Welcome to my team preview series for 2024-25. Each day between now and the start of the college basketball season, I will preview one team or conference, both on Instagram (@collegehoopsoutlet) and through an article here. The preview will go in-depth on the roster build of the team, my expectations for their upcoming season, and the state of the program under their current head coach.

Oklahoma (Projected: 13th in SEC)

Oklahoma narrowly missed out on an NCAA Tournament berth this past March, but most fans would still say they exceeded expectations. Meeting expectations may start to mean less and less though, as Porter Moser is now 0-for-3 on reaching the Big Dance. The Sooners move to the SEC this year, and it may be an even deeper league than the Big 12 in 2024-25.

Jalon Moore (11 ppg, 7 rpg) headlines the returners for Oklahoma. Moore finished the year third in points per game on the team and led the team in rebounding. Moore’s a solid player at both ends at the power conference level, no over-the-top talent, but a guy who will contribute to winning. Sam Godwin (7 ppg, 5 rpg) is the second of five returners for the Sooners, a former walk-on big man who started all 31 games he played in last season. Godwin and Moore are both likely to start again this year, keeping consistency in Moser’s frontcourt. The final returners who played last season are Luke Northweather (2 ppg) and Yaya Keita (1 ppg), both backup big man who will add to the frontcourt depth. Redshirt freshman Jacolb Fredson-Cole stays with the program as well after redshirting the 2023-24 season. 

Seven players left Oklahoma this offseason, with a majority finding new homes via the transfer portal. The big losses were Javian McCollum (13 ppg) and Otega Oweh (11 ppg), who transferred to Georgia Tech and Kentucky respectively. Guards Rivaldo Soares (9 ppg, 5 rpg) and Le’Tre Darthard (7 ppg) both graduated while sophomores Milos Uzan (9 ppg, 4 apg) and Kaden Cooper (2 ppg) entered the transfer portal. Forward John Hugley IV (8 ppg, 4 rpg) also entered the transfer portal, the only loss in the frontcourt. 

Porter Moser had no choice but to use the transfer portal after his entire backcourt transferred out. From an outside perspective, it doesn’t seem as if Oklahoma basketball has a ton of NIL money. It seems as if Moser did a pretty solid job in the portal with the resources he had if that is true. All five transfers Moser found should play meaningful minutes within the rotation this season. Duke Miles (18 ppg, 4 apg at High Point) may go down as the best of the group, a traditional point guard with an athletic finishing package. Something that remains true with all four transfer guards is that Miles is an elite shooter in catch and shoot opportunities.

Kobe Elvis (9 ppg, 4 apg at Dayton) is a similar player to Miles, but I think will be even better playing off the ball. Elvis had a 72 eFG% on catch and shoot opportunities last year at Dayton, landing him in the 99th percentile in college basketball. Long Beach State transfer Jadon Jones (12 ppg at LBSU) adds even more shooting to the Sooners’ backcourt. Jones is an athletic 3&D wing, averaging 1.8 spg and 1.0 bpg while shooting 37.7% from three on 204 attempts last season at LBSU. Jones isn’t great as a shot creator, but if he can get open looks via dribble handoffs or off-ball screens, he’s one of the best shooters in the country. 

I opted with Elvis and Jones to start at the off guard positions in the backcourt for Oklahoma, but Fairfield transfer Brycen Goodine (14 ppg at Fairfield) has just as good of a chance at starting. Goodine played mostly in the sixth man role for Fairfield last season, which is why I opted for him to come off the bench at Oklahoma. Goodine still averaged 26 mpg off the bench and in a Sooners lineup stacked with great shooters, will be the best one. Goodine shot 46.3% from three last season on 164 attempts, so it’s safe to say if he and Jones are on the court, the Sooners are never out of a game. Mohamed Wague (3 ppg at Alabama) was the final transfer in Oklahoma’s class, likely a direct replacement in the frontcourt for the departing John Hugley IV. Wague has elite athleticism and averaged 0.5 bpg in just 8 mpg last year at Alabama. 

The rest of the incoming class came from the high school and JUCO ranks. JUCO transfer Jeff Nwankwo could provide some added depth in the frontcourt. Kuol Atak (3*, NAT 111) is highly regarded by Oklahoma, and will likely solidify the Sooners rotation at the forward spot. Freshman guard Dayton Forsythe (3*, NAT 217) may not play in year one, but will have plenty to learn playing behind a plethora of transfer guards. 

Porter Moser has struck out on reaching the tournament in his first three seasons, and the job won’t get any easier in the SEC this year. Moser is an elite coach, but if he can’t get anything done at Oklahoma this year, Oklahoma or Moser himself could be looking at different options for 2025-26. The Sooners probably don’t have NCAA Tournament level talent on the roster this year, but that hasn’t stopped Moser in the past from sneaking a team into the tournament. 

There’s no true standout player on this Oklahoma roster, as no player has proven yet to be a star at the power conference level. Duke Miles will likely be the most important player, the guy with the ball in his hands on most possessions. Miles’ transition to the SEC will be vital to the Sooners’ success this season. The X-factors for me are Mohamed Wague and Jeff Nwankwo. I honestly think the backcourt is set and solid to play in the SEC, with tons of different guys who can shoot. It’s the frontcourt that I feel needs another dynamic, and I hope Wague and Nwankwo can come in and provide that. Wague was solid at Alabama, and I’m hoping with increased minutes at Oklahoma he can have a solid senior season. 

It will be an uphill climb to get the Sooners into the tournament this year for Porter Moser, but he’s done much crazier things. Before I took a deep dive into this roster and watched some highlights back, I didn’t expect much and thought this team’s talent would stick it to the bottom of the SEC. Now a couple hours later, I think this Sooners’ team has very sneaky upside with a handful of great shooters in the backcourt. With Moser at the helm, I feel confident sticking this team at 13th out of 16 in the SEC, when I’ve seen most people lock them in as the worst team in the conference.