Completed Event: Men's Basketball at Mississippi State on January 7, 2026 , Loss , 53, to, 72
Final
.png&width=40&height=40&type=webp)
Men's Basketball
53
at Mississippi State
72
University of Oklahoma Athletics
OU's Hield, 2015-16 Final Four Team to Be Honored Feb. 21
January 22, 2026 | Men's Basketball
NORMAN — 2016 consensus national player of the year Buddy Hield will become the sixth former University of Oklahoma men's basketball player to have his jersey honored and raised to Lloyd Noble Center's ceiling when the Sooners host Texas A&M on Saturday, Feb. 21, at 7:30 p.m. CT.
Members of OU's 2015-16 Final Four team, coached by Lon Kruger, will also gather for a 10-year reunion that weekend and be recognized during a pregame on-court ceremony. The 2015-16 Sooners were ranked in the AP top 10 the entire season and spent three weeks in the No. 1 spot and 12 of 20 weeks in the top 3.
Hield, who will be honored at halftime and whose likeness will be featured on a limited number of bobbleheads available to fans at the Texas A&M game, led the Sooners to one of their best seasons in school history in 2015-16, as they finished 29-8 and earned a No. 2 NCAA Tournament seed. In the Big Dance, OU downed Cal State Bakersfield (82-68) and VCU (85-81) in the first two rounds in Oklahoma City before knocking off No. 3 seed Texas A&M (77-63) and No. 1 seed Oregon (80-68) in Anaheim, Calif., to advance to the program's fifth Final Four.
One of the greatest Sooners of all-time, Hield, who wore No. 24, turned in a senior season for the ages. He was the only player in NCAA Division I in 2015-16 to average at least 25.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. In his 37 contests, he led the country with 12 performances of 30-plus points and 19 outings of at least 25 points, shooting 50.1% from the field, a Big 12-leading 45.7% from 3-point range and 88.0% from the free throw line to become just the second two-time Big 12 Conference Player of the Year. His 925 points that season established a Big 12 single-season record, as did his 79 treys in conference play. His 4.0 3-pointers per contest paced the nation and he led the country's guards with his .623 effective field goal percentage.
Winner of the 2016 Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy and Oscar Robertson Trophy, Hield earned additional player-of-the-year honors from Sporting News and CBS Sports, and was the winner of the Jerry West Award as the nation's top shooting guard. The Bahamas native, who moved to the United States at the age of 10, made at least four 3-pointers in a game on 20 occasions as a senior and produced 10 20-point halves. He made eight 3-pointers and scored 46 points in a Jan. 4 triple-overtime contest at Kansas and was named NCAA West Regional Most Outstanding Player after he went 8 for 13 from behind the arc and scored 37 points in the Final Four-clinching win over Oregon.
Hield, who was an Academic All-Big 12 honoree as a senior, finished his career as the Big 12's all-time leading scorer (2,291 points; second most in school history) and as OU's career leader in 3-pointers made (349). He started all 105 games for the Sooners over his final three campaigns and set a conference record with his 14 career 30-point outings. He averaged 17.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists over his 132 games (118 starts), and shot 44.8% from the floor, 39.0% from behind the arc and 83.6% from the foul line.
Much like he helped the Sooners increase their win total each season (20 as a freshman, 23 as a sophomore, 24 as a junior and 29 as a senior), Hield elevated his scoring average each year (from 7.8 to 16.5 to 17.4 to 25.0).
Soon after graduating from OU with a degree in human relations, Hield was selected by the New Orleans Pelicans with the No. 6 overall pick in the NBA Draft. He promptly earned a spot on the NBA All-Rookie First Team and went on to become the 2020 NBA 3-point champion at All-Star Weekend. In 2018-19, he played all 82 games for the Sacramento Kings and averaged a career-high 20.7 points per contest. In 2021, he became the NBA's fastest player to 1,000 career 3-pointers (350 games), breaking Stephen Curry's former mark of 369 games.
He has played in 752 career NBA contests (437 starts) with the Pelicans, Kings, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers and Golden State Warriors, and has averaged 14.7 points per game while making 2,187 3-pointers and shooting 39.6% from behind the arc. Not including 2025-26, he has played in at least 71 games every season.
The five former Oklahoma men's basketball players whose jerseys are already hanging at Lloyd Noble Center are Wayman Tisdale (No. 23 honored in 1997), Alvan Adams (No. 33 honored in 1998), Mookie Blaylock (No. 10 honored in 2001), Stacey King (No. 33 honored in 2008) and Blake Griffin (No. 23 honored in 2016). Former OU head coach Billy Tubbs, the Sooners' all-time wins leader (333), also has a banner hanging in the rafters.
Additional members of OU's 2015-16 Final Four squad, which finished No. 4 in the coaches poll, were Bola Alade, Dante Buford, C.J. Cole, Isaiah Cousins, Daniel Harper, Christian James, Khadeem Lattin, Austin Mankin, Akolda Manyang, Jamuni McNeace, Rashard Odomes, Ryan Spangler, Dinjiyl Walker and Jordan Woodard. Kruger's assistant coaches were Chris Crutchfield, Steve Henson and the late Lew Hill. Cousins and Woodard joined Hield on the NCAA West Regional All-Tournament Team. Cousins and Spangler were third-team All-Big 12 honorees, and Lattin was named to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team.
Tickets for the Feb. 21 Texas A&M game are available here. Fans can save on the per-game cost of a ticket by attending an additional game or games. Click here for more information.
OU Athletics is also offering a "Bring a Buddy" ticket deal for this game. Fans who buy one upper-level ticket at full price ($23), get a second ticket for $10 (in honor of the 10-year reunion). Fans who purchase one lower-level ticket at full price ($53), get a second ticket for $24 (Hield's jersey number).
