Oklahoma Drops Heartbreaker to No. 15 Arkansas, 83-79: Three Key Takeaways
The Sooners are still searching for answers in SEC play after falling 83-79 to No. 15 Arkansas at the Lloyd Noble Center on Tuesday night. Oklahoma (11-10, 1-7 SEC) has now dropped seven straight conference games and remains winless against ranked opponents this season.
There were moments of promise - especially from senior guard Nijel Pack - but once again, it wasn’t quite enough. Let’s break down the three biggest takeaways from Tuesday’s battle.
Nijel Pack Heats Up, But Runs Out of Time
Nijel Pack looked like a man on a mission early. The senior guard picked up right where he left off against Missouri, pouring in 22 points against the Razorbacks after dropping 25 over the weekend.
In the first half alone, Pack caught fire - scoring 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including four threes. He was the spark that helped OU build a 48-44 lead heading into the break, especially when he answered a 7-0 Arkansas run with back-to-back triples.
But the second half told a different story. Pack went cold for nearly 13 minutes, and by the time he found his rhythm again, the momentum had shifted. Still, he came up clutch late, drilling two more threes - including one with just over a minute left that gave the Sooners a 79-77 lead.
Unfortunately for Oklahoma, that lead didn’t hold.
Head coach Porter Moser pointed to Pack’s resurgence as a silver lining in an otherwise frustrating stretch. After struggling earlier in conference play, Pack’s back-to-back 20-point outings could be a turning point.
“I told him… you’ve been in a million games,” Moser said. “He’s a 2,000-point scorer. It’s gonna come back around… and when he sees the ball go in, it gives us a way better chance to win.”
Pack echoed that sentiment, acknowledging the pain of another close loss but expressing confidence that the team is close to breaking through.
“We just got to get over that hump,” Pack said. “There’s stuff we can clean up, and once we do, it’s gonna get scary for everybody.”
Arkansas Owns the Paint
If there was one area where Arkansas made its presence felt, it was inside. The Razorbacks attacked the Sooners relentlessly in the paint, outscoring them 56-30 down low - a margin that proved decisive.
In the first half alone, Arkansas outscored OU 32-20 in the paint, using their size and physicality to create high-percentage looks. Sophomore guard Karter Knox (6'6") and freshman Maleek Thomas (6'5") took full advantage of their matchups against OU’s smaller backcourt, combining for 27 points - most of which came right at the rim.
Neither player did much damage from the perimeter. Thomas hit just two free throws, and Knox knocked down a single three. But they didn’t need to stretch the floor - they simply overpowered OU’s defense off the dribble and in transition.
“They go downhill so fast,” Moser said. “It’s by far the top team in terms of athleticism going downhill.”
This isn’t a new issue for the Sooners. They've struggled all season against teams that thrive on attacking the paint - losses to Gonzaga and Florida followed a similar script. Tuesday night was just the latest example of OU’s struggles to defend straight-line drives and protect the rim.
“All of them were just so athletic straight downhill,” Moser said. “They just dominated us at the rim.”
Darius Acuff Jr. Continues His SEC Tear
Another game, another elite SEC scorer lighting up the Sooners. This time it was Arkansas freshman Darius Acuff Jr., who poured in 21 points while dishing out nine assists - and didn’t commit a single turnover.
Acuff wasn’t just scoring - he was orchestrating. He had 11 points by halftime, then kept the pressure on in the second half by getting downhill, drawing fouls, and setting up his teammates for easy buckets. His poise and control down the stretch were a big reason Arkansas was able to close out the win.
“Acuff was elite,” Moser said. “Nine assists, no turnovers… he’s so hard to guard. He’s Iverson-like - scoring, passing, speed, all of it.”
Acuff came into the game averaging 20.2 points per contest, good for fourth in the SEC. He joins a growing list of top-10 SEC scorers who’ve had their way with Oklahoma this season - including Alabama’s Labaron Philon Jr., Mississippi State’s Josh Hubbard, Missouri’s Mark Mitchell, and Florida’s Thomas Haugh.
What’s Next
The Sooners have shown flashes - Pack’s shooting, stretches of strong ball movement, and spurts of defensive intensity - but they haven’t been able to put it all together for 40 minutes. And in a league as deep as the SEC, that’s the difference between a win and another gut-punch loss.
Oklahoma will look to get back on track this Saturday when they host Texas (12-8, 3-4 SEC) at 1 p.m. on ESPN2.
The margin for error is shrinking, but the opportunity to turn things around is still there. The question is: Can the Sooners finally get over that hump?