OU men’s basketball (14-14, 4-11 SEC) defeated Auburn (15-13, 6-9 SEC) 91-79 on Tuesday at Lloyd Noble Center behind senior guard Nijel Pack’s six 3-pointers.
OU men's basketball guard Nijel Pack becomes 31st NCAA player to make 400 career 3-pointers
The Sooners bounced back after dropping back-to-back games following wins against No. 25 Vanderbilt (21-6, 8-6 SEC) and Georgia (19-8, 7-7 SEC), using the victory over the Tigers in hopes to build momentum heading into the SEC Tournament, beginning March 11.
“This group has been resilient,” head coach Porter Moser said. “It’s been rough because we've had some heartbreakers, we’ve been knocked down, but they keep getting back up, and the effort they gave tonight is a credit to their pride. There’s a path. There’s an urgent path.”
As things stand, Moser’s group sits 13th in the SEC. A sweep of its remaining three games, combined with other results, could move the team as high as 10th. Their win is a step in the right direction to receive a more forgiving first round matchup of the tournament, however facing any of the top five teams in the league, No. 7 Florida (21-6, 12-2 SEC), No. 17 Alabama (20-7, 10-4 SEC), No. 20 Arkansas (20-7, 10-4 SEC), No. 22 Tennessee (20-7, 10-4 SEC) and Texas A&M (19-8, 9-5 SEC), would still present a stiff challenge.
“I still believe in us,” said Pack. "The team believes in us, coaches believe in us, and that's all that matters. We're going to continue to give our fight. We're continuing to work, and we're going to do whatever it takes to get where we want to go.”
The Sooners nearly tied their season high in 3-pointers made (14) with 13, led by Pack, who tied his season high with six makes from deep. Guards senior Jadon Jones and junior Xzayvier Brown and sophomore forward Derrion Reid also contributed from beyond the arc, helping OU shoot a season high 68% from 3-point range. Pack led the Sooners in scoring with 22 points, while Auburn’s junior guard Kevin Overton and senior forward Keyshawn Hall combined for 52 for the Tigers, with 26 apiece, to lead all scorers.
“Nijel, Xzayvier, I thought Derrion was solid, I thought Dayton and Jadon gave us a lift,” Moser said. “We got a lot of contributions, but the underlying thing is we played the right way. We spaced it, we shared it.”
Pack is having his best season from 3-point range, shooting 44.1% entering Tuesday’s game. The veteran guard has built a reputation as a serious deep threat throughout his six-year career and became just the 31st player in NCAA Division I history to surpass 400 career 3-pointers with his performance against Auburn.
“It's definitely a blessing just to think back from my first year in college, but to now, just how many milestones I've been able to achieve,” Pack said. “Just being around this great group of guys, and it's like, man, I don't even want it to end.”
The veteran guard also surpassed 2,000 career points earlier this season against Texas A&M on Jan. 10, becoming just the seventh player in OU history to reach the milestone, although only 425 of his 2170 have come during his time in Norman. While Pack has spent time with three different programs during his career, his 2025-26 campaign has brought him some of his most significant accolades.
Next, the Sooners face Louisiana State University (13-14, 2-12 SEC) at 5 p.m. Saturday in Baton Rouge.
This story was edited by Laurie Jones.
