Porter Moser and Toby Keith

Head coach Porter Moser celebrates with Toby Keith after winning the first round of the NIT against Missouri State at Lloyd Noble Center on March 15.

 Trey Young/The Daily

Oklahoma men’s basketball is honoring country music legend Toby Keith during its game against Oklahoma State on Saturday.

Instead of using traditional cups, all fountain drinks and draft beers will be sold in red solo cups

The Moore native died on Monday at the age of 62 after a nearly 18-month battle with stomach cancer. During OU’s game against BYU on Tuesday, the Sooners remembered Keith with a moment of silence and revealed a court side seat adorned with a red OU hat, a guitar and a red solo cup.

“The BYU game was fresh off the day we lost him,” head coach Porter Moser said on Friday. “Now it’s been a couple of days, and those emotions are there, and it's awesome to see the whole world reflecting.”

At the Lloyd Noble Center on Saturday, Keith’s song “Red Solo Cup” which was released in 2011, will be played, and will give fans in attendance the opportunity, to stand, with a red solo cup in hand and sing along.

Moser, alongside others in OU athletics and in the Norman community, have recognized Keith and reflected on the impact he made.

Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione, OU President Joseph Harroz Jr., Moser and others have posted messages on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, to remember the musician’s impact on the university and on the community.

On Tuesday, OU radio play-by-play voice Toby Rowland also commemorated the country music legend, by playing a voice recording of Keith as junior guard Javian McCollum made a 3-pointer to seal the game against the Cougars.

However, despite the gesture at Saturday’s game, Moser knows that Keith’s memory will long outlive the disposable cups that are being used to honor him.

“As far as I am concerned, I will be celebrating that legacy a long time,” Moser said. “Not just tomorrow.”

The Sooners will tip off against OSU at 6 p.m. on Saturday at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman.

OU Daily standards

See an error? Earning trust is our duty. We correct errors atop stories. Identify an error, request a takedown or get in touch.

Independent and free since 1916: OU is committed to our editorial independence. You can help ensure our reporting remains strong and accessible to all invested in OU and Norman.

Want to comment? We value dialogue on issues we cover. On our social media accounts, we moderate disparagements, arguments and attacks, including those directed at our staff — and ban those repeatedly failing civility. The editor considers guest column submissions.