On Tuesday night, the Sooners faced No. 1 Auburn, led by Wooden Award favorite Johni Broome, at Neville Arena. It was the toughest of tasks for Oklahoma, and unfortunately for them, they weren’t able to pull off the upset, falling 98-70 and dropping to 16-6 (3-6) on the season.

At halftime, the Sooners remained within striking distance, trailing just 44-34. Jalon Moore (8 points), Jeremiah Fears (8 points), and Luke Northweather — who knocked down two three-pointers — led the way for Oklahoma. Additionally, the Sooners were nearly even on the boards, getting out-rebounded just 18-17.

With 12:16 left to play, Auburn had already extended its lead to 65-47. From there, it was all Tigers, as they ran away with a dominant victory. Auburn was led by Broome and Chad Baker-Mazara, who both finished with 15 points, while Denver Jones and Chaney Johnson chipped in 13 apiece.

This loss, given that it came on the road against the No. 1 team in the country, doesn’t hurt Oklahoma much at all. Now, let’s take a look at the Report Card from the loss.

Starting with Moore, who came out aggressive, he finished with 11 points on 5-12 shooting from the field in 33 minutes. After scoring eight points in the first half, he wasn’t able to get much going in the second, adding just three more.

Fears finished with 10 points, three assists, and five turnovers on 1-8 shooting from the field, 1-3 from beyond the arc, and 7-7 from the free-throw line. He started the game well, but couldn’t sustain that success — much like Oklahoma as a whole. Auburn’s defense completely shut the Sooners down in the second half.

Brycen Goodine didn’t get a three-point attempt until the 11:52 mark of the second half. Granted, he had two first-half fouls, but Oklahoma simply has to get Goodine — who leads the SEC in three-point percentage — a look earlier. He finished with five points and five rebounds on 1-3 shooting from the field and 1-1 from deep.

Alabama native Duke Miles quickly recorded five points before the first media timeout but didn’t do much after that. He finished with seven points on a perfect 3-3 shooting from the field and 1-1 from three.

Sam Godwin, who picked up his fourth foul with 19:11 left to play, managed just two points in a season-low 10 minutes. It wasn’t just the foul trouble — Oklahoma was opting for other options off the bench.

Northweather gave the Sooners some good minutes in this game. In the first half, he helped keep Oklahoma within striking distance with two three-pointers and four rebounds. He finished with 6 points and six rebounds on 2-7 shooting from the field and 2-6 from deep.

The team’s leading scorer, Dayton Forsythe, came off the bench, finishing with 13 points despite going just 1-8 from the field and 0-3 from beyond the arc. He made up for it at the free-throw line, where he was a perfect 11-11.

Kobe Elvis also reached double figures, scoring 10 points — all in the second half — on 2-5 shooting from the field and 1-4 from three in just 13 minutes.

Mohamed Wague added four points and three rebounds on 1-1 shooting from the field in 12 minutes. Glenn Taylor, meanwhile, went scoreless, finishing with zero points on 0-3 shooting in 18 minutes.

Overall, the bench saw Northweather play 20 minutes and outplay both Godwin and Wague, Forsythe lead the team in scoring, and Elvis contribute in double figures.

Oklahoma held its own on the glass in the first half, getting out-rebounded by just a slim 18-17 margin. Northweather contributed nicely off the bench with four rebounds in the opening period. However, the second half told a different story, as Auburn controlled the boards with a 20-11 advantage.

Given the Tigers’ reputation as a strong rebounding team, paired with Oklahoma’s previous struggles in this area, the final margin of 38-28 in Auburn’s favor wasn’t as lopsided as one might have expected. The real issue was second-chance opportunities, where Auburn made the most of its extra possessions, outscoring Oklahoma 16-8 in second-chance points.

It’s tough to keep pace with Auburn when you turn the ball over 15 times — especially when those turnovers lead to 22 points the other way. Five of those giveaways came from Fears, who struggled to handle the Tigers’ defensive pressure.

To be fair, Auburn is the No. 1 team in the country at forcing steals, so Oklahoma’s turnover struggles weren’t entirely unexpected. Still, against a team of this caliber, you simply can’t afford that many mistakes and expect to stay in the game.

The Sooners entered this game riding a hot streak from beyond the arc, having shot 55% from deep in their win over Vanderbilt. But none of that momentum carried over against Auburn, as Oklahoma managed just seven three-pointers on 7-23 shooting (30.4%).

Their top sharpshooter, Goodine, saw only one attempt from deep, and outside of Northweather, no Sooner hit more than one triple. Oklahoma has proven capable of using the three-ball as a weapon — whether to bury an opponent (see Vanderbilt) or keep a tough road game competitive (see Texas A&M).

Unfortunately, this just wasn’t their night. You’re not going to beat Auburn on the road shooting 30% from three, it’s as simple as that.

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