Members of OU's 2015-16 Final Four team, coached by Lon Kruger, will also gather for a 10-year reunion that weekend and be recognized during a pregame on-court ceremony. The 2015-16 Sooners were ranked in the AP top 10 the entire season and spent three weeks in the No. 1 spot and 12 of 20 weeks in the top 3.
Hield, who will be honored at halftime and whose likeness will be featured on a limited number of bobbleheads available to fans at the Texas A&M game, led the Sooners to one of their best seasons in school history in 2015-16, as they finished 29-8 and earned a No. 2 NCAA Tournament seed. In the Big Dance, OU downed Cal State Bakersfield (82-68) and VCU (85-81) in the first two rounds in Oklahoma City before knocking off No. 3 seed Texas A&M (77-63) and No. 1 seed Oregon (80-68) in Anaheim, Calif., to advance to the program's fifth Final Four.
One of the greatest Sooners of all-time, Hield, who wore No. 24, turned in a senior season for the ages. He was the only player in NCAA Division I in 2015-16 to average at least 25.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. In his 37 contests, he led the country with 12 performances of 30-plus points and 19 outings of at least 25 points, shooting 50.1% from the field, a Big 12-leading 45.7% from 3-point range and 88.0% from the free throw line to become just the second two-time Big 12 Conference Player of the Year. His 925 points that season established a Big 12 single-season record, as did his 79 treys in conference play. His 4.0 3-pointers per contest paced the nation and he led the country's guards with his .623 effective field goal percentage.
Winner of the 2016 Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy and Oscar Robertson Trophy, Hield earned additional player-of-the-year honors from Sporting News and CBS Sports, and was the winner of the Jerry West Award as the nation's top shooting guard. The Bahamas native, who moved to the United States at the age of 10, made at least four 3-pointers in a game on 20 occasions as a senior and produced 10 20-point halves. He made eight 3-pointers and scored 46 points in a Jan. 4 triple-overtime contest at Kansas and was named NCAA West Regional Most Outstanding Player after he went 8 for 13 from behind the arc and scored 37 points in the Final Four-clinching win over Oregon.
Hield, who was an Academic All-Big 12 honoree as a senior, finished his career as the Big 12's all-time leading scorer (2,291 points; second most in school history) and as OU's career leader in 3-pointers made (349). He started all 105 games for the Sooners over his final three campaigns and set a conference record with his 14 career 30-point outings. He averaged 17.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists over his 132 games (118 starts), and shot 44.8% from the floor, 39.0% from behind the arc and 83.6% from the foul line.
Much like he helped the Sooners increase their win total each season (20 as a freshman, 23 as a sophomore, 24 as a junior and 29 as a senior), Hield elevated his scoring average each year (from 7.8 to 16.5 to 17.4 to 25.0).
| Details on the Final Four team reunion have been communicated via email and text to 2015-16 players, coaches and support staff by the Varsity O Association letterwinners organization. Team members with questions may contact Varsity O at 405-325-4709 or varsityo@ou.edu. |
Soon after graduating from OU with a degree in human relations, Hield was selected by the New Orleans Pelicans with the No. 6 overall pick in the NBA Draft. He promptly earned a spot on the NBA All-Rookie First Team and went on to become the 2020 NBA 3-point champion at All-Star Weekend. In 2018-19, he played all 82 games for the Sacramento Kings and averaged a career-high 20.7 points per contest. In 2021, he became the NBA's fastest player to 1,000 career 3-pointers (350 games), breaking Stephen Curry's former mark of 369 games.
He has played in 752 career NBA contests (437 starts) with the Pelicans, Kings, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers and Golden State Warriors, and has averaged 14.7 points per game while making 2,187 3-pointers and shooting 39.6% from behind the arc. Not including 2025-26, he has played in at least 71 games every season.
The five former Oklahoma men's basketball players whose jerseys are already hanging at Lloyd Noble Center are Wayman Tisdale (No. 23 honored in 1997), Alvan Adams (No. 33 honored in 1998), Mookie Blaylock (No. 10 honored in 2001), Stacey King (No. 33 honored in 2008) and Blake Griffin (No. 23 honored in 2016). Former OU head coach Billy Tubbs, the Sooners' all-time wins leader (333), also has a banner hanging in the rafters.
Additional members of OU's 2015-16 Final Four squad, which finished No. 4 in the coaches poll, were Bola Alade, Dante Buford, C.J. Cole, Isaiah Cousins, Daniel Harper, Christian James, Khadeem Lattin, Austin Mankin, Akolda Manyang, Jamuni McNeace, Rashard Odomes, Ryan Spangler, Dinjiyl Walker and Jordan Woodard. Kruger's assistant coaches were Chris Crutchfield, Steve Henson and the late Lew Hill. Cousins and Woodard joined Hield on the NCAA West Regional All-Tournament Team. Cousins and Spangler were third-team All-Big 12 honorees, and Lattin was named to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team.
Tickets for the Feb. 21 Texas A&M game are available here. Fans can save on the per-game cost of a ticket by attending an additional game or games. Click here for more information.
OU Athletics is also offering a "Bring a Buddy" ticket deal for this game. Fans who buy one upper-level ticket at full price ($23), get a second ticket for $10 (in honor of the 10-year reunion). Fans who purchase one lower-level ticket at full price ($53), get a second ticket for $24 (Hield's jersey number).
Porter Moser Postgame at South Carolina
Tuesday, January 20
Porter Moser Postgame vs Alabama
Saturday, January 17
Jadon Jones and Xzayvier Brown Postgame vs Alabama
Saturday, January 17
Porter Moser Postgame vs Florida
Tuesday, January 13
