Oklahoma’s 2026-27 basketball schedule is out, and the non-conference stretch alone gives the Sooners plenty to chew on before SEC play even starts.
The biggest home draw comes Jan. 2, when No. 17 Kentucky visits Norman to open conference action.
That’s one of five home games against teams in ESPN’s summer top 25, with No. 21 Missouri coming Jan. 19 or 20, No.
6 Tennessee set for Feb. 9 or 10, No. 7 Texas on Feb. 20, and No.
20 Vanderbilt arriving March 2 or 3.
The Sooners’ lone true road game outside league play is Dec. 22 at SMU in Dallas. Before that, Oklahoma opens the season Nov. 2 at home against East Texas A&M and starts with five straight home games before leaving Lloyd Noble Center for the first time.
That first trip comes in the Fort Myers Tip-Off on Nov. 24 and 26, where OU will face Pitt and Purdue in Fort Myers, Fla. Pitt is coached by former Oklahoma head coach Jeff Capel, and Purdue is listed among the “next five” in the ESPN top 25.
Oklahoma also has four neutral-site games on the schedule: the two in Fort Myers, a Dec. 5 matchup with Arizona State at the BOK Center in Tulsa, and Bedlam on Dec. 12 in Oklahoma City. The Dec. 17 game against Jackson State and the Dec. 28 meeting with Louisiana-Monroe are both set for 7 p.m. tipoffs at LNC. Tip times and television designations for the rest of the schedule will be announced later.
The Sooners are coming off a 21-16 season in which they finished as the runner-up in the College Basketball Crown. After a nine-game losing streak during conference play, Oklahoma closed by going 8-3 and still narrowly missed the NCAA Tournament.
Once the non-conference slate ends with Louisiana-Monroe, the SEC grind begins with Kentucky. Oklahoma then heads to Florida, the No. 1 team in ESPN’s rankings, on either Jan. 5 or 6.
The full schedule includes home dates with Mississippi Valley State, North Alabama, Fairleigh Dickinson, Campbell, Syracuse, Alabama State, and Jackson State, plus road SEC trips to Florida, Georgia, Texas, Alabama, Texas A&M, Auburn, Missouri, Ole Miss, and Arkansas. The SEC Tournament runs March 10-14 in Nashville, Tenn.
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Why Brent Venables Deserves More Grace Than He's Getting
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The Sooners have had their ups and downs from 2022 through 2024, but there was real evidence of progress in 2023, when they went 10-2 in the regular season and pushed back into playoff conversation. Even with the uneven finish to 2024 and the pressure that comes with leading Oklahoma, Venables has kept the program moving forward under circumstances that would test almost anyone, which is why the conversation around him deserves a little more patience than it has gotten. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Suddenly Has Real 2028 Recruiting Momentum In Key Territory
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The appeal is obvious from the Sooners perspective: Compton-Nero brings big-play production and in-state familiarity, Mitchell offers the kind of explosive skill-set that can change an offense, and Wilson gives Oklahoma a local lineman with early varsity experience and championship pedigree. None of it is official yet, of course, but the combination of analyst projections, offers and visits has given Oklahoma some genuine momentum in a class that could matter a lot down the road. [Read more 🡒]
Brent Venables Just Reopened Oklahomas Most Frustrating Debate
Brent Venables spent part of his reflection on Oklahomas 2024 season circling back to the kind of loss that still lingers because it felt so avoidable. The Sooners College Football Playoff defeat to Alabama, after a fast start that had them in control early, became for him a lesson in how quickly a game can tilt when the simple stuff slips away.
Venables framed it as the oldest football argument there is in Norman: talent matters, but consistency comes from getting the basics right. He sounded optimistic about what Oklahoma can build toward in 2026, with the idea of turning a good team into a great one, but the larger point was hard to miss. For the Sooners, the frustrating part is not some exotic schematic mystery. It is the unfinished business of execution. [Read more 🡒]