OU Basketball: Sooners to Host Georgia Tech, Javian McCollum in ACC/SEC Challenge

Oklahoma has another nonconference game on the schedule.

As OU moves to the SEC next season, many different opponents and experiences will come throughout the first few months. Along with that is a new interconference challenge, the ACC/SEC Challenge. 

Oklahoma to host Georgia Tech in ACC/SEC Challenge

The Sooners will play Georgia Tech in Lloyd Noble Center on Dec. 3, according to a report from Jon Rothstein. In addition to welcoming a power conference opponent to Norman, Javian McCollum will be making his return.

Last season, McCollum led the Sooners in scoring with 13.3 points, 3.4 assists and 2.6 rebounds. 

Matchups in the challenge are set for Dec. 3 and 4, offering an early nonconference between schools in the realigned leagues. With the ACC having two more members than the SEC, new members Stanford and SMU will not participate.

Oklahoma head coach Porter Moser yells to players in the first half during an NCAA basketball game between University of Oklahoma (OU) and Brigham Young University (BYU) at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024.

The Sooners are 2-2 all-time against the Yellow Jackets, with the most recent meeting coming in 1995. 

Had the Sooners made a move to the SEC a couple of years earlier, they could have matched up with a former conference foe in the Big 12-SEC Challenge, which ended after its 2023 installment. 

Sooners building a strong nonconference schedule

Although the Sooners will not face any Big 12 teams as part of a Big 12-SEC Challenge, they are expected to match up with an in-state rival. Oklahoma State coach Steve Lutz announced that Bedlam is expected to continue next season in Oklahoma City.

With a mid-December matchup at the Paycom Center, OU and OSU will meet for the first time since the thrilling matchup in Stillwater last season, which ended with McCollum’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer to win in overtime.

However, without McCollum and several other players from last season’s team, OU coach Porter Moser could face an uphill battle to return to the NCAA Tournament. Since arriving in Norman, Moser has yet to make the NCAA Tournament despite being ranked as high as No. 7 early last season. 

With Lon Kruger at the helm, the Sooners made the tournament in seven of his last nine seasons. However, with the transfer portal and NIL becoming a larger factor throughout Moser’s tenure, year-to-year consistency has become almost impossible.

READ MORE: Sooners Wide Receiver Lands on 2024 All-Transfer Portal Team

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