Completed Event: Men's Basketball at Kentucky on February 4, 2026 , Loss , 78, to, 94
Final
Men's Basketball
78
at Kentucky
94
University of Oklahoma Athletics
Wednesday, March 11
Bridgestone Arena • Nashville, Tenn.
University of Oklahoma
vs
South Carolina
Photo by: Morgan Givens, OU Athletics
OU Meets South Carolina in SEC Tourney First Round
March 10, 2026 | Men's Basketball
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Riding a late-season surge, No. 11 seed Oklahoma (17-14, 7-11 SEC) meets No. 14 seed South Carolina (13-18, 4-14) in a first-round SEC Tournament game on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. CT inside 19,395-seat Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. The winner will play No. 6 seed Texas A&M on Thursday at 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday's game will be televised by SEC Network with Tom Hart (play-by-play) and Dane Bradshaw (analyst) announcing. It will air on the Sooner Sports Radio Network (KRXO 107.7 FM in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa; SiriusXM 106 or 190; Varsity Radio App) with Toby Rowland and Kevin Henry on the call.
After losing nine straight games, Oklahoma has won six of its last eight (at No. 15 Vanderbilt, vs. Georgia, vs. Auburn, at LSU, vs. Missouri and at Texas) and each of its last four. In the six victories, OU led for 205:14 of 245 minutes and by double digits for a combined 93:23. Seven Sooners averaged over 9.0 points per game in the six wins and OU shot a combined 53% from the field and 49% (65 for 133) from 3-point range.
Oklahoma led the SEC in league play with its 39% 3-point field goal mark and ranked third with its 9.6 treys per outing. Over the last seven games, the Sooners are shooting 46% (75 for 163) from behind the arc. They have made at least 10 treys in four of the last five contests and at least eight in 11 of the last 12 games. On the season, OU is averaging 9.9 treys per outing (the school record is 10.3 in 2015-16).
Nijel Pack, a first-year Sooner who is in his sixth year overall, ranks first among active Division I players (and 21st all-time) with 415 career 3-pointers and third with 2,244 points. With his three 3-pointers Saturday in a win over Texas, he passed Davidson's Stephen Curry (414 treys). Pack leads the SEC with his .453 3-point field goal percentage (ranks fifth nationally) and with his 3.3 treys per game. Over the last seven outings, he is a sizzling 26 for 46 (57%) from long distance.
• In its SEC Tournament debut last year, No. 14 seed OU beat No. 11 seed Georgia 81-75 in the first round before falling to No. 6 seed and 15th-ranked Kentucky 85-84 at the buzzer in the second round.
• This marks the 15th SEC Tournament to be played in Nashville and 13th at Bridgestone Arena. It will be the fourth straight SEC Tourney played in Nashville, sixth of the last seven and 11th of the last 16.
• Oklahoma has held a double-digit lead in nine of the last 14 outings (won six of those nine).
• During their current four-game winning streak, the Sooners have trailed for a combined 9 minutes and 37 seconds out of 165 minutes (0:15 vs. Auburn, 1:08 at LSU, 0:31 vs. Missouri and 7:43 at Texas).
• Also during its four-game winning streak, OU is forcing opponents into 13.0 turnovers per game. Over its first 14 SEC outings, OU opponents averaged just 9.1 turnovers per contest.
• Oklahoma has held each of its last five opponents to sub-50% field goal shooting (42% combined) after five of its previous six foes shot at least 50%.
• OU is the only Power Five team and one of just four out of 361 squads nationally to start the same lineup every game this season. Its starters have been guards Xzayvier Brown and Nijel Pack, forwards Tae Davis and Derrion Reid and center Mohamed Wague. South Carolina has started 10 lineups.
• Wague is coming off the most productive five-game stretch of his career, averaging 11.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.2 blocked shots and 1.6 steals while going 21 for 26 (81%) from the free throw line against Texas A&M, Auburn, LSU, Missouri and Texas. The fifth-year center recorded 12 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks against the Aggies, 18 points, nine boards and career highs of four blocks and four steals vs. Auburn, 10 points, nine caroms and three rejections at LSU, 11 points, seven boards and three assists vs. Missouri and eight points, five rebounds and two steals at Texas. He entered the five-game stretch averaging 6.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 0.5 steals while shooting 60% from the foul line.
• The resurgence of guard Dayton Forsythe has boosted OU the last few weeks. After a 10-game stretch in which he averaged 1.3 points and went 2 for 31 from the field (he battled sprains of both ankles), the sophomore is averaging 8.8 points over the last 10 contests. Over the last eight games, he is averaging 9.5 points (four double-digit efforts).
