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Oklahoma releases inside look of basketball locker room after joining SEC

Barkley-Truaxby:Barkley Truax•07/01/24•

BarkleyTruax

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© BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

Oklahoma is officially in the SEC — which means the entire campus is getting a bit of a makeover. That includes the locker rooms.

On July 1, the Sooners Men’s Basketball team unveiled a first look at their locker room donning their new conference logo colored in Oklahoma crimson and cream alongside the classic OU and Jordan brand logos.

As the SEC’s slogan says, it just means more. Oklahoma says they’re built for more.

The Sooners join the SEC alongside archival Texas, meaning the hardwood version of the Red River Shootout will continue.

Oklahoma’s first SEC opponents have already been announced as well. The Sooners will host the Kentucky Wildcats, LSU Tigers, Mississippi State Bulldogs, Missouri Tigers, South Carolina Gamecocks, Tennessee Volunteers, Texas, Texas A&M Aggies and Vanderbilt Commodores. They’ll travel to play the Alabama Crimson Tide, Arkansas Razorbacks, Auburn Tigers, Florida Gators, Georgia Bulldogs, Ole Miss Rebels, Missouri, Texas and Texas A&M.

Notably, the Sooners are 13-2 since the 2018-19 season against SEC opponents and is a combined 421-194 all-time against the current SEC field.

Conference play is set to run from Jan. 4 through March 8 before Oklahoma plays in its first-ever SEC Tournament from March 12-16 in Nashville.

During the Sooners’ final season in the Big 12, Oklahoma finished 8-10 in conference play and finished 20-12 overall. Many considered the Big 12 as one of the toughest conferences in the country as eight different teams finished with a .500 record in conference play or better. The Sooners ultimately earned a 9-seed into the Big 12 Tournament, where they subsequently fell to TCU 77-70 in the first round to end the Big 12 era in Norman.

Oklahoma has not made the NCAA tournament since 2020-21 heading into year four of the Porter Moser era. Overall, the Sooners are 54-45 under their current head coach. OU’s previous coach, Lon Kruger, sent Oklahoma to the postseason in seven of his 10 seasons leading the program. That included six appearances in seven years that saw the Sooners make the national semifinal during the 2015-16 season, the fifth in program history.

Given that OU’s 20-win season one year ago is the best under Moser’s guide, the Sooners will look to get back on a similar path once they enter the SEC this season. Featuring new opponents, venues and rivalries, there will be no shortage of excitement for Oklahoma fans in 2024.