University of Oklahoma Athletics
University of Oklahoma
20-12,6-12SEC
Georgia
20-12,8-10SEC
Fears Scores 29, OU Beats Georgia to Advance at SEC Tournament
March 12, 2025 | Men's Basketball
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Jeremiah Fears scored 29 points to lead No. 14 seed Oklahoma to an 81-75 victory over 11th-seeded Georgia on Wednesday night in a first-round game of the SEC Tournament.
Jalon Moore hit a 3-pointer during a 10-0 run that gave the Sooners a 74-64 lead with 2:55 remaining. The Bulldogs pulled within four points twice inside the final 19 seconds but didn't get closer.
Oklahoma (20-12) will move on to play sixth-seeded Kentucky (21-10) in the second round on Thursday. The Sooners have won at least 20 games for a second straight season and ended a two-year conference tournament winless streak.
Moore finished with 14 points for Oklahoma. Mohamed Wague chipped in with 12 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Fears and Moore combined for eight of the Sooners' 12 3-pointers.
Silas Demary Jr. scored 24 points to lead Georgia (20-12), which snapped a four-game win streak. Asa Newell added 21 points and 17 rebounds. Blue Cain scored 17 points.
Fears and Moore each made three 3-pointers in the first half to help build a 43-39 halftime advantage. Fears scored 13 first-half points and Moore added nine. The Sooners shot 52% (14 of 17) overall that included 10 from long range.
The Sooners' matchup with Kentucky tips on SEC Network at approximately 8:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network Thursday. The winner advances to play No. 3 seed Alabama (24-7) in Friday night's quarterfinal in Nashville.
POSTGAME NOTES
• No. 14 seed Oklahoma (20-12 overall) shot 48.1% from the field and 48.0% from 3-point range to avenge a Jan. 11 road loss to the Bulldogs (20-12), who were the tournament's No. 11 seed and had won four straight games.
• The win for the Sooners was their third straight and fourth in the last six contests. The two losses in those six games came by a combined four points.
• The victory gave OU 20 wins for the second straight season.
• Freshman point guard Jeremiah Fears, who was held to two points in the regular season meeting in Athens (on 1-for-11 shooting [0 for 4 from 3-point range]), finished with 29 points (two shy of his career high), his 10th game of at least 20 this season and fourth in the last seven outings. He was 8 for 16 from the field, 4 for 7 from 3-point range (the four makes tied a career high) and 9 for 12 from the free throw line and added six rebounds, two assists and three steals.
• After drawing 10 fouls in a win over No. 15 Missouri two games ago and 11 on Saturday against Texas, Fears drew seven tonight. That's 28 over the last three contests.
• Over the last seven games, Fears, who had five turnovers tonight in the first half but none in the second, is averaging 21.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.1 assists per outing. Entering the week, Fears and Duke's Cooper Flagg were the only freshmen nationally to average at least 16.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
• Senior forward/center Mohamed Wague made his second straight start in place of injured Sam Godwin and registered a career-high-tying 12 points, a career-high four assists, a season-high nine rebounds (one shy of his career high) and a steal in a career-high 27:33. In the regular season meeting at Georgia, Wague came off the bench to contribute 10 points, three rebounds, two blocks and two steals, one of his most productive games of the season.
• Senior forward Jalon Moore made a career-high four 3-pointers on five attempts and registered 14 points and five rebounds.
• Ten of OU's 12 3-pointers came in the first half on 18 attempts (.556). The 10 treys were its most in a first half since making 10 against TCU in a 102-97 overtime win on Jan. 13, 2018.
• In the first meeting this season in Athens, Georgia shot 37 free throws to OU's nine. Tonight, the Sooners shot 25 to the Bulldogs' 16.
• Oklahoma will play No. 6 seed Kentucky (21-10, 10-8) in a second-round game Thursday at approximately 8:30 p.m. CT (televised by SEC Network). Kentucky beat OU 83-82 in Norman on Feb. 26.
