With Oklahoma's 2024-25 season kicking off on November 4th, I’ve answered your questions on Jeremiah Fears, the potential starting five, realistic expectations for Oklahoma's first SEC season, what happens if they miss the tournament, and much more.

--Is Jeremiah Fears gonna be a factor this year??

The short answer? Absolutely. Jeremiah Fears has been stellar in practice so far, to the point where many have regarded him as the best player on the court. He can shoot it from range, and while he’s certainly capable of heating up from deep, what really sets him apart is his ability to impact the game even if he’s having an off night.

Now, some might think it’ll take time for him to fully acclimate, given that he’s just 17 until October 14th. But honestly, put the age aside. Fears has already shown enough for everyone I’ve talked to to pencil him into their starting five. He’s different—different from Javian McCollum, Milos Uzan, Grant Sherfield, Jordan Goldwire, or any guard Oklahoma has had in the Porter Moser era.

So yeah, he’s going to be a big factor. I’d expect him to be the guy the Sooners go to late in the shot clock, much like how McCollum was in key moments last season.

--IYO who starts at PG and what is the biggest strength of this team?

Jeremiah Fears. My previous answer should make that pretty clear.

As for the biggest strength of this team? The overall experience. The transfers they’ve brought in have logged a ton of minutes—this is an old team. But if I’m giving you a strength other than experience, I’d go with shooting. Brycen Goodine has been compared to Umoja Gibson as one of the best shooters in Moser’s tenure at Oklahoma. And then there’s Jadon Jones, who’s been going nuclear in practice.

Those two are knockdown shooters, no question. Add in Kobe Elvis, Duke Miles, Jeremiah Fears, and a few others who can also hit from deep. Fears and Elvis, in particular, have shown they can get hot from behind the arc.

--If you had to blindly guess the starting five right now… who ya got?

Jeremiah Fears, Kobe Elvis, Brycen Goodine, Jalon Moore, and Sam Godwin. That seems to be the consensus starting five among the people I’ve talked to. I’d say Fears, Moore, and Godwin are pretty much locked in. Elvis has been one of the best players in practice, so I’m confident he’ll start. As for Goodine, I’d expect him to get the nod as well.

Now, Duke Miles has been mentioned as a potential starter by a few, but if he’s battling with Elvis, I’d lean toward Elvis—especially with Miles currently banged up. That said, I’d still expect Duke to get starter minutes. Jadon Jones has been one of the best five players in practice so far, but I’d expect Moser to bring him off the bench as a spark, playing starter minutes like Miles.

--It really seems like OU will be picked somewhere between 12-15 in the pre-season SEC rankings. How hopeful should we be about them breaking into the top 10? It really looks like the SEC could be a 10-team tournament conference.

I see two tiers in the SEC. Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, Texas, Texas A&M, Tennessee, and Ole Miss make up the first tier. In the second tier, I’d go with Georgia, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Vanderbilt. I imagine many will pick Mississippi State, Missouri, and South Carolina over Oklahoma, but I’d argue that Oklahoma sits atop that second tier. If they can stay healthy, I certainly think this team could find itself in the top 10 of the conference.

–How do things change from the Big 12 to the SEC? Is Porter out if they don’t make the NCAA Tournament?

The SEC is not the gauntlet that the Big 12 is, but it’s still a solid basketball conference. That said, it’ll be easier than the Big 12. The Porter Moser question is really interesting, because I think there’s a strong chance he lands at least one more top 150 recruit in the 2025 class. I know a lot of fans have been clamoring for him to be gone—even though he’s gotten incredibly unlucky in 2 out of the 3 years he’s been at OU—and if the Sooners don’t make the tourney, that noise will get louder.

But if you want my opinion on what I would do if I were Joe Castiglione? I’d retain Moser. He’s been recruiting out of his mind, and as long as this team is super competitive (which, personally, I believe they have a strong chance to make the tourney), I think you keep him and see what he can do with the extra NIL resources they’re working with now.

–How can OU be good again when good players hit the portal after each season? Seems like a feeder team for other programs.

The same reason other schools can thrive when players hit the portal. Look, I completely get it—it sucks to learn an almost completely new team four years in a row. Personally, I’d love a slow portal season where just one or two players leave and a few transfers are added. But the reality is, all teams are dealing with this.

I don’t think you’ll see a large number of transfers out this year, because only 6-7 players will be back in the first place. And I’ll say this: last year’s team had some serious issues. This year’s team has much better roster construction. Does that mean they’ll be a better team? Not necessarily, but the roster construction is definitely improved.

–Any REAL evidence the offensive scheme is going to change from the stand-around slog it's been, regardless of roster turnover? Because if I see us walk the ball down, behind by 10+, with under 5:00 to go, and waste 20+ seconds of shot clock again…

Playing fast has been a big emphasis in practice so far for the Sooners. I’d expect Jeremiah Fears and Kobe Elvis to push the pace whenever they can. Overall, I think this team will play much faster than Moser’s teams have in the past. But if you’re hoping for a change in the offensive scheme, I wouldn’t count on it.

Oklahoma runs a lot of ball screens, which is great for guards like Elvis and Duke Miles, who thrive in those situations. Don’t get me wrong—Fears is also great in those spots, but I’m confident he could put the ball on the deck and create a look for himself; I’d need to see that more from Elvis or Miles. So, expect them to play much faster in transition, but you’ll still see a lot of ball screens and half-court sets—this team will need them.

–Will this team give us any hope throughout the season or is it a repeat of the last few years?

You didn’t get any hope when Oklahoma was ranked in the top 10 last season? In all seriousness, I do expect this team to give you more hope than the last few years. I don’t think they’ll go undefeated in non-conference play, but I expect them to spark plenty of hope during it.

And I know, I know—teams in the past have done the same thing, only to fizzle out when conference play began. But I think Jeremiah Fears is the difference this season. I’m expecting 1-3 losses in non-conference play, but Fears will flash and give everyone something to look forward to as we head into conference action.

Once in the SEC, I think this team will pull off some big wins. I also expect them to perform much better in big games than previous teams have. We’ve all felt hopeful going into conference play before, but I believe this is the team that will keep that hope alive come February.

–What do you think will be the toughest stretch of the Sooners’ schedule for the upcoming season?

The last four games: vs Kentucky, at Ole Miss, vs Missouri, and at Texas. Oklahoma has faced tougher stretches in previous seasons, but this one will still be a challenge.

–What game will be a big obstacle to win at?

I’ll say at Alabama. It’s the first game of conference play, and you're starting off against a team that could very well win the SEC.

A few of you asked about Kai Rogers, so if you want the latest intel on him, head over to the Lindsey Street Insider Board. I peeled back the curtain a bit in this mailbag, so just imagine how much info you can get on recruiting, practice, and upcoming secret scrimmages when the curtain is fully lifted.

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