Sooners Men's Basketball Finds Their Footing in Blowout Win Over Mississippi Valley State

NORMAN, Okla. - After the absolute nightmare that unfolded on Monday night against East Texas A&M, the Oklahoma Sooners desperately needed to exhale. They got just that on Friday night, returning to the historic McCasland Field House to comfortably handle the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils 84–57 and secure win No. 1 of the 2026–27 campaign.

For a team carrying the psychological weight of an all-time opening-night disaster, the venue change to the storied field house provided a welcome reset. The Sooners wasted no time establishing control, opening the scoring on a layup from fifth-year transfer Duke Brennan and never looking back.

By halftime, OU had built a comfortable 38–22 cushion, eventually stretching the lead to as many as 33 points before emptying the bench and cruising to the 27-point victory.

The offensive spark came from an unexpected place: the bench. Guard B.J. Edwards bounced back from a quiet opener in a major way, lighting up Mississippi Valley State for a team-high 18 points. Edwards was locked in from deep, finishing 6-of-10 from the field, including a blistering 4-of-6 clip from beyond the arc. Sophomore forward Derrion Reid continued his strong start to the year, chipping in 17 points with relentless pressure in the paint and transition.

More importantly, the starting backcourt got its engine back. After missing the season opener with a lower-body injury, Xzayvier Brown returned to the floor and immediately restored order, dishing out a game-high 7 assists while dictating the pace. Fellow guard Pop Isaacs added 6 assists of his own, helping grease the wheels for an offense that looked much more fluid than the stagnant unit we saw earlier in the week.

Defensively, Porter Moser’s group did what they were supposed to do against an overmatched opponent. The Sooners clamped down hard, forcing 17 turnovers and holding the Delta Devils to a miserable 36% shooting performance from the field.

Still, even in a blowout victory, old habits didn't entirely vanish. Porter Moser will undoubtedly have a few things to clean up in practice before the schedule hardens, as Oklahoma still coughed up 12 turnovers and gave up 15 second-chance points due to lingering struggles on the defensive glass.

At the end of the day, though, style points didn't matter. The panic button in Norman is temporarily silenced, the record moves to 1–1.

UP NEXT: The Sooners get a few days to catch their breath before returning to action on Monday, November 9, to host North Alabama.