Oklahoma opens its season tonight at 7:00 p.m. against the Central Michigan Chippewas. Entering Year 3 of the Porter Moser era, the Sooners face pressure to improve after missing the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons.

Here's a look at the realistic ceiling and floor for Oklahoma in the 2023-24 season, as well as predictions for postseason superlatives across the roster.

Oklahoma has all the necessary pieces to make run to the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 2020-21 season. Oklahoma’s non-conference slate presents many opportunities to win some games that will benefit them greatly in March. Notable non-conference opponents for the Sooners include Iowa, Providence, Arkansas, North Carolina, and either Seton Hall or USC.

Oklahoma needs to come away from non-conference play with no bad losses. That's been a struggle at times the last two seasons. The Big 12 will be a gauntlet, so the Sooners need any non-conference win possible.

The Sooners will likely play in a lot of close games this season, just like they did last year. Who will be the guy to get them a bucket when they need one? The three players Oklahoma will likely lean on down the stretch of games are Milos Uzan, Javian McCollum, and Jalon Moore. Those three will need to be consistent scores not only down the stretch of games but throughout the entire duration of the season.

Porter Moser wants to create defense into offense. If the Sooners can do that, they will create a lot of offense that way. However, you can't rely on that too much. The Sooners will need Uzan and McCollum to create for not only themselves but for everyone on the floor.

John Hugley will play a significant role in how much success the Sooners have this year. Oklahoma has not had a dominant big man in a long time. If Hugley can be that guy, the ceiling for this team becomes even higher.

To earn an NCAA tournament bid, the Sooners will need all their pieces to align. Uzan needs to take the next step, Hugley needs to be a reliable physical presence down low, McCollum needs to be an electric scorer, and Moore needs to live up to the hype. The Sooners can’t afford to lose seven straight conference games like last season. They will need to win at home and steal a few road games.

If Oklahoma loses four non-conference games and goes downhill in the Big 12, it will get ugly. If the Sooners can not get consistent scoring from guys like Uzan, McCollum, Hugley, and Moore, they will lose multiple games due to their lack of scoring. Those four players will play a significant role in whether the Sooners can get to the NCAA tournament. Moser will need to stick with his new fast-paced offensive scheme, and he will need to figure out his rotation early.

Depth will be vital for the Sooners. Last season, the Sooners had no depth off of the bench. Oklahoma is not going to be successful in the Big 12 with only seven reliable players. There is potential for this team to be very deep. Moser needs to figure out where his depth is early.

Last season, Oklahoma lost seven games by five points or less. They've got to figure out who they can count on to get them a stop or a bucket. They have to be able to avoid losing streaks, which they were unable to do last season.

Most valuable player: Milos Uzan

Breakout player of the year: Jalon Moore

X-Factor: John Hugley

Offensive player of the year: Javian McCollum

Defensive player of the year: Le'Tre Darthard

Points per game leader: Javian McCollum

Assists per game leader: Milos Uzan

Rebounding leader: Jalon Moore

Steals leader: Javian McCollum

Record prediction: 21-10

Not an OUInsider.com premium member? Sign up today to get loads of inside information on Oklahoma football, basketball and recruiting, all for just a few dollars a month. Click HERE to get started!