: Noon CT
where: Lloyd Noble Center (Norman, Oklahoma)
NCAA Net/KenPom Rankings: Oklahoma State – 69/57 | Alabama State – 18/16
How to watch: SEC Network
On the phone: Kevin Fitzgerald & Mark Wise
How to watch (nationwide): ESPN Radio
On the phone: Mike Cousins & Bob Valvano
How to watch (local): Sooner Sports Network – KRXO 107.7 FM in Oklahoma City. KTBZ 2:30 a.m. Tulsa. national team app
On the phone: Toby Rowland & Kevin Henry