Year 2 of Porter Moser has the Oklahoma Sooners in line for an explosive season.
CBB Review is once again ranking the top 100 teams heading into the 2022-23 season. Each day we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Coming in ranked number 40 are the Oklahoma Sooners.
Last season, the Oklahoma Sooners barely missed the NCAA Tournament, winning 19 games and making the NIT Second Round. This season, the return of the Groves brothers and the big time portal addition of Grant Sherfield has the Sooners in a position to be serious threats in the Big 12.
To those who have not, click here to learn more about our preseason top 100 teams heading into the 2022-23 college basketball season.
Head Coach: Porter Moser (2nd Season with Team)
2021-2022 Record: 19-16 (7-11)
2022 Postseason Finish: NIT Second Round Exit
Notable Departures: Umoja Gibson (DePaul), Jordan Goldwire (Graduated), E.J Harkless (UNLV)
Projected Rotation
PG: Grant Sherfield (6’2, 201, Sr.)
2021-2022 stats: 19.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 0.6 steals, 43.5 FG%, 87.1 FT% (Nevada)
SG: Joe Bamisile (6’4, 194, Jr.)
2021-2022 stats: 16.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.2 steals, 1 block, 45.8 FG%, (George Washington)
SF: Otega Oweh (6’5, 210, Fr.)
247Sports Composite #67 overall rated recruit
PF: Jalen Hill (6’6, 232, Sr.)
2021-2022 stats: 9.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.4 blocks, 57.9 FG%, 75.7 FT%
C: Tanner Groves (6’10, 240, Sr.)
2021-2022 stats: 11.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 53.2 FG%, 38.1 3P%, 72.9 FT%
6: C.J Noland (6’2, 229, So.)
2021-2022 stats: 3.9 points, 1.5 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.7 steals, 53.6 FG%, 43.6 3P%
7: Jacob Groves (6’9, 216, Sr.)
2021-2022 stats: 4.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 43.2 FG%, 30.7 3P%, 60.9 FT%
8: Milos Uzan (6’4, 183, Fr.)
247Sports Composite #71 overall rated recruit
9: Bijan Cortes (6’3, 194, So.)
2021-22 stats: 2 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.4 steals, 53.3 FG%, 90 FT%
10: Sam Godwin (6’10, 226, Jr.)
2021-22 stats: 6.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.4 steals, 62.1 FG%, 68.6 FT% (Wofford)
Team MVP: Grant Sherfield
#BoomerSooner pic.twitter.com/ZDhGBwh4OZ
— Grant Sherfield (@gsherfield5) May 25, 2022
What Sherfield did last season should really be talked about more. He finished 42nd in the whole country in scoring at 19.1 PPG and was still able to finish 4th in the country in assists per game. Sherfield’s ability to singlehandedly control the game from the point guard position makes him absolutely lethal, and he will give opposing point guards nightmares when they match up. With another year of experience under his belt, who knows what kind of numbers Sherfield can put up, but Oklahoma Sooners fans should be extremely excited to see him in the Crimson and Cream.
Make-0r-Break Player: Otega Oweh
Oweh is the 12th highest recruit in Sooners history, and the pressure is on. Oweh has the ability to make an impact from the start and really shine. However, the pressure may lead to some troubles early on, especially in the grueling defensive Big 12, and with a coach like Moser who values success over everything, we may see Moser opt for a more immediate solution and reduce Oweh’s minutes. If Oweh can progress to the level the Oklahoma Sooners hope he can achieve in a short period, then the Sooners can be dangerous.
Analytic to Know: 337th in Blocks per Game
The Oklahoma Sooners finished towards the bottom in blocks per game last year, and did nothing to fix this. Oklahoma averaged 1.9 blocks per game, and with Groves and Hill projected to receive the majority of big men minutes, this shouldn’t be any different. They will need to find other ways to prevent shots, like steals, which they finished 75th in. Losing Goldwire will hurt, but they are still capable of being a top 100 team in terms of defensive efficiency.
Team Outlook
𝑪𝑨𝑵 𝑵𝑶𝑻 𝑾𝑨𝑰𝑻 🍿
Make your plans and bring the ⚡ to LNC!
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🎟 https://t.co/OtjeArPSKe pic.twitter.com/xiW8Xbq0yQ— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_MBBall) September 23, 2022
Oklahoma is looking dangerous at the guard position. Sherfield and Bamsile were incredible pickups, Cortes and Noland serve as valuable returning guards, and Uzan and Oweh can both really shine on this team. It will be interesting how Porter Moser dispenses the minutes and whether they decide to go with a three-guard lineup.
We all know what Tanner Groves can do as the big, but the question will be the depth of the position. His brother, Jacob is good but doesn’t move the needle, and Godwin is moving from a lower mid-major conference to arguably the best conference. Someone will have to step up, and we will see a lot of movement in the rotation before conference play.
Overall, the nonconference schedule is manageable. The notable opponents are at Villanova, home against Arkansas, and two games against Florida and Alabama. These all figure to be top 50 teams, so wins against any of these teams will be huge resume boosters. Porter Moser always finds ways to stay in these big games, so it’s up to the talent of the Oklahoma Sooners to win not only these games but have a strong conference showing and make the tournament and more once again.
[…] G: Grant Sherfield, Oklahoma […]