With four games remaining in the season, the Sooners find themselves in a situation they haven’t faced since Blake Griffin departed for the NBA. It’s been three long seasons since the Sooners have reached the NCAA tournament. But after a strong season in Lon Kruger’s second year, the Sooners look to be on track to make the Big Dance.
Frankly, it would take an epic collapse for the Sooners not to reach the NCAA tournament. They currently sit at (18-8, 9-5) and hold marquee wins over Kansas, Oklahoma State and at Baylor.
So the question is not are they in, but what seed will they end up with.
The four remaining games on the schedule are very winnable. After a road trip to Austin to take on the Longhorns on Wednesday, the Sooners will host Iowa State and West Virginia before traveling to TCU to close out the season. If they can win out, and make a little noise in the Big 12 tournament, it’s not crazy to think that they can end up with a No. 6 seed.
“You think about it in the back of your mind. But at the same time, you just want to take it day by day,” said Romero Osby. “You don’t want to get too far ahead of yourself because anything can happen in college basketball. So, we’re just trying to make sure we stay focused and try our best to be there at the end of the day.”
Taking momentum into the NCAA tournament is very key. That’s why closing
out the season on a strong note is so crucial. Another reason is that the Sooners may not have to travel far for the first-second rounds of the tournament.
There are two sites that are within reasonable driving distance from Norman.
One, is in Austin, Texas, which is a reasonable five-six hour drive. The other, is in Kansas City, which is reachable within six hours.
A strong finish to the season could give Sooner fans the chance to make the reasonable drive to either destination.
A factor which is more important than one may think.
- Tyler McComas
- Staff Writer - OUInsider