# 2017–18 Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team

The 2017–18 Oklahoma Sooners basketball team represented the University of Oklahoma in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by seventh-year head coach Lon Kruger and played their home games at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Oklahoma as a member of the Big 12 Conference. They finished the season 18–14, 8–10 in Big 12 play to finish in a tie for eighth place. They lost in the First Round of the Big 12 tournament to Oklahoma State. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they lost in the First Round to Rhode Island.

## Previous season

The Sooners finished the 2016–17 season with an overall record of 11–20, 5–13 in Big 12 play to finish in ninth place. They lost in the first round of the Big 12 tournament to TCU.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Darrion Strong-Moore | 00 | F | 6'1" | 180 | RS Senior | Chicago, IL | Transferred to Arkansas-Fort Smith |
| Jordan Woodard | 10 | G | 6'0" | 187 | Senior | Arcadia, OK | Graduated |
| Grant Quinn | 15 | G | 6'4" | 185 | Freshman | Argyle, TX | Walk-on; didn't return |
| Dante Buford | 21 | F | 6'7" | 221 | RS Sophomore | Jacksonville, FL | Transferred to Texas–San Antonio |
| Daniel Harper | 22 | G | 6'1" | 190 | RS Senior | Norman, OK | Walk-on; graduated |
| C.J. Cole | 25 | F | 6'7" | 245 | RS Senior | Sperry, OK | Walk-on; graduated |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Ty Lazenby | 14 | G | 6'2" | 180 | Junior | Glencoe, OK | Junior college transfer from Northern Oklahoma College. |

### 2017 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Trae Young #4 PG | Norman, OK | Norman North High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Feb 16, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 93 ||||||
| Brady Manek #30 PF | Harrah, OK | Harrah High School | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 235 lb (107 kg) | Oct 22, 2015 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 81 ||||||
| Hannes Pöllä C | Lahti, Finland | Helsinki Basketball Academy (FI) | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | 265 lb (120 kg) | Sep 8, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Oklahoma 2017 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 11, 2016. "2017 Oklahoma Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved July 11, 2016. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 11, 2016. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved July 11, 2016. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 11, 2016. ||||||

