OU basketball off to 11-0 start behind freshman phenom Fears

Best win: 87-86 vs. No. 24 Michigan on Dec. 18. Jeremiah Fears scored 30 points and converted a four-point play at the end of the game to seal the win. Duke Miles had 17 points and Jalon Moore had 16.

Top player: Fears, the freshman point guard from Joliet, Illinois, has been sensational in what’s likely his only season at OU before he becomes a first round NBA draft selection. Fears is averaging team highs of 17.9 points, 4.6 assists and 2.3 steals. He was the Sooners’ highest rated recruit since Trae Young when he signed in July and he is indeed performing like the best player Oklahoma has seen since Young. His youth makes it all the more remarkable. Fears is just barely 18 years old and is supposed to still be in high school. He decommitted from Illinois and reclassified from the 2025 class to the 2024 class before signing with Oklahoma. Fears is a baby-faced killer.

A year ago: OU was 10-1 and had just suffered its first loss of the season, to North Carolina in the Jumpman Invitational. After that hot start, injuries, missed opportunities and the grueling nature of the Big 12 overwhelmed the Sooners and they faded down the stretch. Oklahoma went 2-6 in its last eight games and was the first team left out of the NCAA Tournament field. OU finished 20-12 overall but went 8-10 in conference play.

1. OU off to historic start with seniors leading way

Porter Moser’s 14th-ranked squad is one of only four undefeated teams remaining in college basketball and OU is one win away from just its third 12-0 start in the last 30 seasons. After starting 12-0 during the 2008-09 slate, the Sooners went all the way to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight. Following a 12-0 opening in the 2015-16 season, Oklahoma reached the Final Four. Could a similar magical run be in store for the 2024-25 campaign? Jalon Moore and Sam Godwin will play major roles in keeping the Sooners on track for the NCAA Tournament after three-straight years of sadness on Selection Sunday. Moser calls upon his senior forwards to provide the urgency for this team and so far they’re delivering. Moore, an NBA hopeful, is averaging 17.3 points and six rebounds. Godwin leads the team with 7.1 rebounds per game and 0.6 blocks per game.

2. What do Sooners’ roleplayers bring to SEC slate?

The third scoring option complementing Fears and Moore has changed from game to game. Miles, a High Point transfer, is averaging 10.5 points per game, while Dayton transfer Kobe Elvis is averaging 9.8. Brycen Goodine (Fairfield) and Glenn Taylor (St. Johns) have also had some nice moments coming off the bench. Can these imports from mid major schools withstand the speed and physicality of life in the Southeastern Conference? We’ll start to get some answers when OU opens SEC play on Jan. 4 at No. 6 Alabama. The Crimson Tide were a Final Four team last year. Luke Northweather, though not a newcomer, is another player who will be vetted by the SEC. The third-year forward leads the team in shooting 44.4% from 3-point range. Alabama transfer forward Mohamed Wague and freshman guard Dayton Forsythe from Dale are other rotation players to know.

3. Monitoring injured duo’s progress

Neither Jeff Nwankwo nor Jadon Jones has yet to make his Oklahoma debut as both have missed the early part of the season with injuries. Nwankwo, an Oklahoma City native and highly rated junior college signee from Cowley College in Kansas, was OU’s best two-way player in summer workouts before tearing his Achilles, according to Moser. However, the Sooners’ coach says Nwankwo is ahead of schedule in his rehab. Jones, a Long Beach State transfer who was a top scorer and projected starter in preseason scrimmages, tweaked his back right before the season began. Oklahoma could have a tough decision to make with both players. The idea of their return as reinforcements in the middle of SEC play is appealing, but if they play they could lose their medical redshirts. Moser was trying to get an answer from the NCAA as to how much they could play and still preserve a year of eligibility. Depending on the answer, it might be better for OU to have them sit out the year and come back next season.

Conference outlook: The SEC is a gauntlet this year with eight teams currently ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 and a record 13 projected to make the NCAA Tournament as of ESPN’s most recent Bracketology. Besides the No. 14 Sooners, teams to be aware of are No. 1 Tennessee, No. 2 Auburn, No. 4 Kentucky, No. 6 Alabama, No. 7 Florida, No. 12 Texas A&M and No. 17 Ole Miss. OU is currently exceeding expectations as it appears in the upper half of SEC teams after being picked in the preseason media poll to finish 15th out of 16 in the league.

Marquee games ahead: Jan. 4 at Alabama; Jan. 8 vs. Texas A&M; Jan. 15 vs. Texas; Jan. 25 at Arkansas; Jan. 28 at Texas A&M; Feb. 4 at Auburn; Feb. 8 vs. Tennessee; Feb. 12 at Missouri; Feb. 18 at Florida; Feb. 26 vs. Kentucky; March 1 at Ole Miss; March 5 vs. Missouri; March 8 at Texas