OU will learn its postseason fate during the NCAA Tournament Selection Sunday show on CBS.
Following a win over Baylor and a one-point loss to Texas Tech, most considered the Oklahoma Sooners to be a viable candidate for one of the final at-large spots for the NCAA Tournament. However, some tough breaks in the other conference tournaments have many people thinking that OU’s valiant showing at the Big 12 Tournament might have been too little, too late.
Most notably, Richmond’s Sunday win over top-seeded Davidson in the A10 Tournament has people feeling a bit more pessimistic. Virginia Tech’s ACC Championship triumph, Texas A&M’s SEC run and Indiana’s upset of Illinois haven’t exactly helped matters either.
At any rate, we will all find out OU’s fate during the NCAA Tournament Selection Show, which starts at 5 p.m. CT on CBS. The live stream can be found on NCAA March Madness Live or Paramount+. Once the bracket is revealed, you can find opening betting lines via DraftKings.
It’s been a while since Sooner fans have truly “sweated it” on this day. Lon Kruger’s Trae Young-led team entered the day in a complete spiral, but we knew they would get in whether they deserved it or not. Kelvin Sampson’s 2003-04 team made the NIT but wasn’t really THAT close to an NCAA bid. A season that comes to mind is Sampson’s 1998-99 campaign, which saw the Sooners sneak in as a 13-seed and make a run to the Sweet 16. Essentially, it’s been over two decades since the program has been in this position on this day.
It won’t surprise me if OU ends up being the first team left out, so one has to wonder what position this team would be in if the ball had just bounced the Sooners’ way in one of the team’s many close defeats. To put it lightly, there are an awful lot of “what-ifs” with this team and this season, but they’ve shown us what we can expect from Moser’s program from an effort and preparation standpoint.
No matter what happens today, I’m optimistic for the future.