Sooners Wrap Up First Official Week of Practice

Oklahoma Men’s Basketball practice in Norman, OK.

Photo by: Sutton Spinner/University of Oklahoma

Sooners Wrap Up First Official Week of Practice

September 27, 2026 | Men's Basketball

Head coach Porter Moser and the Oklahoma Sooners continued preparation for the 2026-27 season with the first official practice Monday, Sept. 21. Moser, entering his sixth season at the helm of the program, has built a culture centered on toughness, togetherness and player development and will lead a veteran 2026-27 roster that combines returning production with experienced transfers.

Oklahoma returns a veteran core led by senior guard Xzayvier Brown, a preseason All-SEC candidate and one of the nation’s top point guards. Brown enters his second season with the Sooners after averaging 15.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game in 2025-26, while Derrion Reid returns after starting all 37 games as a sophomore and averaging 11.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. Junior Dayton Forsythe provides sixth-year head coach Porter Moser with another veteran guard option, while sophomore Kai Rogers returns to add frontcourt depth and physicality. Reid and Brown give Oklahoma two returning starters who are poised to take on expanded leadership roles.

The Sooners added significant experience and versatility through the transfer portal, led by fifth-year forwards Duke Brennan and Yaak Yaak, fifth-year guards B.J. Edwards, Tyler Hendricks and Pop Isaacs, and junior Khani Rooths. Brennan brings 133 games of experience and a 2025-26 season at Villanova in which he averaged 12.4 points and 10.3 rebounds, while Edwards arrives after earning ACC All-Defensive Team honors and averaging 12.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.3 steals at SMU. Isaacs is a proven shot maker with 1,277 points and 219 3-point field goals in his career, while Hendricks and Rooths are floor-spacing wings with the size and athleticism to make an impact on both ends of the court.

Oklahoma also welcomes freshmen Gage Mayfield and Quincy Wadley, giving the Sooners a roster that combines returning production, extensive collegiate experience and highly regarded young talent.

NORMAN, OK - September 25, 2026 - The Oklahoma Men's Basketball Team during practice in Norman, OK. Photo By Connor Dixon/University of Oklahoma

Duke Brennan enters the 2026-27 season with 919 career rebounds, most among active NCAA Division I players. Last season, Brennan averaged a double-double (12.4 ppg./10.3 rpg.) en route to earning Third Team All-BIG EAST accolades.

Oklahoma will host Syracuse in an 8 p.m. CT tipoff Tuesday, Dec. 1 on ESPNU as part of the 2026 SEC/ACC Men's Basketball Challenge as announced by television partner ESPN Monday morning. The all-time series stands at 2-2 with the Orange as they are set to make their first trip to Norman.

SERIES HISTORY
Oklahoma and Syracuse have met twice in NCAA Tournament play (2003, 2009)
The first two games in the series were played in Syracuse, including a 98-91 Sooners victory Jan. 7, 1984 at the Carrier Dome (now JMA Wireless Dome)

Oklahoma 84, Syracuse 71 - March 27, 2009 - NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 - Memphis, Tenn.
Blake Griffin scored 30 points and added 14 rebounds and Tony Crocker added a career-high 28 points as the second-seeded Sooners advanced to their first regional final since the 2003 season ... Oklahoma led 39-26 at the halftime break and used a 20-2 run spanning the two halves to grab control of the game ... Griffin was an efficient 12-of-15 from the field and grabbed eight of his 14 rebounds off the offensive glass ... Crocker went 6-of-11 from three-point range ... Oklahoma limited Eric Devendorf to just 3-of-12 shooting from the field and held the Orange to 29.2% (7-of-24) shooting from three-point range.

Syracuse 63, Oklahoma 47 - March 30, 2003 - NCAA Tournament Elite Eight - Albany, N.Y.
Carmelo Anthony scored 20 points and added 10 rebounds to lead Syracuse to an Elite Eight win over Oklahoma ... De'Angelo Alexander paced the Sooners with 14 points to go along with six rebounds ... Oklahoma was unable to recover from an off-shooting night as it was just 18-of-58 (.310) from the field, including 5-of-28 (.179) from beyond the three-point arc ... Hollis Price and Quannas White combined to go 4-of-25 from the field, including 2-of-15 from three-point range for the Sooners ... Oklahoma forced 24 turnovers ... current Syracuse head coach Gerry McNamara had nine points and three assists for the Orange in the game.

