Inching closer to the NCAA Tournament bubble, Oklahoma desperately needs to stay hot against South Carolina in the first round of the Southeastern Conference tournament on Wednesday in Nashville, Tenn.
Oklahoma (17-14) finished 11th in the SEC after winning its last four regular-season games, catapulting the Sooners into the postseason conversation. Despite a nine-game losing streak during conference play, Oklahoma boasts a NET ranking of 54 and victories over likely tourney teams in Vanderbilt, Georgia, Missouri and Texas.
Ahead of a must-win game against 14th-seeded South Carolina (13-18), head coach Porter Moser’s team is peaking at the right time.
“We’re playing our best basketball and that’s what you want this time of the year,” Moser said. “There’s always a path. Even when we lost nine in a row, I told the guys there’s a path. Not a lot of teams can win six out of eight games in this SEC.”
Oklahoma is averaging 85.5 points during the four-game winning streak, with leading scorer Nigel Pack (16.1 ppg) posting three 21-plus point outings in the pivotal stretch. The Sooners’ current projections have them on the outside looking in, but a run in Nashville would provide several resume-boosting wins.
“I think we can make an unbelievable case,” Moser said. “We’ve done a great job. We’re going to this tournament and we’re taking things one game at a time.”
Xzayvier Brown adds 15.6 points for the Sooners, followed by Tae Davis’ 12.2 scoring average.
After a regular season to forget for South Carolina, head coach Lamont Paris learned that he will return for a fifth year next season. Without a miracle week in Nashville, the Gamecocks will see their season end with a losing record for the third time in four seasons.
Paris’ group lost 10 of 11 games during the heart of SEC play, a stretch marked by weak offensive performances and lopsided results. South Carolina scores the fewest points in the conference at 75 per game and nine of its 14 SEC losses were by double digits.
The Gamecocks enter the postseason coming off just their second win away from home, as Meechie Johnson drilled a 3-pointer with less than a second left in the regular-season finale, lifting South Carolina to a 64-61 win at Ole Miss.
“It was a neat way to end the regular season and go into tournament time,” Paris said. “Nothing says March like a half-court buzzer-beater. What a way to get this whole thing started as we prepare to get ourselves ready to go to Nashville.”
Johnson’s 17.3 points per game pace the Gamecocks, while Mike Sharavjamts chips in 10.6.