• Long Beach State transfer Jadon Jones averaged 5.4 points over his first 19 outings, but over the last eight games is averaging 7.3 points. The sixth-year guard, who is 15 for 29 (52%) from 3-point range over those eight contests, has drawn 14 fouls while attempting a 3-pointer this season. The 2021-22 Big West Conference Defensive Player of the Year has 20 steals and 14 blocks over the past 14 games.
• The Sooners are 3-0 vs. South Carolina in Norman, winning 90-84 in the first-ever meeting in 1974-75 at the OU Field House and 92-76 in 1992-93 and 82-62 last season at Lloyd Noble Center.
• OU is 2-2 against the Gamecocks in Columbia. Its wins came in 1977-78 (65-48 in the Carolina Tournament title game) and in 1991-92 (61-60). South Carolina's victories were in 1975-76 (80-59) and Jan. 20 this season (85-76).
• OU junior guard Xzayvier Brown scored a game-high 22 points and senior forward Tae Davis netted a season-high 20. Brown also logged six rebounds, three assists, a career-high three blocked shots and two steals, while Davis added three boards and three handouts. Sophomore forward Derrion Reid scored 11 points on 6-for-10 shooting and pulled down a game-high-tying seven rebounds.
• South Carolina scored the first 11 points of the game, all by forward Elijah Strong and all in the first 2 1/2 minutes. OU fell behind by 14 points at 28-14 with 7:46 left in the period before cutting it to a three-point (39-36) margin at half. The Gamecocks opened the second half on a 12-5 spurt to go up 10 and the Sooners never got closer than five points thereafter. Nijel Pack (0 for 7 from 3) was held to nine points. Fellow guard Jadon Jones was held scoreless on the night (0 for 4 from the field; all 3-point attempts), but did contribute five rebounds, three blocks and four steals.
• The Sooners won Big Eight Tournament titles in 1979, 1985, 1988 and 1990, and claimed three straight Big 12 Tournament crowns from 2001-03.
• OU is 28-21 in its opening game in postseason conference tournament play (12-8 in Big Eight, 15-13 in Big 12 and 1-0 in SEC).
• Former head coaches Kelvin Sampson (1995-2006) and Billy Tubbs (1981-1994) each directed the Sooners to 18 conference tournament wins. Sampson was 18-9 and Tubbs 18-11. They each won three titles.
• Under Sampson, OU won 10 straight Big 12 Tournament games from 2001-2004.
• Pack leads active Division I players and ranks 21st all-time with 415 career 3-point field goals. The only player to ever wear an OU uniform who has made more career treys is Umoja Gibson (428; was a Sooner during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons).
• Pack leads the SEC with his .453 season 3-point field goal percentage and 3.3 treys per game. Nationally, he ranks fifth and 19th, respectively.
• Pack has scored 20-plus points in eight of the last 16 games (24 at Texas A&M, 25 at Missouri, 22 vs. Arkansas, 23 vs. Texas, 20 at Tennessee, 22 vs. Auburn, 21 at LSU and 23 at Texas).
• Pack has made at least one 3-pointer in 29 of 31 games, at least three in 20 contests and at least five in nine outings.
• A sixth-year collegian, Pack spent his first two seasons at Kansas State (he was a first-team All-Big 12 pick as a sophomore when he averaged 17.4 points, made 95 3-pointers and shot a league-high .436 from behind the arc) and the last three at Miami, Fla. (he helped the Hurricanes to their first Final Four his junior season and was named the Midwest Region Most Outstanding Player). He has started 152 of his 153 career games.
• After averaging 8.5 points over a recent four-game span, Brown is averaging 17.7 over the last three, with 20- and 21-point efforts at LSU and Texas.
• Brown shot 34% from 3-point range in OU's first 26 games but is shooting 53% (10 for 19) over the last five outings. He made two treys in each of those five contests.
• Brown leads the SEC by shooting 89% from the free throw line (90 for 101) but only has 22 attempts over the last 11 games. For comparison, he attempted 51 free throws over the previous 11 contests. He assembled a streak of 27 makes, which ended Jan. 13 vs. Florida.
• Brown logged a team-high-tying eight outings of 20-plus points in SEC play.
• After scoring at least 20 points in 14 of 35 games last year at Saint Joseph's, Brown has a team-high 13 games of 20-plus in 31 outings this season. He has 33 career games of at least 20.