## Future recruits
### 2018–19 team recruits

US college sports recruiting information for 2018 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Jamal Bieniemy SG | Katy, TX | Tompkins High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | May 7, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| New Zealand and Australia Foreign Tour |||||||||
| Aug 6, 2017* 3:00 pm, Facebook Live | | vs. New Zealand Select | W 133–91 | – | 21 – Young | 7 – Tied | 11 – Shepherd | Auckland Grammar School Auckland, New Zealand |
| Aug 9, 2017* 7:30 pm, Facebook Live | | at Sutherland Sharks (WL) | W 129–51 | – | 23 – Young | 10 – Tied | 9 – Tied | Sutherland Basketball Stadium Sutherland, NSW, Australia |
| Aug 10, 2017* 7:30 pm, YouTube | | vs. Sydney Kings (NBL) | W 104–89 | – | 21 – Young | 6 – Tied | 6 – Young | Penrith Basketball Stadium Penrith, NSW, Australia |
| Aug 13, 2017* 4:00 pm, Facebook Live | | vs. Cairns Taipans (NBL) | W 110–85 | – | 21 – Young | 6 – Tied | 6 – Young | Bendigo Bank Basketball Stadium Bendigo, QLD, Australia |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| Oct 28, 2017* 12:00 pm, SSTV | | Texas–Arlington Hurricane Relief Scrimmage | L 84–99 | – | 28 – James | 9 – Manek | 9 – Young | Lloyd Noble Center Norman, OK |
| Nov 8, 2017* 7:00 pm, SSTV/FSOK | | East Central | W 114–78 | – | 23 – Young | 10 – Lattin | 6 – Young | Lloyd Noble Center Norman, OK |
| Regular season |||||||||
| Nov 12, 2017* 2:00 pm, SSTV/FSOK | | Omaha | W 108–89 | 1–0 | 15 – Young | 7 – Lattin | 10 – Young | Lloyd Noble Center (5,573) Norman, OK |
| Nov 15, 2017* 7:00 pm, SSTV/FSOK | | Ball State Phil Knight Invitational campus game | W 108–69 | 2–0 | 22 – Young | 8 – Lattin | 13 – Young | Lloyd Noble Center (7,242) Norman, OK |
| Nov 23, 2017* 4:00 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. Arkansas Phil Knight Invitational Victory Bracket quarterfinals | L 83–92 | 2–1 | 28 – Young | 10 – Lattin | 5 – Young | Moda Center (11,294) Portland, OR |
| Nov 24, 2017* 5:00 pm, ESPN3 | | vs. Portland Phil Knight Invitational Victory Bracket consolation 2nd round | W 93–71 | 3–1 | 33 – Young | 16 – Lattin | 8 – Young | Veterans Memorial Coliseum (6,603) Portland, OR |
| Nov 26, 2017* 12:00 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. Oregon Phil Knight Invitational Victory Bracket 5th place game | W 90–80 | 4–1 | 43 – Young | 7 – James | 7 – Young | Veterans Memorial Coliseum (5,910) Portland, OR |
| Nov 30, 2017* 7:00 pm, SSTV/FSOK | | North Texas | W 82–72 | 5–1 | 32 – Young | 9 – Lattin | 10 – Young | Lloyd Noble Center (8,132) Norman, OK |
| Dec 4, 2017* 7:00 pm, SSTV/FSOK | | UTSA | W 97–85 | 6–1 | 28 – Young | 11 – Lattin | 8 – Young | Lloyd Noble Center (8,793) Norman, OK |
| Dec 8, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. No. 25 USC Basketball Hall of Fame Classic | W 85–83 | 7–1 | 29 – Young | 6 – Lattin | 9 – Young | Staples Center (6,456) Los Angeles, CA |
| Dec 16, 2017* 4:00 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. No. 3 Wichita State InTrust Bank Arena Showcase | W 91–83 | 8–1 | 29 – Young | 10 – McNeace | 10 – Young | Intrust Bank Arena (15,004) Wichita, KS |
| Dec 19, 2017* 7:00 pm, SSTV/FSOK | No. 17 | Northwestern State | W 105–68 | 9–1 | 26 – Young | 7 – McNeace | 22 – Young | Lloyd Noble Center (7,945) Norman, OK |
| Dec 22, 2017* 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 17 | Northwestern | W 104–78 | 10–1 | 31 – Young | 8 – Manek | 12 – Young | Lloyd Noble Center (11,259) Norman, OK |
| Dec 30, 2017 1:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 12 | at No. 10 TCU | W 90–89 | 11–1 (1–0) | 39 – Young | 13 – Manek | 14 – Young | Schollmaier Arena (6,912) Fort Worth, TX |
| Jan 3, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 7 | Oklahoma State Bedlam Series | W 109–89 | 12–1 (2–0) | 28 – Manek | 9 – Young | 10 – Young | Lloyd Noble Center (11,390) Norman, OK |
