OU men's basketball falls to LSU 82-79 in last-second loss

Oklahoma (16-9, 3-9) lost to LSU (13-12, 2-10) 82-79 Saturday evening inside the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman.

After leading for the entire game, Oklahoma lost this one in the final seconds after an 8-0 LSU run. The loss for the Sooners is a costly one, and it puts Oklahoma’s NCAA Tournament hopes on life support for the remainder of the season.

Here are three takeaways from the Sooners’ loss:

Sooners collapse late, lose the game in the final 20 seconds

With 35 seconds remaining in the second half, Oklahoma held a 79-74 lead over the Tigers.

35 seconds later, the game was over and LSU walked off the Lloyd Noble Center court with a 82-79 victory. The Tigers went on an 8-0 run over the final 35 seconds to steal victory away from the Sooners and extend Oklahoma’s losing streak to four games.

The run for the Tigers began with senior guard Cam Carter completing a four-point play following a made three-pointer and a foul by senior forward Jalon Moore. On the ensuing inbound following the free throw, LSU forced a turnover off of a bad pass by Moore, which led to another Carter and-one, this time coming on a layup opportunity.

After a last-second shot attempt by freshman guard Jeremiah Fears, the Tigers went back to the line after a quick foul by Fears and made one free throw to complete the eight-point swing and the stunning victory.

“It starts with fouling the three-point shooter,” head coach Porter Moser said after the loss. “That can’t happen, especially not in that situation.”

“We had a timeout in that situation and we didn’t use it. That disorganization starts with me.”

Both teams struggle shooting from deep in first half

Neither team was afraid to let it fly from three-point land in the first half. However, neither team was very successful in putting those shots in the basket.

Oklahoma, who on the season averages 36.6% from three-point range, shot a poor two of 11 – 18% – from three in the first frame. Freshman guard Jeremiah Fears and transfer guard Brycen Goodine were the only Sooners who made a three in the half. Moore and transfer guard Kobe Elvis both missed two, and transfer guard Duke Miles and freshman guard Dayton Forsythe both missed one.

LSU put up 15 threes in the first half and only made four of them. However, the 27% percentage wasn’t too far from the Tigers’ season average from three-point range. To date, LSU has been a 30.8% three-point team.

Graduate guard Dji Bailey was a perfect three of three from deep in the half, and Carter made the other three for the Tigers.

Sooners hang tough on the boards early

Throughout the 2024-25 season, it has been a rare feat for Oklahoma to win the rebounding battle against its opponent.

Against the Tigers, the Sooners won the rebounding battle and largely dominated in the paint in the first half. OU went into the locker room at halftime with a 20 to 16 rebounding advantage, including a five to three offensive rebounding edge.

Miles, along with senior forwards Sam Godwin and Mohamed Wague, led the way with three rebounds each at the half. Moore, Elvis, Goodine and Forsythe each had two, and Fears pulled down one board.

The Sooners dominated the Tigers in the paint as well. Oklahoma took a 24 to 12 points in the paint advantage into the locker room. Goodwin and Wague, who combined for 12 points in the first half, bullied the Tigers for 10 combined points in the paint in the first 20 minutes.

“We did a good job of bottling them up inside and taking away some second opportunities for them in the first half,” Moser said. “I was proud of the physicality that they played with today.”

Despite the loss, the Sooners continued to dominate the boards in the second half. OU finished the game with a 43 to 28 rebounding edge overall and a 14 to four offensive rebounding advantage.

Next, the Sooners will head back on the road when they take on No. 3 Florida (21-3, 8-3) at 6:00 on Tuesday, Feb. 18 in Gainesville, Florida.