• The Sooners have scored at least 85 points in 15 of their 31 games (48%). The last time OU recorded more 85-point games in a season was in 1992-93 (17; 33 years ago). It also logged 15 such outings in the 1993-94, 2013-14 and 2017-18 seasons. For perspective, OU's last four teams scored 85-plus a combined 21 times in 133 games (16%).
• Oklahoma has committed single-digit turnovers 16 times, already its most such outings for an entire season in at least 40 years. The Sooners average just 10.2 turnovers per contest. Over the past 50 seasons, the fewest turnovers OU averaged per game was 11.0 in 2020-21.
• OU's top four scorers are all transfers in their first year in the program. Nijel Pack averages a team-high 16.1 points per game, while Xzayvier Brown (15.6), Tae Davis (12.2) and Derrion Reid (11.3) also average double figures. Mohamed Wague rounds out the starting five with his 7.1 per contest.
• OU announced on Dec. 28 the signing of 23-year-old Kirill Elatontsev (kee-REEL EE-el-uh-tahn-suv), a 6-11, 240-pound center from Russia who is averaging 4.4 points and 2.3 rebounds in 14.9 minutes per contest over his 19 games. He is shooting 51% from the field, 36% (11 for 31) from 3-point range and 73% (19 for 26) from the foul line.
• Redshirt freshman forward Kuol Atak ranks third on the team with his 38 3-point makes (shooting 43%) despite playing in just 21 of 31 games and averaging only 12.2 minutes in those contests. Twice this season he has made six treys in a contest. Atak, who is 27 for 52 (52%) from long distance in home games, has played in just five of OU's last 14 games (none of the last four).
Wednesday's game will be televised by SEC Network with Tom Hart (play-by-play) and Dane Bradshaw (analyst) announcing. It will air on the Sooner Sports Radio Network (KRXO 107.7 FM in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa; SiriusXM 106 or 190; Varsity Radio App) with Toby Rowland and Kevin Henry on the call.
After losing nine straight games, Oklahoma has won six of its last eight (at No. 15 Vanderbilt, vs. Georgia, vs. Auburn, at LSU, vs. Missouri and at Texas) and each of its last four. In the six victories, OU led for 205:14 of 245 minutes and by double digits for a combined 93:23. Seven Sooners averaged over 9.0 points per game in the six wins and OU shot a combined 53% from the field and 49% (65 for 133) from 3-point range.
Oklahoma led the SEC in league play with its 39% 3-point field goal mark and ranked third with its 9.6 treys per outing. Over the last seven games, the Sooners are shooting 46% (75 for 163) from behind the arc. They have made at least 10 treys in four of the last five contests and at least eight in 11 of the last 12 games. On the season, OU is averaging 9.9 treys per outing (the school record is 10.3 in 2015-16).
Nijel Pack, a first-year Sooner who is in his sixth year overall, ranks first among active Division I players (and 21st all-time) with 415 career 3-pointers and third with 2,244 points. With his three 3-pointers Saturday in a win over Texas, he passed Davidson's Stephen Curry (414 treys). Pack leads the SEC with his .453 3-point field goal percentage (ranks fifth nationally) and with his 3.3 treys per game. Over the last seven outings, he is a sizzling 26 for 46 (57%) from long distance.
SCENE SETTERS
• Oklahoma begins its second SEC Tournament on Wednesday against a South Carolina team that has gone 2-10 since beating OU 85-76 on Jan. 20 in Columbia, S.C. The Gamecocks are coming off a 64-61 road win against Ole Miss on Saturday. USC is 22-33 all-time in the SEC Tournament (1-6 over the last six events) and reached the 1996 and 2008 championship games (lost both).• In its SEC Tournament debut last year, No. 14 seed OU beat No. 11 seed Georgia 81-75 in the first round before falling to No. 6 seed and 15th-ranked Kentucky 85-84 at the buzzer in the second round.
• This marks the 15th SEC Tournament to be played in Nashville and 13th at Bridgestone Arena. It will be the fourth straight SEC Tourney played in Nashville, sixth of the last seven and 11th of the last 16.
• Oklahoma has held a double-digit lead in nine of the last 14 outings (won six of those nine).
• During their current four-game winning streak, the Sooners have trailed for a combined 9 minutes and 37 seconds out of 165 minutes (0:15 vs. Auburn, 1:08 at LSU, 0:31 vs. Missouri and 7:43 at Texas).
• Also during its four-game winning streak, OU is forcing opponents into 13.0 turnovers per game. Over its first 14 SEC outings, OU opponents averaged just 9.1 turnovers per contest.
• Oklahoma has held each of its last five opponents to sub-50% field goal shooting (42% combined) after five of its previous six foes shot at least 50%.
