1997–98 Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team

The 1997–98 Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team represented the University of Oklahoma in competitive college basketball during the 1997–98 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team played its home games in the Lloyd Noble Center and was a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Big 12 Conference.

1997–98 Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball
NCAA tournament, First round
ConferenceBig 12 Conference
Record22–11 (11–5 Big 12)
Head coach
Home arenaLloyd Noble Center (Capacity: 10,871)
Seasons
1997–98 Big 12 men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 2 Kansas 15 1   .938 35 4   .897
Oklahoma State 11 5   .688 22 7   .759
Oklahoma 11 5   .688 22 11   .667
Nebraska 10 6   .625 20 12   .625
Baylor 8 8   .500 14 14   .500
Missouri 8 8   .500 17 15   .531
Texas Tech 7 9   .438 13 14   .481
Kansas State 7 9   .438 17 12   .586
Colorado 7 9   .438 13 14   .481
Texas 6 10   .375 14 17   .452
Iowa State 5 11   .313 12 18   .400
Texas A&M 1 15   .063 7 20   .259
1998 Big 12 Tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll [1]

The team posted a 22–11 overall record (11–5 Big 12). The Sooners received a bid to the 1998 NCAA tournament as No. 10 seed in the East region. The Sooners lost to No. 7 seed Stanford, 94–87 in OT, in the opening round.[2]

Roster

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1997–98 Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown
G 21 Eduardo Nájera 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) So
G 24 Ryan Humphrey 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Fr Booker T. Washington Tulsa, Oklahoma
G 31 Corey Brewer 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr West Memphis, Arkansas
C 32 Evan Wiley 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Sr  
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

[3]

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 15, 1997*
No. 20 Jackson State W 75–62  1–0
Lloyd Noble Center 
Norman, Oklahoma
November 18, 1997*
No. 19 UT Arlington W 81–63  2–0
Lloyd Noble Center 
Norman, Oklahoma
November 22, 1997*
No. 19 Southwest Texas State W 81–68  3–0
Lloyd Noble Center 
Norman, Oklahoma
November 28, 1997*
No. 18 vs. Butler L 63–73  3–1
Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium 
Hilo, Hawaii
November 29, 1997*
No. 18 vs. Wisconsin L 64–75  3–2
Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium 
Hilo, Hawaii
November 30, 1997*
No. 18 at Hawaii–Hilo W 86–70  4–2
Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium 
Hilo, Hawaii
December 4, 1997*
Arkansas-Pine Bluff W 82–51  5–2
Lloyd Noble Center 
Norman, Oklahoma
December 6, 1997*
at Mississippi State L 65–67 OT 5–3
Humphrey Coliseum 
Starkville, Mississippi
December 13, 1997*
Memphis L 78–80  5–4
Lloyd Noble Center 
Norman, Oklahoma
December 20, 1997*
Florida Atlantic W 91–65  6–4
Lloyd Noble Center 
Norman, Oklahoma
December 22, 1997*
North Texas W 95–72  7–4
Lloyd Noble Center 
Norman, Oklahoma
December 27, 1997*
vs. Coppin State
All-College Basketball Classic
W 83–72  8–4
The Myriad 
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
December 28, 1997*
vs. Alabama
All-College Basketball Classic
W 79–61  9–4
The Myriad 
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Big 12 Regular Season
January 3, 1998
at Colorado W 69–68  10–4
(1–0)
Coors Events Center 
Boulder, Colorado
January 7, 1998
Kansas State W 71–64  11–4
(2–0)
Lloyd Noble Center 
Norman, Oklahoma
January 10, 1998
at Texas A&M W 76–66  12–4
(3–0)
Reed Arena 
College Station, Texas
January 12, 1998
Texas W 91–75  13–4
(4–0)
Lloyd Noble Center 
Norman, Oklahoma
January 18, 1998
at Nebraska L 43–53  13–5
(4–1)
Bob Devaney Sports Center 
Lincoln, Nebraska
January 21, 1998
Iowa State W 64–63  14–5
(5–1)
Lloyd Noble Center 
Norman, Oklahoma
January 24, 1998
at Baylor W 61–60  15–5
(6–1)
Ferrell Center 
Waco, Texas
January 26, 1998
Oklahoma State
Bedlam Series
L 84–88  15–6
(6–2)
Lloyd Noble Center 
Norman, Oklahoma
January 31, 1998
Texas A&M W 80–71  16–6
(7–2)
Lloyd Noble Center 
Norman, Oklahoma
February 4, 1998
Texas Tech L 68–70  16–7
(7–3)
Lloyd Noble Center 
Norman, Oklahoma
February 8, 1998
at Texas W 81–74  17–7
(8–3)
Frank Erwin Center 
Austin, Texas
February 14, 1998
at Oklahoma State
Bedlam Series
L 66–70  17–8
(8–4)
Gallagher-Iba Arena 
Stillwater, Oklahoma
February 18, 1998
Baylor W 75–63  18–8
(9–4)
Lloyd Noble Center 
Norman, Oklahoma
February 21, 1998
Missouri W 80–76  19–8
(10–4)
Lloyd Noble Center 
Norman, Oklahoma
February 23, 1998
at No. 4 Kansas L 70–83  19–9
(10–5)
Allen Fieldhouse 
Lawrence, Kansas
February 28, 1998
at Texas Tech W 89–56  20–9
(11–5)
Lubbock Municipal Coliseum 
Lubbock, Texas
Big 12 Tournament
March 6, 1998*
(3) vs. (6) Missouri
Quarterfinals
W 58–53  21–9
Kemper Arena 
Kansas City, Missouri
March 7, 1998*
(3) vs. (10) Texas
Semifinals
W 68–55  22–9
Kemper Arena 
Kansas City, Missouri
March 8, 1998*
(3) vs. (1) No. 3 Kansas
Championship game
L 58–72  22–10
Kemper Arena 
Kansas City, Missouri
NCAA Tournament
March 12, 1998*
(10 E) vs. (7 E) Indiana
First round
L 87–94 OT 22–11
MCI Center 
Washington, D.C.
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time. (#) during NCAA Tournament is seed within region E=East.

[4]

Rankings

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[5]

References

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  1. ^ 2019-20 Big 12 Men's Basketball Record Book (PDF). Big 12 Conference. pp. 26–30. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  2. ^ "Indiana Narrowly Avoids Oklahoma Upset". The New York Times. March 13, 1998. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  3. ^ "1997-98 Oklahoma Sooners Roster and Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  4. ^ "2019-20 Oklahoma Men's Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). University of Oklahoma Athletics. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  5. ^ *ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House. 2009. pp. 1064–1065. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.