OU basketball has found its standard, can it continue?

OU will go one of two ways after the 87-85 loss to No. 1 Houston. Either you realize that’s how good you actually are and continue to build. Or you struggle to get back on your feet, lamenting more about what could have been instead of what can be.

We’ll get an idea when the Sooners have senior night Tuesday against Cincinnati. OU has already won at UC earlier this season. And a win here might cement OU’s inclusion in the NCAA Tournament.

How to watch

Cincinnati (17-12, 6-10) at OU (19-10, 7-9)
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
TV: ESPN+

The Sooners did so many good things against the top-ranked Cougars. So many things that absolute do translate to the rest of the season. It’s just a question of whether it actually happens.

There have been games where OU has looked like a top-15 team in the country. And other games where the Sooners have felt like they belong in the first day of the Big 12 tournament. There hasn’t been any real rhyme or reason for the peaks and valleys.

But Houston? Maybe that’s the spark.

“It has to be our standard, not our ceiling, for what we did, in a lot of areas,” head coach Porter Moser said. “It’s got to be our standard.”

The pace of play, being ready to hit big shots, it was all there against Houston. That type of confidence could carry this team a ways in the next few weeks.

“It just shows that we prepared for that game and it showed that once we stuck to the scout and really focused on what we implemented, the sky’s the limit for us,” super senior Rivaldo Soares said. “Competing against the number one team in the country, getting that feeling, knowing that you can compete against anybody, that’s a big boost in morale for us. Even though we don’t take moral victories.”

Slippery slope. Nobody wants to embrace moral victories. However, if OU started to believe it wasn’t that good, the UH performance should let them know without a shadow of a doubt that it belongs.

Take care of business and earn win No. 20. 

Sending off the seniors

The transfer portal has definitely made senior night a bit strange. Gone are the days of the four-year player who the fans have watched grow and mature.

Instead, all three of OU’s super seniors weren’t even on the team last season. But guys like Rivaldo Soares and Le’Tre Darthard have made a solid impact.

And Moser said Sam Godwin will participate, too. Technically, Godwin is a senior. But he has the option to return because of his COVID year.

“With the new era of the portal, what you do want is to get guys that fit you and believe in what you’re doing,” Moser said. “Man, Waldo, Maks and Le’Tre have come in and been nothing but believing everything that we’re doing. They haven’t been about themselves. That’s what’s so good about them enjoying playing for Oklahoma. They came in and they really enjoyed this place and they really enjoyed this team and it’s been about the team.

“This will also be the last year of having COVID senior where they have the option to come back. We recognize that no matter what because you don’t want anything to happen. So we’re for sure gonna introduce Sam. He’s another one that came in the portal, and (we’ll) have him walk. We’ll discuss everything after the season. He’s got another option to come back, but we’ve done that every year here.”

Final word

“I grew up in an era where the 20-win mark was huge. You know, I remember our Creighton teams, we were the first team to win 20 games three years in a row in the history of Creighton basketball. It was such a big number. So, yes and no. I mean, 20 wins—with the schedules now and how good our league is, yes. I think that—but it hasn’t been a focus until you just asked me that question. It’s been, you know, trying to stack wins. Get better and stack wins. But pondering on the question and reminiscing, it’s always been something; I just don’t know if it’s been something as much this year as it was before.” – Moser on getting magic win No. 20