Porter Moser’s team will face three SEC squads.

Happy Thursday, friends and fans!

The Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball unveiled its completed non-conference schedule on Thursday morning. Officially, OU’s 2021-22 season will tip-off on Tuesday, Nov. 9 against Northwestern State.

The marquee matchups for this year’s non-conference slate include home meetings versus the Florida Gators (Dec. 1) and Butler Bulldogs (Dec. 7), plus contests against the UCF Knights (Nov. 27), Arkansas Razorbacks (Dec. 11 in Tulsa) and Auburn Tigers (Jan. 29).

The schedule also includes a trip to Conway, South Carolina for the Myrtle Beach Invitational from Nov. 18-21. In addition to the Sooners, the early-season, eight-team tournament will also feature Davidson, East Carolina, Indiana State, New Mexico State, Old Dominion, Penn and Utah State.

It’s a respectably strong slate for Porter Moser’s first season at Oklahoma, but one that’s doable for a team comprised of so many new parts. One way or another, a lot will be learned about this year’s Sooners by the time conference play rolls around.

Now for today’s Hot Links! More soundbites from Big 12 Media Days, Austin Reaves revs up for the draft, Nebraska names its new AD and more!

OU Links

• Lincoln Riley has emphasized one of his team’s primary goals is to strive toward becoming the best version of themselves. If they accomplish that, they can reach the heights they’ve been aiming for.

• At Big 12 Media Days, redshirt senior H-back Jeremiah Hall talked about what defines ‘OUDNA’ and how that mindset has created tradition and a winning culture at Oklahoma.

• Junior EDGE Nik Bonitto also represented the Sooners in Arlington on Wednesday, and he spoke about how the team handles preparation throughout the season.

• This whole ‘Horns Down’ penalty stuff is already ridiculous, but now it’s highly subjective. I know how to make it easy for officials — just stop penalizing against it altogether. Good grief, y’all.

• Former OU men’s basketball star Austin Reaves recently sat down with Bryan Kalbrosky of Hoops Hype to discuss his journey from humble beginnings in Arkansas to declaring for the 2021 NBA Draft. His story is unique, and one that he has fully embraced as he embarks on a potential career as a professional basketball player.

Around the Sports World

• On Wednesday night, the Milwaukee Bucks rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat the Phoenix Suns, 109-103, effectively tying up the series at 2-2. Game Five is set to tip-off on Saturday at 8 p.m. CT on ABC.
• The Oklahoma State Cowboys men’s basketball program have added former Memphis Tigers center Moussa Cisse via the transfer portal.
• The Clemson Tigers have extended defensive coordinator Brent Venables with a $2.5 million contract through 2026. This deal officially makes the renowned DC the highest paid assistant in college football.
• The third installment between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder, originally set for July 24, has been rescheduled for Saturday, Oct. 9 after Fury tested positive for COVID-19 last week.
• On Wednesday, former Nebraska Cornhuskers LB Trev Alberts was officially introduced as his alma mater’s next Athletic Director.

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