Missouri HC Dennis Gates sounds off on Oklahoma basketball's NCAA Tournament case
03/06/2025 01:50 AM
Missouri head coach Dennis Gates gave a ringing endorsement of Oklahoma basketball’s NCAA Tournament case after the Sooners’ massive win on Wednesday. Freshman sensation Jeremiah Fears led the Sooners with 31 points in the 96-84 upset over the No. 15 Tigers. Head coach Porter Moser’s team needed this win as it had a rough first season in the SEC Conference.
Despite the Sooners’ struggles in the SEC, Gates believes they should be a lock for the “Big Dance”. The Tigers’ head coach had a classy reaction to the tough loss.
“I thought Jeremiah Fears did a great job carrying his team. His team did a great job rallying around him. Especially when the big fella (Sam Godwin) went out, I hope he's healthy enough to make a run. But I truly believe Oklahoma is an NCAA Tournament team. I've said it all along. They've let some close games slip away at home, specifically. They just made sure this one did not slip. They got out to a great start. And we got out to a flat start. But I credit our flat start to Oklahoma.”
The Sooners will need to continue this momentum to make the NCAA Tournament
Gates’ classy statement references senior big man Sam Godwin, who exited with a knee injury in the first half. It was a sad sight on Senior Night, and hopefully, the fifth-year from Ada, Oklahoma, can make a full recovery. The Sooners are now 18-12 overall and 5-12 in the SEC Conference. Porter Moser’s team now has five wins over quadrant 1 squads, with several wins against top 25 teams. That includes quality victories both in conference and in the non-conference slates.
However, it is frustrating that Porter Moser’s team is in this position. Oklahoma basketball went undefeated out of conference and entered SEC play as the No. 12 team in the nation. The Sooners subsequently struggled in the middle portion of the season, going on several long losing streaks in the process. Of course, little to none of these losses can be considered poor, given how elite the SEC has been this season. But there have been a ton of blown opportunities for this team this year, and that is why, heading into tonight, it was listed as being just on the outside of the 68-team field.
Still, overall, Wednesday night was a giant step in the right direction for this program. In his fourth year as head coach, Porter Moser is trying to make his first NCAA Tournament with the Sooners. The former Loyola-Chicago head coach has shown in the past just how dangerous he can be with an inspired group in March. With a player like Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma can still be a force to be reckoned with in this field. But the Sooners have to qualify first, and there is still work to be done at this moment.
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