Oklahoma got its first win of the 2026-27 season on Friday night, and it came with a little bit of everything: a comfortable final margin, a strong shooting night from B.J. Edwards, and enough sloppiness to leave room for improvement.
The Sooners knocked off Mississippi Valley State 84-57 at McCasland Field House to even their record at 1-1 after Monday’s 68-64 loss to East Texas A&M. OU didn’t exactly put together a clean performance, but it did control the game with defense and enough shot-making to separate.
Edwards was the headliner. The transfer guard led Oklahoma with 18 points, going 6-for-10 from the floor and 4-for-6 from 3-point range. That was a sharp bounce-back from his OU debut against the Lions, when he managed just three points on 1-of-7 shooting in 29 minutes and also went 1-of-5 at the free-throw line.
At 6-foot-3, Edwards is in his fifth college season. He spent one year at Tennessee before the last three seasons at SMU.
Oklahoma’s defense did plenty of the heavy lifting, too. The Sooners forced 17 turnovers and held Mississippi Valley State to 36 percent shooting. OU also shot 47 percent overall and hit 13 of its 40 attempts from beyond the arc.
Still, the box score had some rough edges. Oklahoma turned it over 12 times, with Duke Brennan and Xzayvier Brown each responsible for three and Dayton Forsythe adding two. The Sooners also gave up extra chances around the rim, and the Delta Devils finished with 15 second-chance points.
Brown’s return was another notable development for Oklahoma. He missed the opener because of a lower-body injury but was back in the lineup Friday. In 27 minutes, Brown scored five points on 2-of-6 shooting and added seven assists and one rebound.
The numbers weren’t eye-popping, but Brown’s value is obvious. Last season, he averaged 15.4 points, 3.3 assists and 3.2 rebounds while starting all 37 games.
He began his college career at St. Joseph’s before transferring to Oklahoma, where his stepfather, Justin Scott, is an assistant coach.
The Sooners return to Lloyd Noble Center on Monday to host North Alabama.
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The bigger concern is what still remains unresolved. Wide receiver Elijah Thomas and defensive end Kenny Ozawalu are among the players listed as questionable, while eight others have already been ruled out and one more is doubtful, leaving Oklahoma with several late decisions still hanging over Saturday. The update helps, but it also underscores how much the Sooners are still managing as they head into a game where depth could matter just as much as the game plan. [Read more 🡒]
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Liberty and Central Sallisaw came out on top and moved on, while Gore was left out in the cold on the sports most old-school kind of margin. It is the sort of finish that reminds you just how thin the line can be in high school football, where a whole season can hinge on a flip once the usual math has been exhausted. [Read more 🡒]