The Oklahoma Sooners are staring down a critical stretch of their season, and the timing couldn’t be worse. After dropping six straight SEC games, the Sooners now face a red-hot No.
20 Arkansas squad on Tuesday night at Lloyd Noble Center. For a team that once looked like it might make some noise in conference play, Oklahoma is now fighting just to stay afloat.
Let’s not sugarcoat it - OU is reeling. Two of the Sooners’ last three losses came by a combined three points.
Their most recent defeat, a one-point heartbreaker at Missouri, was the kind of loss that can linger. Oklahoma saw victory slip away not once, but twice - first at the end of regulation, then again in overtime, both times on buzzer-beaters.
That’s the kind of emotional gut-punch that tests a team’s resolve.
Now they return home, trying to regroup against a Razorback team that’s trending in the opposite direction. Arkansas has won four of its last six SEC matchups and is playing with confidence.
The Sooners, meanwhile, are 11-9 overall and just 1-6 in SEC play. And with seven of their final 11 regular-season games coming against teams that have been ranked in the AP Top 25 at some point this season, the road ahead doesn’t get any easier.
Home-Court Hope
If there’s a silver lining for Oklahoma, it’s that Tuesday’s matchup is in Norman. The Sooners are 8-2 at Lloyd Noble Center this season, and they’ve been a different team at home.
OU has outshot its opponents 50% to 42% from the field and 38% to 33% from deep on its home floor. The average margin of victory in Norman is a healthy +20, though that number shrinks considerably in SEC home games, where the Sooners are being edged out 83-82 on average.
History also leans slightly in Oklahoma’s favor. While Arkansas holds a narrow 17-15 edge in the all-time series, the Sooners have won 10 of the last 15 meetings and are 9-3 against the Razorbacks in Norman. Arkansas hasn’t won at Lloyd Noble since the 1977-78 season, and last year’s matchup went to Oklahoma in a tight 65-62 contest on the road.
But this year’s Razorbacks team, under head coach John Calipari, is a different beast.
Arkansas Brings Firepower
Offensively, Arkansas is humming. The Hogs lead the SEC in scoring during conference play, averaging 87.8 points per game.
They’re not just chucking up shots - they’re hitting them with efficiency. Arkansas tops the SEC in field-goal percentage (50.2%) and ranks first in three-point shooting as well, knocking down 8.1 threes per game at a 37% clip.
Their ball movement is crisp and purposeful, leading to 17.7 assists per game - third-best in the SEC and 27th nationally.
Freshman guard Darius Acuff Jr. has been a revelation. He’s putting up 20.2 points per game, good for fourth in the conference, while shooting 50% from the field and 42% from beyond the arc.
He’s joined in the backcourt by fellow freshman Meleek Thomas, who’s averaging 15.2 points per game. These two have quickly become one of the most dangerous young duos in the country.
And when Arkansas gets out in transition, look out. The Razorbacks are averaging 21.3 fastbreak points per game and have topped 30 fastbreak points five times this season. They thrive on turning defense into offense, and they’re lethal when they can push the pace.
That’s a problem for Oklahoma - because defense hasn’t exactly been a calling card for the Sooners this year.
Sooners Need a Spark
If Oklahoma’s going to pull off the upset, it starts with junior guard Xzayvier Brown. The St.
Joseph’s transfer has been a bright spot in an otherwise frustrating SEC campaign. Brown leads the team with 16.5 points per game overall, but he’s been even better in conference play, averaging 18.4 against SEC opponents.
He’s scored at least 18 points in nine of his last 11 games, including four 20-point performances. He’s also been nearly automatic from the free-throw line, leading the SEC at 91%.
Brown will need help, though. The Sooners’ bench production has been inconsistent, and they’ll need contributions from their supporting cast to hang with Arkansas’ high-octane offense. At home, Oklahoma’s top seven scorers have been efficient - six of them are shooting over 50% in true home games - but that hasn’t always translated against SEC competition.
The Numbers Game
Statistically, the gap between these two teams in SEC play is hard to ignore. Arkansas leads the conference in scoring and shooting percentage.
Oklahoma, on the other hand, sits near the bottom in both categories. That disparity is especially concerning given how well Arkansas shares the ball and finds open looks.
The Razorbacks don’t just score - they score in rhythm, and that makes them tough to stop.
What It’ll Take
For Oklahoma, this is a must-win - not just for their record, but for their morale. After the way things ended at Missouri, the Sooners need to come out with energy and purpose. They can’t afford a slow start against a team that can hang 20 points on you in a blink.
If OU can keep it close heading into the final 10 minutes, they’ve got a shot. But they’ll need a strong shooting night, a big game from Brown, and meaningful minutes from the bench. Anything less, and Arkansas’ pace and efficiency could prove too much.
Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. CT on ESPN, with Tom Hart and Dane Bradshaw on the call. For Oklahoma, it’s not just another game - it’s a chance to stop the bleeding and salvage what’s left of a season slipping away.