Oklahoma Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Sooners

LUBBOCK, TX - FEBRUARY 13: Brady Manek #35 of the Oklahoma Sooners goes up for the slam dunk during the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders on February 13, 2018 at United Supermarket Arena in Lubbock, Texas. Texas Tech defeated Oklahoma 88-78. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /

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SAN DIEGO, CA – MARCH 16: The Wichita State Shockers mascot gestures in the second half against the Marshall Thundering Herd during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena on March 16, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

Non-conference schedule

Nov. 9 – at Texas-Rio Grande Valley
Nov. 12 – at UTSA
Nov. 18 – Wofford (Battle 4 Atlantis)
Nov. 21-23 – Battle 4 Atlantis
Nov. 27 – North Texas
Dec. 4 – Notre Dame (Jimmy V Classic)
Dec. 8 – Wichita State (Oklahoma City Showcase)
Dec. 15 – USC (Tulsa Showcase)
Dec. 18 – Creighton
Dec. 21 – at Northwestern
Jan. 26 – Vanderbilt (Big 12/SEC Challenge)

Let’s just come out and say it – this may be the toughest non-conference schedule in the entire country.

In fact, if the Sooners are a bubble team when the NCAA Tournament rolls around, this lethal schedule might be enough to push them into the bracket.

They do ease into their season with two games against weak mid-major opponents, although anything can happen on the road. They also host Wofford in the campus game for Battle 4 Atlantis, but that is the same Wofford team that won in Chapel Hill last year.

After that, the only true mid-major left in Oklahoma’s entire non-conference schedule is a home date with North Texas at the end of November.

The Battle 4 Atlantis (Atlantis portion) will involve neutral site games against Florida, either Wisconsin or Stanford, and possibly even Virginia, last year’s overall top seed in the NCAA Tournament.

They also have neutral site games against always-dangerous Wichita State, Notre Dame (at Madison Square Garden), and USC. After the Mean Green game, the Sooners don’t return home for three weeks (and when they do, they face a somewhat local Creighton team).

Just when it seems like their non-conference schedule will end with a trip to a Big Ten school (Northwestern), they’re forced to hit pause on their grueling conference season to play Vanderbilt in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

Name another team with a harder stretch of games, particularly in December.

Still waiting….

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