Sooners Open Battle 4 Atlantis Against Providence

NORMAN – Oklahoma and Providence meet in the Bahamas on Wednesday, Nov. 27 at 4 p.m. CT inside Imperial Arena The contest will air on the Sooner Sports Radio Network (KRXO 107.7 FM The Franchise in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa; Varsity Radio App) with Chad McKee and Kevin Henry announcing and be broadcast by ESPN2 with Dave O'Brien (PxP) and Jimmy Dykes (analyst) on the call.

Oklahoma vs. Providence
Date: Wednesday, Nov. 27
Tip Time: 4 p.m. CT
Location: Paradise Island, Bahamas
Arena: Imperial Arena

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Game Notes

OPENING TIP

•  Oklahoma travels to the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis Nov. 27-29. The Sooners will play Providence on Wednesday, Nov. 27 at 4 p.m. CT in the opening round and will face Davidson or Arizona on Thursday, Nov. 28. OU is 2-0 all-time against Providence and the two programs last met in the BIG EAST-Big 12 Challenge in 2023.

•  The Sooners will compete in the B4A for the third time and have a 4-2 record in the event. Oklahoma played in its first B4A tournament in 2014, making it to the championship game before it fell to then-No. 2/3 Wisconsin. OU played in the 2018 tournament and opened with a victory over Florida before another loss to Wisconsin. OU capped the event with a win over Dayton.

•  Redshirt freshman Jacolb Fredson-Cole, graduate Kobe Elvis (Dayton/DePaul), sixth year Brycen Goodine (Syracuse/Providence/Fairfield), graduate Mohamed Wague (Harcum College/West Virginia/Alabama), redshirt senior Duke Miles (Troy/High Point) senior Glenn Taylor Jr. (Oregon State/St. John's), freshman Jeremiah Fears and freshman Dayton Forsythe made their Oklahoma debuts in the season opener against Lindenwood on Nov. 4. Miles, Goodine and Elvis earned their first starts in the Crimson and Cream against the Lions, while Taylor Jr. started against Northwestern State and Stetson. Fears appeared in the starting lineup against East Texas A&M, finishing with a team-high 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting and adding five assists four rebounds and three steals.

•  Oklahoma head men's basketball coach Porter Moser is in his fourth season leading the program. Moser guided Oklahoma to a 20-12 record and an 8-10 mark in OU's final season in the Big 12. The 2023-24 squad was the first team to reach 20 regular season wins since the 2016 Final Four team.

•  Moser earned his 350th career victory when the Sooners topped Stetson 86-64 on Saturday, Nov. 16 at Lloyd Noble Center.

•  Junior Jalon Moore and super senior Sam Godwin return as starters from last season's 20-win team. Moore earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention accolades, averaging 11.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 0.6 steals and 0.5 assists per outing in 31 starts. Godwin started 31 games in 2023-24 and shot 59.8% from the field (75-126), ranking seventh in program history for single-season field goal percentage. Moore recorded 20-plus points in the first three games, while Godwin has led the Sooners on the glass, recording 9-plus rebounds in each contest.

•  OU embarks on its inaugural season in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in 2024-25 after 28 years in the Big 12, finishing with a 258-214 (.548) mark in conference competition.

LAST TIME OUT

• Freshman Jeremiah Fears earned his first start and led the Sooners with 20 points as Oklahoma men's basketball improved to 4-0 after its 84-56 victory over East Texas A&M at Lloyd Noble Center on Thursday night. Fears added five assists, four rebounds and a team-high three steals. Redshirt senior Duke Miles scored a season-high 19 points on 7-for-13 shooting with four 3-pointers. Senior Glenn Taylor Jr. added 16 points, five rebounds and two steals off the bench. Senior Sam Godwin led the Sooners for the fourth consecutive game on the glass, tallying nine rebounds, and graduate Kobe Elvis dished out a season-high seven assists.

• Oklahoma entered the break up 38-33. Taylor Jr. tallied 14 of his 16 points, including four 3-pointers, in the second frame, helping the Sooners pull away from the Lions. The Sooners shot 47.5% overall and made 10 of 32 from beyond the arc (31.3%). OU forced 15 turnovers and outrebounded ETAMU 38-28. The Lions shot 15.8% (3-19) from deep and 27.6% (8-29) in the second half.

RANKING SUMMARY (2024-25)

• OU is in the top 40 in nine NCAA DI categories, ranking 11th in steals per game (11.8), 12th in turnover margin (7.0), 16th in 3-point percentage defense (35.1), 17th in scoring margin (24.5), 18th in scoring defense (59.3), 19th in turnovers forced per game (17.5), 28th in fastbreak points (18.3), 34th in fouls per game (14.3) and 40th in assist/turnover ratio (1.7).

• Super senior Sam Godwin is seventh in rebounds per game (11.0), 23rd in offensive rebounds per game (3.8) and 25th in defensive rebounds per game (7.3). Redshirt senior Duke Miles is 13th in assist/turnover ratio (7.0). Freshman Jeremiah Fears is 47th in steals per game (2.5) and senior Jalon Moore is 67th in points per game (18.8).

FRESHMAN ON FIRE

• Freshman Jeremiah Fears scored 16 points in 26-plus minutes in the season opener and 15 points in 29-plus minutes against Northwestern State, becoming the first OU true freshman to score 15-plus points and play 25-plus minutes in their first two games since Trae Young in 2017. Young scored 15 points in his debut against Omaha on Nov. 12 and tallied 22 against Ball State on Nov. 15, playing 26 minutes in both contests.

• Against East Texas A&M on Nov. 21, 2024, Fears made his first career start, finishing with 20 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals. He is the first Sooner since Young against Iowa State (22 points, 11 assists, five rebounds and four steals) to reach those totals, and the only one to hit those marks and attempt 10 or fewer field goals since the 1996-97 campaign.

BATTLE 4 ATLANTIS HISTORY

• Oklahoma has competed in the Battle 4 Atlantis twice, finishing 2-1 in each tournament. The Sooners will be making their first appearance under the direction of Oklahoma head men's basketball coach Porter Moser as the previous two visits to the Bahamas were under Lon Kruger. OU finished second in 2014, falling to then-No. 2/3 Wisconsin in the championship game. After an opening round victory against Florida in 2018, the Sooners lost to Wisconsin again before beating Dayton.

MTE HISTORY UNDER MOSER

• Under Moser, Oklahoma is 7-1 in MTE games, including back-to-back championships at the 2022 ESPN Events Invitational and 2023 Rady Children's Invitational. The Sooners finished 2-1 in the Myrtle Beach Invitational, besting East Carolina and Indiana State before a championship game loss to Utah State.

• In the 2022 ESPN Events Invitational, Oklahoma held Ole Miss scoreless for the final 4:26, finishing on a 7-0 run and earning the tournament title. OU shot 50% or greater from the field in all three games. Sam Godwin scored 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting in the championship game. Oklahoma continued its winning ways in San Diego, beating both Iowa and USC in 2023. Against the Trojans, former Sooner Otega Oweh sealed the victory with a tip-in basket with 1.4 seconds remaining.

PROVIDENCE CONNECTION

• After starting his career at Syracuse, sixth-year Brycen Goodine transferred to Providence, playing two seasons (2020-22) for the Friars, appearing in 37 games.

UP NEXT

Oklahoma continues play at the Battle 4 Atlantis on Thursday, Nov. 28 against either Davidson or Arizona. With a win against Providence, Oklahoma will play at 4 p.m. CT. If the Sooners drop their first game, they will play at 6:30 p.m. CT.