Porter Moser knows this is a make-or-break season for his tenure at Oklahoma.
Moser got a vote of confidence from new athletic director Roger Denny in the offseason and assembled what appeared to be his most talented roster since taking over the Sooners in 2021-22.
After a disappointing start to his sixth season, Oklahoma (0-1) will look to turn things around in Norman, Okla., on Friday night in the season opener for Mississippi Valley State, which finished 3-30 in 2025-26.
The Sooners began their season with a 68-64 home loss Monday to East Texas A&M, missing 15 free throws and committing 15 turnovers.
“We’re all going to own it,” Moser said. “We’re all going to own this together, starting with me, and I’m going to lead the charge of owning it and getting the momentum going back in the right direction.”
It won’t fix everything, but the Sooners hope Xzayvier Brown, who averaged 15.4 points and 3.2 rebounds a game last season, will be able to play against the Delta Devils after missing the opener with a lower-body injury.
Mississippi Valley State isn’t exactly easing into the Mike Davis era. The veteran coach’s first season with the program will begin with 16 straight games on the road, most of them against power conference members and four against ranked teams.
The Delta Devils haven’t won more than five games since 2018-19 and haven’t won 10 or more games since 2011-12, when they made their most recent NCAA Tournament appearance.
It’s a return to the Southwestern Athletic Conference for Davis, whose most sustained success as a head coach came during a six-season stretch at Texas Southern (2012-18) that included four NCAA Tournament appearances.
The former Indiana coach also was the head coach at Detroit Mercy for six seasons, a tenure that ended with a 1-31 campaign in 2023-24.
“I want a team here that wants to be here early and they want to work hard and they’re not down about losing a game at Baylor. They should be more down about not giving their all on the practice court,” Davis said. “Because the two things that matter in the SWAC is the league championship and the conference tournament championship.”
