Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports
The Oklahoma Sooners made the 2013 NCAA Tournament this year, but that was just the first tourney appearance for this team ever since Blake Griffin wore a Sooners uniform.
Unfortunately for Oklahoma, that was way back in 2009, so a ticket to the dance had to feel pretty good after a couple of years of not being able to dance.
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Back in 2009, Oklahoma was a No. 2 seed and Griffin was a monster. Griffin is still a monster, but the Sooners’ No. 10 seed was far from a No. 2 seed.
This tournament appearance was short lived, though, with Oklahoma losing in its very first game of the Big Dance to the San Diego State Aztecs. Finishing 20-12 overall and tied for fourth in the Big 12 standings is still a good step for this team. Whether if Oklahoma will be able to repeat this next season remains a mystery, but it was good that they were finally able to earn a pair of dancing shoes this year.
The Sooners were able to beat Oklahoma State and Kansas on the year, which would have been two big wins for even the best team in the country.
Three straight losses to end the year definitely put a damper on the season, but no loss was bigger than the one in the tournament. Whether the case, this could still be looked at as a successful season for Oklahoma. Hopefully, this season will be the beginning to the Sooners making the dance on a consistent basis, but we will just have to wait and see for that one.
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