For the first time as SEC rivals and for the first time in Norman, the Kentucky Wildcats and Oklahoma Sooners will do battle Wednesday when the Wildcats visit the Lloyd Noble Center for a 9 p.m. EST matchup.
While the two teams are new SEC rivals, there is plenty of familiarity between the two sides.
Kentucky guard and leading scorer Otega Oweh spent his first two college seasons at OU before transferring to Kentucky this past offseason. Oklahoma guard Kobe Elvis was teammates with UK's Koby Brea for the past three seasons at Dayton. Last season, Mark Pope and BYU went on the road in Big 12 play and fell 82-66, a game that saw now Wildcat and Ada, Oklahoma native Jaxson Robinson, who is currently injured, score eight points in a loss.
Oklahoma and Kentucky have met three times all-time, and UK has come out victorious in all three matchups. UK beat the Sooners in Lexington in 1945 and 1987 and then earned a 76-64 victory in the 2010 Maui Classic Invitational.
Oklahoma is coached by Porter Moser, who is in his fourth season leading the Sooners after a 10-year run at Loyola Chicago that saw him take the Ramblers to the 2018 Final Four and 2021 Sweet 16.
In Norman, Moser has yet to make the NCAA Tournament, as he owns a record of 71-55, but he has his current team on the bubble of making the dance this season. OU, which has been ranked as high as 12th in the AP Poll, enters Wednesday's contest 17-10 overall and 4-10 in SEC play.
OU went a perfect 13-0 in non-conference play, earning home wins over Lindenwood, Northwestern State, Stetson, East Texas A&M, Georgia Tech, Alcorn State, Central Arkansas, and Prairie View A&M.
It went to the Bahamas and won the Battle 4 Atlantis with wins over Providence, then-ranked No. 24 Arizona and Louisville, defeated in-state foe Oklahoma State in Oklahoma City and defeated then-ranked No. 24 Michigan at the Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte.
After an impressive run in non-conference play, the Sooners began to struggle in SEC play.
It opened SEC play 0-4, losing on the road at then-ranked No. 4 Alabama, at home to No. 10 ranked Texas A&M in Athens to Georgia, and at home to Texas. The Sooners then bounced back with back-to-back wins over South Carolina at home and Arkansas on the road.
After falling on the road to then-ranked No. 13 Texas A&M, it bounced back with a dominant 97-67 home win over then-ranked No. 24 Vanderbilt before suffering through a five-game losing streak that saw it suffer a road loss at No. 1 Auburn, home loss to then-ranked No. 4 Tennessee, a road loss to then-ranked No. 21 Missouri, a home loss to LSU and road loss to No. 2 Florida.
With its NCAA Tournament hopes dwindling, Oklahoma got a much-needed 93-87 home win over then-ranked No. 21 Mississippi State this past Saturday to snap its five-game skid.
Here's a look at three key Sooners to watch ahead of Wednesday's matchup, a stat profile on Moser's Sooners, his full 2024-25 roster and coaching staff:
Players to Watch
Jalon Moore: Moore, a 6-foot-7 forward, is Oklahoma's leading scorer, averaging 17.0 points per game, and rebounder, averaging 5.7 rebounds per game. He is shooting 38.2 percent from three on the year.
Jeremiah Fears: Fears, a candidate for SEC Freshman of the Year, is averaging 15.7 points per game for the Sooners along with a team-high 4.0 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He is shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 28.7 percent from three.
Duke Miles: Miles, a transfer from High Point, is averaging 10.1 points per game for OU, along with 2.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. He is a 52.0 percent shooter from the field and 43.8 percent shooter from three.
By The Numbers (As of 2/24)
Points Per Game: 77.7 points per game (82nd in country)
Points Allowed Per Game: 73.5 points allowed per game (230th in country)
Rebounds Per Game: 32.3 rebounds per game (312nd in country)
NET RANKING: 51st
KENPOM RANKING: 49th
KENPOM ADJUSTED OFFENSE: 33rd
KENPOM ADJUSTED DEFENSE: 73rd
KENPOM ADJUSTED TEMPO: 117th
2024-25 Oklahoma Sooners Roster
0 - Jeremiah Fears, G (6-4, 182, Fr.)
1 - Kobe Elvis, G (6-1, 180, Gr.)
2 - Brycen Goodine, G (6-4, 190, 6th)
3 - Jeff Nwankwo, G (6-6, 220, RJr.)
5 - Mohamed Wague, F/C (6-10, 235, Gr.)
7 - Dayton Forsythe, G (6-2, 187, Fr.)
10 - Sam Godwin, F (6-10, 240, Sr.)
11 - Yaya Keita, F (6-9, 241, RJr.)
12 - Jadon Jones, G (6-5, 190, Gr.)
14 - Jalon Moore, F (6-7, 215, Sr.)
15 - Duke Miles, G (6-2, 188, RSr.)
22 - Kuol Atak, F (6-9, 190, Fr.)
24 - Jacolb Fredson-Cole, F (6-7, 220, RFr.)
30 - Jake Moser, G (6-3, 187, Sr.)
35 - Glenn Taylor Jr., G (6-6, 215, Sr.)
45 - Luke Northweather, F/C (6-11, 240, RSo.)
55 - Reid Lovelace, G (5-10, 140, Jr.)
Coaching Staff
Head Coach: Porter Moser
Assistant Coach: Clayton Custer
Assistant Coach: Armon Gates
Assistant Coach: Ryan Humphrey
Assistant Coach: Brock Morris
Assistant Coach: Josh Oppenheimer