In their first NCAA Tournament game since 2021 and their first under Porter Moser, the Sooners took on the two-time defending national champion UConn Huskies.

The first half was a brutal one for Oklahoma, with one of their worst shooting performances of the season — not just from deep, but also at the rim. The Sooners shot 7-24 (29.2%) from the field and 2-10 (20%) from beyond the arc, struggling even on layups, where they went 5-12.

Yet, remarkably, despite the poor shooting, they trailed just 32-26 at halftime. Even more surprising, no one besides Jeremiah Fears, who poured in 11 first-half points, scored more than three points.

The second half started with similar shooting struggles, but Oklahoma kept fighting. They mounted a 13-5 run to cut the lead to just one point with 9:54 remaining. From there, it was a back-and-forth battle.

Mohamed Wague gave the Sooners their first lead of the night with 9:03 left, but by the 5-minute mark, the game was tied at 54. UConn’s Alex Karaban delivered a crucial blow, drilling a three-pointer with 3:22 remaining to put the Huskies up 60-56.

UConn continued to hit big shots down the stretch and led 64-59 with 1:19 to play. Ultimately, the Sooners couldn’t find enough offense in the final minute, falling 67-59 and bringing their season to a close.

Here’s a look at the Report Card from the loss:

Leading up to the game, one of the biggest keys for Oklahoma was to capitalize on their strong three-point shooting against UConn’s weakness from beyond the arc. That simply didn’t happen.

The Sooners shot an abysmal 3-17 (17.6%) from three-point range, failing to gain any edge from deep. Their struggles extended across the floor, finishing just 17-53 (32.1%) from the field.

But perhaps the most glaring issue was their inability to convert layups. Oklahoma went 12-27 on layup attempts, repeatedly missing point-blank opportunities. In a game where every possession mattered, those wasted chances were costly.

In what will go down as his last game as a Sooner, Jeremiah Fears delivered a gutsy performance, finishing with 20 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals in 37 minutes. He shot 5-14 from the field, 2-3 from deep, and a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line.

For much of the night, Fears was a one-man show. Until he got Mohamed Wague going in the second half with some well-timed setups, the freshman guard received little to no help from his supporting cast. He was the reason Oklahoma stayed within striking distance and had a legitimate shot to win.

With just over two minutes left, Fears hit a desperation three-pointer to keep the Sooners alive. The problem? That ended up being his final shot attempt. Ultimately, Oklahoma failed to ensure their best player had the ball in his hands when it mattered most — a costly mistake in the closing moments.

Fears was a special player for Oklahoma this season, adding to the program’s legacy of talented guards. Like Trae Young before him, he’s projected to be a lottery pick. But also like Young, his college career ends without an NCAA Tournament win, falling to a Hurley-led team.

In the absence of Sam Godwin, the Sooners had to rely upon Wague even more, once again. He had some struggles in the first half, but for a player who commits 8 fouls per 40 minutes, he did a good job staying out of foul trouble.

In the second half, Wague broke loose, having a great three-minute stretch to starty the half. He scored 7 points in the second half alone and also grabbed eight rebounds with a block and a steal on 3-4 shooting from the field.

Wague played 28 minutes and was a key reason why Oklahoma was in it until the end. He did have some struggles in the first half, but ultimatley stepped up, scoring 9 points and grabbing 12 rebounds on 3-5 shooting from the field.

For Brycen Goodine, Duke Miles, Kobe Elvis, and Dayton Forsythe — all of whom logged over 17 minutes — it was a rough night.

Goodine managed 5 points and four steals, but his shooting woes were evident, going 0-4 from behind the arc and 1-6 overall. Miles also scored 5 points, but he struggled similarly, shooting 2-6 from the field and 0-2 from deep.

Elvis had a particularly tough outing, contributing just 2 points on 1-5 shooting while missing both of his three-point attempts. Forsythe wasn’t much different, adding only 2 points and going 0-2 from beyond the arc.

Combined, the four guards shot 0-10 from three. The only makes from deep came courtesy of Fears and Glenn Taylor. Simply put, Oklahoma’s chances of winning were slim when their shooters couldn’t find the bottom of the net.

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