By Adeniyi Precious 
Sooners Stumble: Turnovers Doom Oklahoma in Texas A&M Clash
The Oklahoma Sooners had a strong start against Texas A&M in their SEC home opener but couldn’t hold onto the momentum, ultimately losing 80-78. Here’s how things unfolded:
The Sooners came out swinging at Lloyd Noble Center, dominating the first half and building an 18-point lead early in the second. But Texas A&M wasn’t having it. The Aggies, ranked 10th, staged a stunning comeback led by Zhuric Phelps, who dropped 34 points—28 of them in the second half alone. His hot streak, especially from beyond the arc, was the game-changer.
Oklahoma’s Brycen Goodine had an equally impressive night, also scoring 34 points with nine three-pointers. His first-half heroics gave the Sooners a strong lead, but it wasn’t enough to fend off the Aggies’ second-half surge.
Despite missing their top scorer, Wade Taylor IV, Texas A&M capitalized on OU’s weaknesses. The Sooners coughed up the ball 18 times, leading to 30 Aggie points, and got out-rebounded again, especially on the offensive glass.
Now at 0-2 in SEC play, Oklahoma hits the road to face Georgia, hoping to avoid a repeat of last season’s mid-year collapse. While there’s still time to turn things around, the tough SEC schedule isn’t doing them any favors.
Three key takeaways from the loss:
1. Turnovers were killers
Oklahoma’s 18 turnovers were costly, particularly during A&M’s second-half rally. The Aggies scored 24 points off those turnovers in the final stretch alone.
2. Offensive rebounding struggles continue
The Sooners got pushed around on the boards again, allowing A&M to grab 17 offensive rebounds. While Oklahoma managed more second-chance points, the extra shot opportunities for A&M made a huge difference.
3. Déjà vu concerns
OU had a strong start to last season but stumbled down the stretch. With a tough SEC lineup ahead, they’ll need to find consistency to avoid a repeat performance.
The Sooners are still searching for their first SEC win, but the road ahead won’t get any easier. Stay tuned to see if they can bounce back against Georgia.