| Jan 6, 2018 6:15 pm, ESPN2 | No. 7 | at No. 6 West Virginia | L 76–89 | 12–2 (2–1) | 29 – Young | 8 – McNeace | 5 – Young | WVU Coliseum (15,106) Morgantown, WV |
| Jan 9, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 9 | No. 8 Texas Tech | W 75–65 | 13–2 (3–1) | 27 – Young | 8 – Lattin | 10 – Young | Lloyd Noble Center (10,043) Norman, OK |
| Jan 13, 2018 12:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 9 | No. 16 TCU | W 102–97 $^{OT}$ | 14–2 (4–1) | 43 – Young | 11 – Young | 7 – Young | Lloyd Noble Center (11,504) Norman, OK |
| Jan 16, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 4 | at Kansas State | L 69–87 | 14–3 (4–2) | 20 – Young | 7 – James | 6 – Young | Bramlage Coliseum (10,744) Manhattan, KS |
| Jan 20, 2018 1:00 pm, ESPN | No. 4 | at Oklahoma State Bedlam Series | L 81–83 $^{OT}$ | 14–4 (4–3) | 48 – Young | 11 – Tied | 8 – Young | Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611) Stillwater, OK |
| Jan 23, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 12 | No. 5 Kansas | W 85–80 | 15–4 (5–3) | 26 – Young | 7 – Tied | 9 – Young | Lloyd Noble Center (11,886) Norman, OK |
| Jan 27, 2018* 2:15 pm, ESPN | No. 12 | at Alabama Big 12/SEC Challenge | L 73–80 | 15–5 | 18 – Lattin | 9 – Manek | 8 – Young | Coleman Coliseum (15,383) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Jan 30, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 12 | Baylor | W 98–96 | 16–5 (6–3) | 44 – Young | 12 – Lattin | 9 – Young | Lloyd Noble Center (10,574) Norman, OK |
| Feb 3, 2018 5:15 pm, ESPN | No. 12 | at Texas College Gameday | L 74–79 | 16–6 (6–4) | 19 – Young | 7 – Tied | 14 – Young | Frank Erwin Center (15,533) Austin, TX |
| Feb 5, 2018 9:00 pm, ESPN | No. 17 | No. 19 West Virginia | L 73–75 | 16–7 (6–5) | 32 – Young | 13 – Lattin | 2 – Tied | Lloyd Noble Center (10,650) Norman, OK |
| Feb 10, 2018 1:00 pm, ESPN | No. 17 | at Iowa State | L 80–88 | 16–8 (6–6) | 22 – Tied | 9 – James | 11 – Young | Hilton Coliseum (14,384) Ames, IA |
| Feb 13, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPN | No. 23 | at No. 7 Texas Tech | L 78–88 | 16–9 (6–7) | 23 – James | 9 – McNeace | 7 – Young | United Supermarkets Arena (15,098) Lubbock, TX |
| Feb 17, 2018 11:00 am, ESPN | No. 23 | Texas | L 66–77 | 16–10 (6–8) | 26 – Young | 8 – McNeace | 7 – Young | Lloyd Noble Center (11,645) Norman, OK |
| Feb 19, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPN | | at No. 8 Kansas | L 74–104 | 16–11 (6–9) | 22 – McGusty | 4 – Doolittle | 9 – Young | Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS |
| Feb 24, 2018 5:00 pm, ESPNU | | Kansas State | W 86–77 | 17–11 (7–9) | 28 – Young | 8 – McNeace | 7 – Young | Lloyd Noble Center (12,102) Norman, OK |
| Feb 27, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Baylor | L 64–87 | 17–12 (7–10) | 18 – Young | 6 – Doolittle | 5 – Young | Ferrell Center (7,334) Waco, TX |
| Mar 2, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | | Iowa State | W 81–60 | 18–12 (8–10) | 18 – McGusty | 10 – Doolittle | 6 – Young | Lloyd Noble Center (11,589) Norman, OK |
| Big 12 Tournament |||||||||
| Mar 7, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPNU | (9) | vs. (8) Oklahoma State First Round | L 60–71 | 18–13 | 22 – Young | 7 – McNeace | 5 – Young | Sprint Center (17,752) Kansas City, MO |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| Mar 15, 2018* 11:15 am, CBS | (10 MW) | vs. (7 MW) Rhode Island First Round | L 78–83 $^{OT}$ | 18–14 | 28 – Young | 12 – Doolittle | 7 – Young | PPG Paints Arena (18,757) Pittsburgh, PA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. MW=Midwest. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||
Source

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 17 | 12 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 12 | 12 | 17 | 23 | RV | | | | | Not released |
| Coaches | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 24 | 17 | 12 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 15 | 18 | 23 | RV | | | | | — |