20. Oklahoma (7-0)
Porter Moser and his Oklahoma teams have fallen short the last few seasons and struggled to showcase themselves in the Big 12. This year may just be different, and not just because the Sooners officially moved to the SEC in the offseason. After a number of offseason moves, this Sooners squad looks different with solid early returns, but this past week in the Bahamas certainly cemented their potential.
Oklahoma started off on the right foot in the Battle 4 Atlantis, winning 79-77 over Providence to hand the Friars their first loss of the season. Kobe Elvis had 26 points as the Sooners hung on for the win. Thursday’s semifinal was even more impressive, handling a ranked Arizona team in an 82-77 victory, led this time by Caleb Love’s 17-point effort. In the title game in the Bahamas, Oklahoma got 24 points and 7 rebounds from Jalon Moore in a close 69-64 win over Louisville.
After a few uninspiring wins over mid-majors at home, Oklahoma suddenly has won their first seven games and proved themselves against several strong squads. The Sooners were picked to finish near the bottom of the pack in the SEC but just might be a team to watch out for down the stretch this season. They’ll look to continue their hot start at home against Georgia Tech in their first ACC/SEC Challenge, hoping to avoid a tremendous let down.