Oklahoma Sooners

About Oklahoma Basketball

Oklahoma enjoyed some early basketball success, including an appearance in the inaugural Final Four in 1939 and a trip to the national championship game, where it lost to Holy Cross, 8 years later. But it wasn’t until the arrival of coach Billy Tubbs in 1981 that the Sooners catapulted to consistent national prominence.

Tubbs won 333 games, 5 Big 8 regular-season title and made 10 NCAA Tournament appearances in his 12 seasons in Norman. His 1988 team, led by future NBA stars Stacey King, Harvey Grant and Mookie Blaylock, advanced all the way to the national championship game.

Although the Sooners’ success continued under Tubbs’ successor Kelvin Sampson, the program suffered a setback when it was put on NCAA probation following a 3-year investigation for recruiting violations. It took until the arrival of McDonald’s All-American Blake Griffin in 2007. 

With Wooden Award winner Buddy Hield leading the way, Oklahoma made its most recent Final Four appearance in 2016 under coach Lon Kruger. The program left the Big 12 to join the SEC for the 2024-25 season.