Preview: Oklahoma Sooners vs. Vanderbilt Commodores

History is on the line for Oklahoma on Saturday.

The Sooners, riding a nine-game skid, would match a program record for the longest losing streak with a loss to Vanderbilt. OU’s only team to ever lose 10 games in a row was the 1963-64 squad, but the 2025-26 team will get there if it falls to the Commodores.

OU’s current losing streak marks only the third time ever that the Sooners have lost nine or more games consecutively.

It won’t be easy for the Sooners to escape from their ongoing freefall on Saturday.

Strong Vandy squad

Vanderbilt, ranked No. 15 in the AP Top 25, is 19-3 overall and 6-3 in SEC play. The Commodores have won three games in a row — against Mississippi State, Kentucky and Ole Miss — after dropping three consecutive games against Texas, Florida and Arkansas.

Averaging 88.8 points per game and allowing only 72.9, Vanderbilt has the SEC’s best average scoring margin (15.9). The Commodores also rank first in opposing three-point percentage (28.6 percent), second in opposing field-goal percentage (41.2 percent), and third in three-point percentage (35.8 percent).

How to Watch Oklahoma vs. Vanderbilt

Location: Memorial Gymnasium (Nashville, TN)
Date: Feb. 7
Time: 2:30 p.m.
TV: SEC Network
Radio: 107.7 FM The Franchise

Vanderbilt has also been excellent at causing havoc while also limiting its own miscues. The Commodores have forced 298 turnovers while only creating 213 turnovers of their own. Their average turnover margin is 3.87 per game, which ranks second in the league behind only Georgia.

Guard Tyler Tanner has been Vanderbilt’s most consistent player, as he is averaging 17.8 points, 5.1 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 2.4 steals per contest.

What went wrong for OU vs. Kentucky

The Sooners and Wildcats went back and forth for most of the first half, but Kentucky’s 15-2 run over the game’s middle 10 minutes allowed it to pull away.

OU went 3-of-15 on its first 15 attempts from deep, and guard Nijel Pack was held to only six points in 26 minutes, his second lowest total of the season.

The game was different from some of OU’s other losses during the skid. In defeats against Texas, Arkansas, Missouri and Alabama, the Sooners had chances to win in the final minute but fell short in each game. Against Kentucky, OU never got back within striking distance after the Wildcats’ middle-of-game run.

Getting out of the slump

The Sooners were ranked No. 49 in the NET rankings on Jan. 4, the day after their win over Ole Miss to open conference play.

Now, more than a month later, OU is No. 85 in the NET, ahead of only Mississippi State and South Carolina from the SEC. Oklahoma’s chances to reach the NCAA Tournament as an at-large squad are all but gone, as the Sooners sit 11-12 and 1-9 with only eight league contests remaining.

OU’s only hope of making it to the Big Dance is by winning the SEC Tournament in March. While there is still over a month until then, the Sooners must begin generating momentum — and wins — to put together a competitive effort at the conference tourney.

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