Oklahoma 98, Syracuse 91 - Jan. 7, 1984 - Syracuse, N.Y.
Wayman Tisdale scored 33 points on 13-of-19 shooting from the field and 7-of-10 from the foul line as the Sooners improved to 12-1 on the season ... freshman Tim McCalister added 26 points (20 in the second half) to go along with five rebounds and seven assists, while David Johnson delivered a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds ... the game was played in front of 22,122 fans at the Carrier Dome and was also a national broadcast on CBS ... the loss at the Carrier Dome was just the sixth for the home team against a non-conference opponent since the building opened in 1980 ... Rafeal Addison led five Syracuse double-figure scorers with 24 points.

Syracuse 55, Oklahoma 49 - Dec. 23, 1948 - Syracuse, N.Y.
The first meeting between the two schools came during a five-game road trip for the Sooners that began at Madison Square Garden against CCNY. The following season CCNY would become the first school to win both the NCAA Championship and the National Invitation Tournament. Following the loss to Syracuse, which dropped Oklahoma to 1-4 on the season, the Sooners won five consecutive games including the Big Seven Holiday Tournament in Kansas City with wins over Colorado, Iowa State and Kansas. OU went to grab a share of the Big Seven championship behind double-figure scorers Paul Courty (10.9 ppg.) and Wayne Glasgow (10.5 ppg.).

NORMAN — The University of Oklahoma Athletics Department and Learfield's Sooner Sports Properties announced today a new multi-year partnership with Nextep that will see the Oklahoma-based company's branding featured on-court at Lloyd Noble Center.

Nextep's logo will be prominently displayed on the playing surface at Lloyd Noble Center during all Oklahoma men's and women's basketball home games beginning with the 2026-27 season.

"We are extremely grateful to Brian Fayak and the Nextep team for their significant investment in Oklahoma Athletics and our men's and women's basketball programs," said Marcus Bowman, Oklahoma's Deputy AD for Business Development and Revenue Generation. "Having the Nextep brand prominently represented on our court is a powerful reflection of this partnership and our shared commitment to excellence. As we continue to grow our commercial opportunities, we take great pride in partnering with companies that were built here in Oklahoma and share our passion for this university, this community and our state."

Nextep will gain extensive visibility through its logo placement on-court, in television broadcasts and across digital platforms. Additionally, as part of the partnership, Nextep will support Sooner student-athletes through brand collaborations and original content.

"As an Oklahoma-founded company with a wide-reaching national brand, partnering with OU Athletics and its historical basketball programs is a very natural alignment for us," said Fayak, Nextep's CEO and founder. "This partnership celebrates two organizations dedicated to winning and innovation on a national scale, while staying fiercely committed to the community that made us."

Based in Norman, Nextep is a leading provider of human resources services, offering businesses technology and expert support across areas including HR, payroll, benefits and compliance. Founded in 1997, the company works to elevate the employment experience and make life easier for businesses and their employees.

"We're excited to welcome Nextep as a new partner of Oklahoma Athletics," said Kelly Collyar, Sooner Sports Properties Vice President and General Manager. "The on-court opportunity at Lloyd Noble Center gives Nextep a highly visible platform to connect with Sooner fans, while creating meaningful opportunities to engage with our student-athletes and support both of our basketball programs."

Sooner Sports Properties, the Norman-based team of Learfield – the media and technology company powering college sports – is the exclusive multimedia rights holder for Oklahoma Athletics and oversees all sponsorships, in-venue signage and advertising on behalf of the Sooners.

NORMAN, OK - September 16, 2026 - The Oklahoma Men's Basketball Team at the Pride of Oklahoma practice in Norman, OK. Photo By Sutton Spinner/University of Oklahoma

Members of the OU Men's Basketball team visited The Pride of Oklahoma practice this week to spend some time with an important part of the gameday atmosphere in Norman.

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