• OU is the only Power Five team and one of just four out of 361 squads nationally to start the same lineup every game this season. Its starters have been guards Xzayvier Brown and Nijel Pack, forwards Tae Davis and Derrion Reid and center Mohamed Wague. South Carolina has started 10 lineups.
• Wague is coming off the most productive five-game stretch of his career, averaging 11.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.2 blocked shots and 1.6 steals while going 21 for 26 (81%) from the free throw line against Texas A&M, Auburn, LSU, Missouri and Texas. The fifth-year center recorded 12 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks against the Aggies, 18 points, nine boards and career highs of four blocks and four steals vs. Auburn, 10 points, nine caroms and three rejections at LSU, 11 points, seven boards and three assists vs. Missouri and eight points, five rebounds and two steals at Texas. He entered the five-game stretch averaging 6.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 0.5 steals while shooting 60% from the foul line.
• The resurgence of guard Dayton Forsythe has boosted OU the last few weeks. After a 10-game stretch in which he averaged 1.3 points and went 2 for 31 from the field (he battled sprains of both ankles), the sophomore is averaging 8.8 points over the last 10 contests. Over the last eight games, he is averaging 9.5 points (four double-digit efforts).
• Long Beach State transfer Jadon Jones averaged 5.4 points over his first 19 outings, but over the last eight games is averaging 7.3 points. The sixth-year guard, who is 15 for 29 (52%) from 3-point range over those eight contests, has drawn 14 fouls while attempting a 3-pointer this season. The 2021-22 Big West Conference Defensive Player of the Year has 20 steals and 14 blocks over the past 14 games.
SERIES HISTORY
• Oklahoma holds a 5-2 series lead against South Carolina and has won four of the last five matchups. This will mark the first neutral-site game in the series.• The Sooners are 3-0 vs. South Carolina in Norman, winning 90-84 in the first-ever meeting in 1974-75 at the OU Field House and 92-76 in 1992-93 and 82-62 last season at Lloyd Noble Center.
• OU is 2-2 against the Gamecocks in Columbia. Its wins came in 1977-78 (65-48 in the Carolina Tournament title game) and in 1991-92 (61-60). South Carolina's victories were in 1975-76 (80-59) and Jan. 20 this season (85-76).
EARLIER THIS SEASON VS. SOUTH CAROLINA
• Oklahoma shot just 19% (5 for 27) from 3-point range and was outscored 18-11 off turnovers in an 85-76 loss at South Carolina on Jan. 20. The Gamecocks shot 45% (9 for 20) from deep.• OU junior guard Xzayvier Brown scored a game-high 22 points and senior forward Tae Davis netted a season-high 20. Brown also logged six rebounds, three assists, a career-high three blocked shots and two steals, while Davis added three boards and three handouts. Sophomore forward Derrion Reid scored 11 points on 6-for-10 shooting and pulled down a game-high-tying seven rebounds.
• South Carolina scored the first 11 points of the game, all by forward Elijah Strong and all in the first 2 1/2 minutes. OU fell behind by 14 points at 28-14 with 7:46 left in the period before cutting it to a three-point (39-36) margin at half. The Gamecocks opened the second half on a 12-5 spurt to go up 10 and the Sooners never got closer than five points thereafter. Nijel Pack (0 for 7 from 3) was held to nine points. Fellow guard Jadon Jones was held scoreless on the night (0 for 4 from the field; all 3-point attempts), but did contribute five rebounds, three blocks and four steals.
OU'S CONFERENCE TOURNEY HISTORY
• Oklahoma owns a 48-41 record in conference postseason action, racking up a 23-16 record in the Big Eight Tournament from 1977-1996, a 24-24 mark in the Big 12 Tournament from 1997-2024 and going 1-1 in its SEC Tournament debut last year.• The Sooners won Big Eight Tournament titles in 1979, 1985, 1988 and 1990, and claimed three straight Big 12 Tournament crowns from 2001-03.
• OU is 28-21 in its opening game in postseason conference tournament play (12-8 in Big Eight, 15-13 in Big 12 and 1-0 in SEC).
• Former head coaches Kelvin Sampson (1995-2006) and Billy Tubbs (1981-1994) each directed the Sooners to 18 conference tournament wins. Sampson was 18-9 and Tubbs 18-11. They each won three titles.
• Under Sampson, OU won 10 straight Big 12 Tournament games from 2001-2004.
