Big 12 Basketball: 2019 Bracketology predictions for Selection Sunday
By Chris Kern
Oklahoma Sooners
The Oklahoma Sooners aren’t an absolute lock but they’re in a much better spot than both Texas and TCU are. Their two losses against West Virginia hurt but they have a very good resume. People won’t like a team that went 7-12 in conference games getting in the tournament but they did a good job building their schedule and they’re going to be rewarded.
Oklahoma has a 4-10 quadrant 1 record and then a combined 15-3 against quad’s 2/3. They’re the only team in the country who hasn’t played a quad four game and that is benefiting them in a big way. They scheduled a lot of quality teams in the nonconference such as Notre Dame and Northwestern. These teams aren’t greats but by the metric, they are much better than the mid-majors that the majority of team’s play.
Their resume is highlighted by their home win over Kansas. They made a statement in that game and it was likely the day they locked up an NCAA Tournament berth. Their home win against Wofford is also very impressive as the Terriers are likely looking at a six seed in the tournament.
The Sooners are right ahead of Texas in the NET rankings at 37 which should have them in the field. Despite these two teams being so close in those rankings they likely will be at least ten teams between them when the tournament field is announced on Selection Sunday.
Oklahoma hasn’t played extremely well in conference play but the win over Kansas is huge. Most bubble teams don’t have a win like that while also not having a very bad loss. That is why the Sooners are likely safe in the field barring some unforeseen circumstances.