The 28.5-point favorite couldn’t get the job done. Porter Moser’s retooled Oklahoma roster missed 15 free throws, surrendered control of the game, and watched East Texas A&M leave Lloyd Noble Center with a stunning 68-64 victory.
Oklahoma couldn’t have scripted a much worse start to the 2026-27 basketball season.
The Sooners opened the season Monday night at Lloyd Noble Center with a roster Porter Moser had described as the most talented of his six seasons in Norman. They were expected to take care of business against an East Texas A&M team coming off an 11-21 campaign. Instead, they delivered one of the most embarrassing home losses in recent program history.
East Texas A&M walked out of Norman with its first ever win over a power conference opponent, stunning an Oklahoma team that entered the night as a 28.5-point favorite, the second-largest DI upset of the past 30 years.
And this wasn’t a case of an underdog catching an otherwise dominant team on an unlucky shooting night. Oklahoma had opportunities to take control, opportunities to close the gap, and ultimately an opportunity to force overtime or steal a victory in the final seconds.
The Sooners failed to capitalize on nearly all of them.
For a program trying to establish itself as an NCAA Tournament contender, this is an unacceptable opening-night result. The questions surrounding Moser and his roster aren’t going away after Monday night. If anything, they just became considerably louder.
A disastrous finish at Lloyd Noble Center
The final minute offered Oklahoma one last opportunity to escape with a victory it had done very little to earn.
With the Sooners trailing 66-60, Pop Isaacs helped spark a late rally. After converting a three-point play, Isaacs pulled Oklahoma within two points, 66-64, with 25 seconds remaining.
The Sooners got another break when East Texas A&M’s Thomas Duchamp missed the front end of a one-and-one opportunity.
Oklahoma had the ball, the opportunity, and a chance to complete an improbable comeback.
Tyler Hendricks missed a three-pointer with 12 seconds remaining, but Derrion Reid grabbed the offensive rebound and immediately went back up for a potential game-tying basket.
The attempt wouldn’t fall.
Reid’s tip-in attempt rolled off the rim with six seconds remaining, and the Lions secured the rebound. Bo Aldridge subsequently converted two free throws to extend the lead to four, and Dayton Forsythe’s final three-point attempt missed with one second remaining.
That was it.
The final buzzer sounded, and East Texas A&M had its historic victory.
There was no miraculous finish for Oklahoma. Just another missed opportunity in a night filled with them.
The numbers tell an ugly story
The final score is embarrassing enough. The box score makes it worse.
Oklahoma had three glaring problems that ultimately proved impossible to overcome.
1. The free-throw line was a complete disaster.
The Sooners finished 17-of-32 from the free-throw line.
That’s 53.1%.
Missing 15 free throws in a four-point loss is almost impossible to overcome. Oklahoma left points on the floor throughout the night, and those missed opportunities became increasingly costly as the game tightened.
This wasn’t simply an issue of a couple of players having an off night. It’s an area of fundamental execution that a veteran team cannot afford to neglect.
2. Oklahoma couldn’t find an answer from the perimeter.
East Texas A&M connected on 11 of its 27 attempts from beyond the arc, shooting 40.7%.
Oklahoma, meanwhile, managed just five makes on 20 attempts.
That’s a 15-point difference in three-point production.
The Lions also received a tremendous performance from Bo Aldridge, who finished with 22 points, three rebounds, and five assists. He consistently found ways to attack the Oklahoma defense, and the Sooners struggled to contain him.
3. The offense never established consistent rhythm.
Oklahoma shot 40.4% from the field and finished with only 12 assists.
The Sooners committed 15 turnovers, while East Texas A&M forced Oklahoma into difficult possessions and made the home team work for nearly everything it got.
The absence of Xzayvier Brown, who was unavailable because of a bruised knee, added another complication to the backcourt rotation. Junior Dayton Forsythe was pushed into a larger role, and the Sooners lacked the offensive organization they needed.
The bigger problem, however, was that Oklahoma never found a reliable offensive identity.
The few bright spots
There weren’t many individual performances worth celebrating, but Pop Isaacs and Derrion Reid at least provided some production.
| Player | Production |
|---|---|
| Pop Isaacs | 15 points, 3 assists |
| Derrion Reid | 14 points, 10 rebounds |
Isaacs led Oklahoma in scoring and helped give the Sooners a chance late. Reid finished with a double-double and made several important contributions on the glass, including the offensive rebound that nearly set up a game-tying basket.
Those performances weren’t enough to overcome the collective breakdown.
The historical implications
The loss carries consequences beyond the opening-night record.
Oklahoma entered the season having won 22 of its previous 23 season openers. The defeat also ended a 30-game nonconference home winning streak at Lloyd Noble Center.
Perhaps most concerning for Moser is the connection to his tenure. Both of Oklahoma’s opening-night losses in the last 24 years have come under his leadership.
That’s not the kind of history a sixth-year head coach wants attached to his program.
Moser entered this season with considerable expectations. Oklahoma had invested heavily in rebuilding the roster, bringing in experienced transfers and returning important contributors. The goal was to build on last season’s late improvement and establish a team capable of competing in the SEC and returning to the NCAA Tournament.
One game doesn’t determine an entire season, but this was a particularly damaging way to begin one.
Moser has some immediate questions to answer
The most important response now belongs to Porter Moser.
The Sooners were supposed to be more experienced. They were supposed to have more offensive weapons. They were supposed to be better equipped to handle adversity.
Instead, they struggled with basic execution, couldn’t consistently defend the perimeter, and missed nearly half their free throws.
Moser also has to address the team’s preparation and composure. East Texas A&M deserves credit for coming into Norman and playing well enough to win, but Oklahoma made the upset possible.
The bottom line
Oklahoma has less than 96 hours to respond.
Mississippi Valley State comes to Norman on Friday night, giving the Sooners an opportunity to get their first victory and begin repairing some of the damage from Monday’s embarrassment.
But beating Mississippi Valley State won’t erase what happened against East Texas A&M.
The Sooners need to demonstrate that they understand why this happened. They need to become more disciplined, more connected defensively, and considerably more reliable at the free-throw line.
Most importantly, they need to play with the urgency expected of a program that believes it belongs in the NCAA Tournament conversation.
Moser called this his most talented roster on paper. Monday night demonstrated that talent on paper doesn’t guarantee anything once the ball goes up.
And after an opening-night loss like this, Oklahoma has already given itself a significant amount of ground to make up.
The season is only one game old. The pressure, however, has arrived immediately.