Sooners Sizzle in 86-74 SEC Tourney Win Over South Carolina

Wednesday, March 11

Bridgestone Arena • Nashville, Tenn.

University of Oklahoma

18-14,7-11SEC

South Carolina

13-19,4-14SEC

South Carolina

Oklahoma

Photo by: Morgan Givens/University of Oklahoma

Sooners Sizzle in 86-74 SEC Tourney Win Over South Carolina

March 12, 2026 | Men's Basketball

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The beat goes on for the Oklahoma men's basketball team.

The Sooners overcame a 13-point first-half deficit and got 18-plus-point performances from three players in an 86-74 victory over South Carolina in the SEC Tournament first round Wednesday at Bridgestone Arena. It was OU's fifth straight win and seventh in its last nine games.

Oklahoma outshot the Gamecocks 60% to 41% from the field, committed just eight turnovers and posted a 14-1 advantage in fast-break points to improve to 18-14 on the season. The 60% field goal mark was OU's best away from home in 10 years.

Nijel Pack, who went 0 for 7 from 3-point range and was held to nine points in the Sooners' 85-76 loss at South Carolina on Jan. 20, buried five treys on 10 attempts Wednesday to finish with a game-high 24 points. Derrion Reid scored 20 points, his most against an SEC team, and Tae Davis added 18 to advance the Sooners to a second-round game against No. 6 seed Texas A&M on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. CT.

The SEC's worst 3-point shooting team on the season entering the tournament at 31%, South Carolina (13-19) made seven of its first 10 attempts from behind the arc to take a 36-23 lead with 7:03 remaining in the first half. OU weathered the storm and outscored the Gamecocks 19-6 the rest of the half to knot the score at 42, as Pack, Davis and Reid contributed five points apiece during the stretch.

The Sooners continued their run after intermission, getting back-to-back 3-pointers from Pack and starting on a 9-2 run to go up 52-44. After an Elijah Strong 3-pointer cut it to a four-point contest, Reid scored OU's next eight points in just over two minutes for a 59-49 lead with 14:04 left.

Oklahoma, which went 3 for 10 from 3-point range in the first half but 8 for 15 in the second, kept its foot on the gas with a 9-0 run to go ahead 76-60 with 6:14 to go, and grew the margin to 17 points with 3:20 remaining.

From the 6:19 mark of the first half to the 6:14 mark of the second, OU outscored South Carolina 53-24.

Xzayvier Brown scored 14 points on 6-for-7 shooting and added five rebounds and three assists on the night, while fellow starter Mohamed Wague logged three points, a team-high six boards, four assists, a blocked shot and a steal. Jadon Jones was key off the bench, logging seven points, five rebounds, a game-high-tying three steals and a block.

Pack, who registered his 10th game of at least five 3-pointers this season, is 31 for 56 (55%) from behind the arc over the last eight contests. He leads the SEC with his 46% 3-point mark and 3.3 treys per game on the year.

Seven of the eight Sooners who attempted a field goal on the night shot at least 50% from the field. OU's starters combined to go 27 for 40 (68%).

Wednesday's game marked the 10th in the last 15 for Oklahoma to hold a double-digit lead. It has led for at least 20 minutes in 10 of the last 13 outings (22:24 against the Gamecocks).