2014 NCAA Tournament Profile: Oklahoma Sooners

Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Oklahoma Sooners

Record: 23-9 (12-6 Big XII)

RPI: 28

BPI: 26

Conference: Big XII

How They Qualified: At-large

Season Summary

The Oklahoma Sooners joined the Kansas Jayhawks in the Big XII youth movement this season. The young Sooners did not exactly ease into the season, though. It was not even Thanksgiving, yet, when Oklahoma played then top-ranked Michigan State. The Sooners lost that game, but playing good competition early in the season can be very beneficial.

The Sooners were 11-2 when they headed into conference play. The Big XII turned out to be perhaps the best conference in the country, and the Sooners accumulated a very solid 12-6 conference record. That was good enough for second place in the conference.

Oklahoma ran into a surging Baylor team in the conference tournament. The Bears knocked the Sooners out of Big XII tournament in the quarterfinals.

What You Need To Know

Leading Scorer: Buddy Hield (16.8 PPG)

Leading Rebounder: Ryan Spangler (9.4 RPG)

Leading Passer: Jordan Woodard (4.7 APG)

Bad Losses: Louisiana Tech, @ West Virginia, Texas Tech

Good Wins: Texas (twice), Baylor (twice), Oklahoma State (twice), Iowa State

What to Expect

The Oklahoma Sooners proved they have tons of talent over the course of the grueling Big XII season. Any team that can finish second in that conference can put together a solid tournament run.

The Oklahoma Sooners have nine players who play significant minutes. All five of the Sooners’ starters averages nine points per game or more. That kind of balanced attack will cause problems for tournament opponents. Every tournament team can count of encountering some moments of adversity. During those times, the young Sooners will need to rely on the senior leadership of forward Cameron Clark.

A Final Four is a bit of a stretch for the Oklahoma Sooners this season, but based on their performance against the top teams in the Big XII, the Sooners have a solid chance to make it to the second weekend of the tournament.