The Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball team enters the 2025-2026 season hoping to build off of the first NCAA Tournament appearance of the Porter Moser era. If they’re able to get back into the March Madness field, it will be through the work of another overhauled roster. Ahead of next week’s season opener, the Sooners were projected to be the first team out in Joe Lunardi’s preseason Bracketology for ESPN.
After the loss of Jeremiah Fears to the NBA and the graduation of several key contributors like forward Jalon Moore, Oklahoma is banking on the additions of veterans like Nigel Pack and Tae Davis to be the spark that takes Oklahoma back to the NCAA Tournament. Beyond Pack and Davis, Moser also brought in Xzayvier Brown, who figures to start at the shooting guard spot next to Pack. Brown averaged more than 17 points per game last season and was an All-Atlantic 10 selection.
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Forward and former five-star prospect Derrion Reid helps bolster Oklahoma’s frontcourt alongside Davis and center Mohamed Wague.
In Oklahoma’s exhibition win over No. 24 Wisconsin, four Sooners scored in double figures led by 18 from Brown and 15 from Pack. Reid had 14, Jeff Nwankwo added 10 points off the bench, and Wague and redshirt freshman Kuol Atak chipped in nine points apiece.
The Sooners have a deep frontcourt heading into 2025-2026 and an experienced backcourt. Does Moser have the pieces needed to make a tournament appearance and hopefully a deeper run than a year ago? The SEC grind is a real thing, but Oklahoma has a reloaded roster ready to make some noise.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Oklahoma first team out in Joe Lunardi’s preseason Bracketology
