The Oklahoma Sooners don’t have the luxury of dwelling on Monday night’s disaster.
After suffering a stunning 68-64 loss to East Texas A&M as a nearly 30-point favorite, Porter Moser’s team is back in action Friday night looking to avoid an 0-2 start to the 2026-27 season.
The opponent is Mississippi Valley State, a program coming off a difficult 3-30 campaign. On paper, this is precisely the kind of matchup Oklahoma needs to get its season moving in the right direction.
But after what happened against East Texas A&M, nobody in Norman should be taking anything for granted.
The Sooners will host the Delta Devils at McCasland Field House rather than their usual home floor at Lloyd Noble Center. The change of scenery offers an opportunity for a fresh start, but the expectations remain the same: Oklahoma needs to look like a significantly better basketball team than the one that opened the season Monday.
And there are some very specific areas where that improvement needs to show up.
Game-Day Information
Mississippi Valley State at Oklahoma
Game 2
DATE: Friday, November 6
TIP-OFF: 7:00 PM CT
LOCATION: McCasland Field House
BROADCAST: SEC Network+
OPENING SPREAD: Oklahoma -41.5
OVER/UNDER: 148.5
Scouting Mississippi Valley State: A New Era Under Mike Davis
Mississippi Valley State enters Friday night’s matchup looking to begin a new chapter under head coach Mike Davis.
The Delta Devils finished 3-30 last season and are coming off a difficult stretch in which the program hasn’t won more than five games in a season since 2018-19. Davis brings considerable experience to the job, including four NCAA Tournament appearances during his tenure at Texas Southern.
This is a program in rebuilding mode, but that doesn’t mean Oklahoma can afford to overlook it.
Mississippi Valley State’s roster features several experienced players, including junior point guard Eli Pippins, junior guard AJ Abrams, and senior forwards Chance Sutton and Tymias Williams.
Pippins is particularly interesting because of the importance of the point guard position in this matchup. Oklahoma struggled to organize its defensive rotations against East Texas A&M, and the Sooners need to demonstrate that they can contain opposing guards without sacrificing their help-side responsibilities.
There is also an interesting scheduling challenge for Davis. Mississippi Valley State begins its season with 16 consecutive road games, including four against ranked opponents. Friday’s matchup is the first step in an extraordinarily demanding schedule.
The coaching matchup is worth watching, too. Davis has coached at Indiana, Texas Southern and Detroit Mercy. His experience gives the Delta Devils a veteran voice as they begin rebuilding the program.
The Blueprint: Three Keys to Redemption
The opponent matters, but Oklahoma’s performance matters considerably more.
Friday night should be about correcting the mistakes that cost the Sooners their season opener. Here are three specific areas that need to improve.
1. Get the Backcourt Organized: The Xzayvier Brown Factor
Brown’s availability is one of the biggest storylines heading into Friday night after missing the opener with a lower-body injury.
Oklahoma’s offensive operation never looked particularly comfortable against East Texas A&M.
Without Brown, the Sooners lost an experienced playmaker who averaged 15.4 points per game last season and led the team in assists. His absence put additional responsibility on Dayton Forsythe and the rest of the backcourt.
Brown’s potential return would provide an immediate boost, but Moser needs more than one player back to fix the offense.
The Sooners need to establish better ball movement, improve their spacing, and create opportunities before the defense has time to get organized.
What I’m watching: Oklahoma’s use of the high ball screen. Brown should be given opportunities to initiate the offense, attack the defense, and create open looks for teammates. If he remains unavailable, expect more emphasis on off-ball movement and getting Pop Isaacs involved without requiring him to create every possession himself.
2. Reestablish Physicality and Finish at the Free-Throw Line
Oklahoma cannot afford another 17-of-32 performance at the charity stripe.
That’s 53.1%, and it’s the kind of fundamental breakdown that turns a manageable game into an unnecessary battle.
The Sooners need to attack the basket with purpose rather than settling for contested jump shots.
Derrion Reid needs to remain aggressive around the rim, while Duke Brennan should be an important part of establishing an interior presence.
This is also an opportunity for Oklahoma’s frontcourt to establish some confidence. Getting easy baskets around the rim, drawing contact, and forcing Mississippi Valley State to defend without fouling would be a positive step.
What I’m watching: Oklahoma’s first five minutes offensively. Does Moser establish an inside presence early? Does the team attack the basket instead of settling? And can the Sooners turn their physical advantages into points at the free-throw line?
A 40-point betting spread doesn’t change the importance of fundamental execution.
3. Repair the Perimeter Defense and Communication
East Texas A&M shot 40.7% from three-point range in Monday’s upset.
That cannot happen again.
The biggest concern wasn’t simply that the Lions made shots. It was how often Oklahoma’s defensive rotations left shooters with opportunities to get comfortable.
The Sooners need to improve their communication, especially when defending penetration and rotating toward weak-side shooters.
B.J. Edwards and Khani Rooths are two players worth monitoring in this regard. Their ability to stay connected defensively, communicate through screens, and avoid unnecessary breakdowns will be important.
What I’m watching: Defensive discipline. Oklahoma doesn’t need to gamble for steals or overcomplicate its defensive assignments. It needs to keep the ball in front, protect the paint, and close out under control.
Mississippi Valley State may not have the offensive firepower of a high-major opponent, but Oklahoma needs to demonstrate that the defensive mistakes from Monday have been addressed.
What a Successful Night Looks Like
The Sooners don’t necessarily need to win by 40 points to accomplish what they need Friday night.
They need to show progress.
Here are the benchmarks I’d like to see:
- Free throws: Get back above 70% from the line.
- Turnovers: Take care of the basketball and keep the number in single digits.
- Three-point defense: Make opposing shooters work for every attempt.
- Ball movement: Generate better looks through assists and purposeful movement.
- Interior offense: Establish Brennan and Reid around the basket.
- Backcourt leadership: Get Brown involved if healthy and establish consistent offensive organization.
These aren’t arbitrary statistical targets. They’re the areas that directly contributed to Monday’s loss.
The Bottom Line: Oklahoma Needs More Than a Win
There’s no disguising the importance of Friday night’s game.
Oklahoma is expected to win comfortably. The Sooners are playing at home against a program that went 3-30 last season, and the betting market reflects an enormous talent gap.
But the real evaluation isn’t going to be the final margin.
It’s going to be how Oklahoma responds.
Does the offense look more organized? Does the defense communicate? Does the team take care of the basketball? Can the Sooners demonstrate the toughness and discipline that were missing against East Texas A&M?
Those are the questions Porter Moser needs answered.
Mississippi Valley State represents an opportunity to get back on track before the schedule becomes more challenging. Oklahoma cannot afford to waste it.
The Sooners don’t need to prove they’re a 40-point-better team Friday night.
They need to prove Monday night wasn’t who they are.
And that starts with how they respond when the ball goes up at McCasland Field House.