PACK MENTALITY
• First-year Oklahoma guard Nijel Pack surpassed the 2,000-point mark Jan. 11 at Texas A&M and has 2,244 for his career to rank third nationally among active players.• Pack leads active Division I players and ranks 21st all-time with 415 career 3-point field goals. The only player to ever wear an OU uniform who has made more career treys is Umoja Gibson (428; was a Sooner during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons).
• Pack leads the SEC with his .453 season 3-point field goal percentage and 3.3 treys per game. Nationally, he ranks fifth and 19th, respectively.
• Pack has scored 20-plus points in eight of the last 16 games (24 at Texas A&M, 25 at Missouri, 22 vs. Arkansas, 23 vs. Texas, 20 at Tennessee, 22 vs. Auburn, 21 at LSU and 23 at Texas).
• Pack has made at least one 3-pointer in 29 of 31 games, at least three in 20 contests and at least five in nine outings.
• A sixth-year collegian, Pack spent his first two seasons at Kansas State (he was a first-team All-Big 12 pick as a sophomore when he averaged 17.4 points, made 95 3-pointers and shot a league-high .436 from behind the arc) and the last three at Miami, Fla. (he helped the Hurricanes to their first Final Four his junior season and was named the Midwest Region Most Outstanding Player). He has started 152 of his 153 career games.
OU's 'X' FACTOR
• Junior guard Xzayvier Brown averaged 18.7 points over a 15-game span from Dec. 13 through Feb. 7 and ranks second on the team with his 15.6 points per contest on the season. He also leads the team with his 3.1 assists and 1.4 steals per outing.• After averaging 8.5 points over a recent four-game span, Brown is averaging 17.7 over the last three, with 20- and 21-point efforts at LSU and Texas.
• Brown shot 34% from 3-point range in OU's first 26 games but is shooting 53% (10 for 19) over the last five outings. He made two treys in each of those five contests.
• Brown leads the SEC by shooting 89% from the free throw line (90 for 101) but only has 22 attempts over the last 11 games. For comparison, he attempted 51 free throws over the previous 11 contests. He assembled a streak of 27 makes, which ended Jan. 13 vs. Florida.
• Brown logged a team-high-tying eight outings of 20-plus points in SEC play.
• After scoring at least 20 points in 14 of 35 games last year at Saint Joseph's, Brown has a team-high 13 games of 20-plus in 31 outings this season. He has 33 career games of at least 20.
MORE OU NOTES AND NUGGETS
• Oklahoma has led for over 20 minutes in nine of the last 12 games and has been ahead for 282 out of 370 minutes (76%) in those nine contests.• The Sooners have scored at least 85 points in 15 of their 31 games (48%). The last time OU recorded more 85-point games in a season was in 1992-93 (17; 33 years ago). It also logged 15 such outings in the 1993-94, 2013-14 and 2017-18 seasons. For perspective, OU's last four teams scored 85-plus a combined 21 times in 133 games (16%).
• Oklahoma has committed single-digit turnovers 16 times, already its most such outings for an entire season in at least 40 years. The Sooners average just 10.2 turnovers per contest. Over the past 50 seasons, the fewest turnovers OU averaged per game was 11.0 in 2020-21.
• OU's top four scorers are all transfers in their first year in the program. Nijel Pack averages a team-high 16.1 points per game, while Xzayvier Brown (15.6), Tae Davis (12.2) and Derrion Reid (11.3) also average double figures. Mohamed Wague rounds out the starting five with his 7.1 per contest.
• OU announced on Dec. 28 the signing of 23-year-old Kirill Elatontsev (kee-REEL EE-el-uh-tahn-suv), a 6-11, 240-pound center from Russia who is averaging 4.4 points and 2.3 rebounds in 14.9 minutes per contest over his 19 games. He is shooting 51% from the field, 36% (11 for 31) from 3-point range and 73% (19 for 26) from the foul line.
• Redshirt freshman forward Kuol Atak ranks third on the team with his 38 3-point makes (shooting 43%) despite playing in just 21 of 31 games and averaging only 12.2 minutes in those contests. Twice this season he has made six treys in a contest. Atak, who is 27 for 52 (52%) from long distance in home games, has played in just five of OU's last 14 games (none of the last four).
UP NEXT
• If Oklahoma beats South Carolina it will face No. 6 seed Texas A&M (21-10, 11-7 SEC) on Thursday at approximately 8:30 p.m. CT in a second-round game.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
F/C
/ Men's BasketballMBB Highlights: OU 88, Texas 85
Saturday, March 07
Porter Moser Postgame vs. Texas
Saturday, March 07
MBB Highlights: OU 80, Missouri 64
Tuesday, March 03
Porter Moser Postgame vs Missouri
Tuesday, March 03
