Oklahoma (15-4, 2-4) beat Arkansas (12-8, 1-6) 65-62 Saturday night in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
The win was the second in a row for the Sooners after they lost their first four games to open up SEC conference play. This was also the first SEC road victory for the Sooners this year.
Here are three takeaways from the Sooners’ win:
Sooners overcome poor offense in second half to come away victorious
The second half was not pretty for the Sooners on the offensive end of the court.
On a night where the Sooners didn’t play up to their offensive standards they had set through the first 18 games of the season, the second half was particularly dreadful. The offense wasn’t flowing, shots weren’t falling and the Sooners appeared on their way to another collapse of a loss.
OU only put up 20 total shots from the field in the second half, going eight of 20 in the period. Of the 30 total points the Sooners put up in the half, 14 of those came from free throws, where the Sooners were 14 of 16.
If not for the dramatic free throw increase from the first half to the second half – only four free throws in the first half for the Sooners – the Sooners likely don’t pick up their second conference victory.
Freshman Jeremiah Fears led the Sooners in the second half with 11 points. Senior forward Jalon Moore added seven. It took the Sooners over 10 minutes to reach double-digit scoring in the second half.
In addition to the poor shooting, the turnovers returned for the Sooners in the second half after being kept in check in the first 20 minutes. After only surrendering four turnovers in the first half, OU gave the ball away nine times in the second half for a total of 13 turnovers. The 13 turnovers turned into 10 Razorback points the other way.
Sooners let it fly from deep early
OU was not afraid to get shots up from behind the three point line in the early going against the Razorbacks.
16 of the Sooners’ 31 field goal attempts in the first half were threes. In total, OU went seven of 16 from beyond the arc (43.8%) and 13 of 31 overall (41.9%) in the first half.
Fears got the three-point party started with his (and the Sooners) first points of the game. It was the only three that Fears took. Transfer guards Brycen Goodine and Glenn Taylor Jr. both put up four threes, with Goodine making three and Taylor Jr. making two, respectively.
raining Sooner threes in Bud ☔️@BrycenGoodine || 📺 ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/qUFoU1Pe5W
— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_MBBall) January 26, 2025
The Sooners didn’t shoot as many threes in the second half, nor did they make any in the second frame. OU went zero for five from beyond the arc in the second half and finished the game seven of 21 from three.
OU hangs tough on the boards in the first half
Rebounding has been an issue all season for the Sooners, who don’t boast as much of a size advantage compared to other teams.
In the first half against the Razorbacks, OU was the more dominant team on the boards. The Sooners outrebounded Arkansas 18 to 17, including a five to three offensive rebounding edge. While the edge may not seem like much, the Sooners will take any victories on the boards that they can get, often finding themselves on the losing edge of the rebounding battle on a nightly basis.
The five offensive rebounds led to eight second-chance points for the Sooners and contributed to their 35-31 halftime lead. Moore and transfer guard Duke Miles led the way with four rebounds. Fears had three rebounds, and Goodine had two rebounds.
OU finished the game with a 35 to 29 rebounding advantage, including an eight to seven offensive rebounding edge to help seal their victory.
Next, the Sooners will take on the No. 13 Texas A&M Aggies (15-5, 4-3) for the second time this season at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 28 in College Station, Texas.
Oklahoma Men’s Basketball schedule:
Nov. 4: Oklahoma 93, Lindenwood 60
Nov. 11: Oklahoma 73, Northwestern State 57
Nov. 16: Oklahoma 85, Stetson 64
Nov. 21: Oklahoma 84, East Texas A&M 56
Nov. 27: Oklahoma 79, Providence 77
Nov. 28: Oklahoma 82, Arizona 77
Nov. 29: Oklahoma 69, Louisville 64
Dec. 3: Oklahoma 76, Georgia Tech 61
Dec. 7: Oklahoma 94, Alcorn 78
Dec. 14: Oklahoma 80, Oklahoma State 65
Dec. 18: Oklahoma 87, Michigan 86
Dec. 22: Oklahoma 89, Central Arkansas 66
Dec. 29: Oklahoma 89, Prairie View A&M 67
Jan. 4: Alabama 107, Oklahoma 79
Jan. 8: Texas A&M 80, Oklahoma 78
Jan. 11: Georgia 72, Oklahoma 62
Jan. 15: Texas, 77, Oklahoma 73
Jan. 18: Oklahoma 82, South Carolina 62
Jan. 25: at Arkansas at 7:30 p.m. (TV: ESPN2)
Jan. 28: at Texas A&M at 8 p.m. (TV: SEC Network)
Feb. 1: vs. Vanderbilt at 2:30 p.m. (TV: SEC Network)
Feb. 4: at Auburn at 8 p.m. (TV: SEC Network)
Feb. 8: vs. Tennessee at 11 a.m. (TV: ESPN or ESPN2)
Feb. 12: at Missouri at 8 p.m. (TV: SEC Network)
Feb. 15: vs. LSU at 5 p.m. (TV: SEC Network)
Feb. 18: at Florida at 6 p.m. (TV: ESPN2)
Feb. 22: vs. Mississippi State at noon (TV: SEC Network)
Feb. 26: vs. Kentucky at 8 p.m. (TV: SEC Network)
March 1: at Mississippi at 1 p.m. (TV: ESPN or ESPN2)
March 5: vs. Missouri at 7 p.m. (TV: SEC Network)
March 8: at Texas at 7 p.m. (TV: SEC Network)
