It has been seven months since Porter Moser and OU men’s basketball missed the chance to make a postseason run.
Now, both the head coach and the team have an opportunity for a fresh start during their first game of the 2024-25 season against Lindenwood at 8:00 p.m. on Monday in Norman.
A new year in a new conference gives Moser, who is entering his fourth year as head coach for the Sooners, an opportunity to make his first NCAA Tournament bid at OU. Through three seasons, Moser has accumulated a 54-45 record (.545) and managed only one season with 20 or more wins — which was last year, when the Sooners finished 20-12.
Here is what you need to know about Oklahoma as it prepares for its first season in the Southeastern Conference:
The Roster
History keeps repeating itself as Moser was once again tasked with rebuilding his roster after an offseason full of departures.
Seven Sooners return this year from the 2023-24 team. Those returning will bring back 25.6% of scoring, 37.3% of rebounding and 12.4% of assists.
At the core of those returning lie senior forwards Sam Godwin and Jalon Moore. Both started all 31 games for OU last year and averaged a combined 17.9 points and 11.9 rebounds per game.
“Sam (Godwin) and Jalon (Moore) are two of the toughest guys I have ever coached,” Moser said at local media availability on Wednesday, October 30. “They bring it every day and are fantastic at showing new guys and the young guys how things are done here.”
Moore brings back 11.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. Godwin accounted for 6.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists. Moore was the third leading scorer for the Sooners a year ago, finishing behind Javian McCollum and Otega Oweh, who transferred to Georgia Tech and Kentucky in the offseason.
Senior forward Sam Godwin and junior forward Jalon Moore during the game against OSU on Feb. 10, 2024.
Moore went through the NBA draft process during the offseason and ultimately made the decision to return to OU for his senior season. Since deciding to return, the 6-foot-7, 215-pound forward has focused on leadership.
“I want to lead by example and I want to lead vocally this year,” Moore said. “I want to hold these guys accountable and I want them to hold me accountable as well. That’s how we’re going to be a great team.”
Godwin played a pivotal role in point production and rim protection last year. However, he struggled to facilitate outside of the paint and to score around the perimeter, but he was determined to evolve in both of these areas during the offseason.
“I’ve taken pride in being a high-energy guy who fights for as many rebounds as I can and as many 50/50 balls as I can,” Godwin said. “I also spent time working on facilitating the offense better, and I put some work in on my three-point shot.”
Also returning this year is redshirt freshman Jacolb Fredson-Cole. Fredson-Cole, a four-star prospect from Branson, Missouri, opted to redshirt following discussions with Moser throughout the season.
“Everyone was empowering me and pulling for me to get better throughout the entire season,” Fredson-Cole said. “Knowing what I know now after taking everything in last year, I know what it takes to help us win. And I’m ready to do what I can to help the team in any way.”
As for the newcomers, the Sooners will be adding seven transfers and three freshmen to the team this year.
The transfers bring years of experience to Norman. Four of the seven (guard Kobe Elvis (Dayton), guard Brycen Goodine (Fairfield), guard Jadon Jones (Long Beach State) and center Mohamed Wague (Alabama)) are graduate transfers. Guard Duke Miles (High Point) is a redshirt senior and forward Glenn Taylor Jr. (St. John’s) is a senior. The seventh transfer, guard Jeff Nwankwo (Crowley College), is a junior.
In an open scrimmage for fans and media to attend on Oct. 30, Miles led the way amongst the transfers in scoring with 16 points. Goodine and Taylor Jr. totalled 13 points and Elvis brought in 10. The scrimmage consisted of three, 10-minute games and one five-minute game.
Elvis also totaled four assists. His play-making ability caught the attention of Moore early on.
“Kobe (Elvis) is going to bring another dimension to this team,” Moore said. “His ability to create for not only himself but for others will be big for us this year.
Last season, Elvis established a solid stat line averaging 9.4 points, 3.5 assists and 37% three-point shooting while at Dayton. But the six-foot-one guard hopes to bring more to the court than just the ability to create for others and himself.
“Leadership. I know it’s only my first year here but I want to be as much of a leader as I can,” Elvis said. “I want to bring high energy to this team and help us win in any way that I can.”
OU also brings in a talented crop of freshmen.
The No. 24 prospect on ESPN’s top 100 list, Jeremiah Fears, three-star guard Dayton Forsythe and four-star forward Kuol Atak all signed with the Sooners in the offseason.
During the Oct. 30 scrimmages, Fears scored nine points to go along with four rebounds and three assists. Forsythe added six points, five assists and three rebounds and Atak scored five points.
While it is unknown who Moser will consistently run during game situations, the freshmen have an opportunity to earn some playing time, especially during non-conference play.
The Schedule
The Sooners begin the 2024-25 season with a slate of 13 non-conference games.
Included in that stretch is a Thanksgiving trip to the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis, a home tilt against Georgia Tech in the SEC/ACC challenge on Dec. 3, a Bedlam basketball revival in Oklahoma City at Paycom Center on Dec. 14, and a neutral-site contest against Michigan in Charlotte, North Carolina, for the Jumpman Invitational on Dec. 18.
Also making a return this year is the student-only game at McCasland Field House. OU will take on Alcorn State on Dec. 7.
McCasland Field House during the game against Arkansas Pine Bluff on Nov. 30.
Following the last non-conference game against Prairie View A&M on Dec. 29, the Sooners’ attention turns to their first conference slate in the SEC.
“We’re just happy to have a home now,” Moser said. “Our last few media days have been occupied by our move to the SEC. So we’re just happy to finally be here in this conference.”
While Moser is happy to finally have a “home,” the Sooners shouldn’t expect any housewarming gestures from their new conference mates. After dealing with the grind of a Big 12 conference schedule in recent years, the SEC provides little remorse as well.
Including Texas, nine SEC teams made the 2024 March Madness tournament. Alabama represented the conference in the Final Four, losing to eventual champion Connecticut. This year, nine SEC schools were in the AP top-25 preseason poll, six of which were in the top 20. OU is scheduled to play all nine of those teams.
“It’s a physical brand of basketball they play here in this conference,” Moser said. “We have been preparing our guys all summer to get stronger and gain a tougher edge in preparation for our first season here.”
In a preseason SEC media poll, OU was picked to finish 15 out of the 16 teams in the conference. The only team picked to finish behind OU was Vanderbilt — who Oklahoma plays on Feb. 1 at the Lloyd Noble Center.
Conference play begins on Jan. 4 when the Sooners travel to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to take on the Crimson Tide. The first SEC home game for the Sooners comes on Jan. 8 when they play Texas A&M. OU’s first SEC basketball matchup against Texas comes on Jan. 15 at the Lloyd Noble Center.
The Sooners will tip off for the first time at 8:00 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 4 at the Lloyd Noble Center against Lindenwood on SEC Network+.
This story was edited by Gracie Rawlings.
