Hours before beginning postseason play, Oklahoma's 2019-20 season came to abrupt halt as the priorities of the sporting community shifted to something much bigger than basketball.
It's natural for players, staff and fans to be left asking "what could have been" for the Sooners on Selection Sunday. Oklahoma had been playing some of its best basketball in the last few weeks of the season and looked prime for March competition.
Instead, we choose to focus on the 31 games that did happen and celebrate OU's accomplishments, milestones and favorite memories.
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After being predicted to finish eighth in the Big 12 Preseason Poll, Oklahoma finished in a tie for third place while securing the No. 3 seed in the Big 12 Championship. Despite tempered external expectations and losing a 2019 senior class of seven letterwinners,
Lon Kruger guided the Sooners to their best seed in the conference tournament since 2016.
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Coming off a three-game losing streak and finding themselves on the March Madness bubble, Oklahoma played some of its best ball in the final two weeks of the season to head into the postseason confident about receiving an at-large bid. Oklahoma won three of its last four games, with the only loss being a one-point defeat at the buzzer. In that stretch, the Sooners won two games against ranked opponents and three games away from Lloyd Noble Center.
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Oklahoma boasted the top scoring trio in the Big 12 and one of the best in the country in senior forward
Kristian Doolittle (15.8 points per game), junior guard
Austin Reaves (14.7) and junior forward
Brady Manek (14.4). All three Sooners ranked in the top eight of the Big 12's scoring race. Oklahoma joined Alabama and Arkansas as the only major-conference teams with three players averaging at least 14 points.
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OU boasted a pair of players from Oklahoma who etched their names into OU's 1,000-point club. Senior forward
Kristian Doolittle became the 47th Sooner to score 1,000 points in an OU uniform, eclipsing the milestone in a win over Oklahoma State on Feb. 1. He joins teammate
Brady Manek in the premier circle of Sooner scorers with Manek reaching his 1,000 points on Jan. 18 against TCU. The duo is tied on OU's all-time scoring list with 1,188 total points.
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The Sooner roster featured only one senior in forward Kristian Doolittle. Doolittle finished fourth in the Big 12 in both points (15.8 per game) and rebounds (8.9). His hard work was recognized by league coaches when he was given All-Big 12 First Team recognition. He is the 10th Sooner to receive first-team status since the Big 12 was formed in 1996. He joins Corey Brewer, Eduardo Najera, Aaron McGhee, Hollis Price (twice), Taj Gray, Blake Griffin (twice), Romero Osby, Buddy Hield (twice) and Trae Young.
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Junior forward
Brady Manek had a pair of high-scoring performances of his own, becoming the only Big 12 player with multiple 30-point games throughout the season. Manek scored 31 against TCU on Jan. 18 and Oklahoma State on Feb. 1, sinking a career-high seven 3-pointers in both contests. The junior was named an All-Big 12 Third Team selection at the conclusion of the season.
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Junior guard Austin Reaves finished sixth in the Big 12 in scoring with 14.7 points per game. Reaves was named an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection along with making the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team. He assembled seven 20-point games, tied for fifth most in the Big 12.
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The last game of OU's season will also go down as the most exciting. Oklahoma overcame a 20-point deficit to defeat TCU 78-76 in the regular-season finale in Fort Worth. Oklahoma trailed 44-26 at halftime yet came back to win, marking the largest halftime deficit overcome on the road in Big 12 history. The Sooners were willed back by a 41-point performance from junior guard
Austin Reaves — including the game-winner with half a second remaining. Reaves' 41 points were the most by a Big 12 player this season and the most by a Big 12 player since Trae Young scored 44 against Baylor on Jan. 30, 2018.
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If a bracket had been finalized, the Sooners felt confident that their resume would have earned at at-large bid. The selection could have been OU's seventh NCAA Tournament bid in the last eight years. Despite world events cancelling the NCAA Tournament for global safety, OU can still boast a consistent ability to reach the NCAA Tournament. OU has reached the Big Dance six times since 2013 – all under Lon Kruger. Duke, Kansas, Michigan State, North Carolina and Villanova are the only major-conference schools who have made it to more NCAA Tournaments in that span.
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Despite losing an All-Big 12 First Team selection in graduating senior
Kristian Doolittle, the Sooners expect to bring back 79% of their scoring next season. Experience normally pays dividends in the Big 12 and Oklahoma has a bright future ahead as it enters the 10th year under
Lon Kruger.
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With a strong core returning in 2020-21, fans can secure their season tickets with a $50 per seat deposit that will get you into our seat selection process. (Current season ticket holders you do not have to make a deposit.)
Secure your seats here.
2020-21 Tickets
Season tickets are available for the 2020-21 season. For more information, please call/text the Ticket Office at (405) 325-2424 or click here.
