OU basketball declines NIT, Sooners season is over
Three hours removed from the ultimate gut-punch of the NCAA Tournament, we learned the OU basketball season is over.
Just like that.
The Sooners were named the First Team Out of the tournament on Selection Sunday, and then head coach Porter Moser released a message Sunday evening saying the team has declined the invitation to the NIT.
“First and foremost, I loved coaching this group of young men and standing with them as they battled night after night. They showed incredible resiliency, love for one another and a passion to win.
“I am devastated for these young men who were left out of the NCAA Tournament, despite having a resume and metrics worthy of being in the field. At a later time, I will have more to say about our body of work and the selection process.
“Collectively, in consultation with our athletes, staff and administration, we have respectfully declined an invitation to participate in the NIT. This decision, though difficult, was made with the well-being of our student-athletes as the top priority.
“I will be in the community and at other University of Oklahoma events and you will hear me say this many times, but THANK YOU OU students, Sooner Nation and all our fans for your incredible support this season. You are the reason the University of Oklahoma is so special.”
OU would have been a No. 1 seed in the event, just like it was two years ago. The Sooners were the second team out of the NCAA for the 2021-22 season. But this year’s circumstances were different.
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With three key players battling injuries, perhaps it just wasn’t worth it. John Hugley (meniscus), Rivaldo Soares (ankle) and Javian McCollum (shoulder) missed some or all parts of the last eight games. A stretch that saw OU go from 18-6 overall to 20-12, and obviously, just not enough for the berth.
A lot of things went right this season. But it’s a results-driven world. Three straight seasons without making the tournament is going to be hard for fans to swallow.
And now? It’s Portal Moser time. And it will be a busy portal season once again. There’s just no way around that. Even if you think you’re locked in, you find out you’re not.
OU has seen it enough in the last two seasons to know and not be surprised by anything.
The biggest surprise was Selection Sunday and that will sting for a while. Declining the NIT? As the message said, move on and look ahead to 2024-25 and the SEC.
