Oklahoma Holds on Against No. 15 Vanderbilt to Break Nine-Game Losing Streak – Sports Illustrated

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The Sooners held a commanding, 14-point lead at halftime of Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt. But they were in no position to coast.
Though OU entered the tilt on a nine-game losing streak, second-half leads haven’t been uncommon throughout the skid. Oklahoma has regularly allowed opponents to stay within striking distance and eventually find ways to escape with wins.
The Sooners almost let that happen again on Saturday.
OU defeated the No. 15 Commodores 92-91 in Nashville for its first win since Jan. 3. Oklahoma would have matched a program record for its longest losing streak (10) ever with a loss.
With the win, OU is 12-12 overall and 2-9 in SEC play. Vanderbilt is 19-4 and 6-4.
Here are three takeaways from the game:
Forward Tae Davis had the hot hand early for Oklahoma.
In the game’s first eight minutes, Davis logged 14 points on 5-of-5 shooting. He helped push the Sooners out to a 24-10 lead.
Davis cooled off a bit later in the game, as he didn't score after that stretch. But he was still instrumental to how the Sooners were able to find a rhythm early.
Oklahoma shot 59 percent from the floor in the first half and held a 48-34 lead at halftime, its halftime lead in conference play thus far.
Davis transferred to Oklahoma from Notre Dame ahead of the 2025-26 season. The forward entered Saturday’s contest averaging 12.7 points, 6 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.
Davis wasn’t Oklahoma’s only player to catch fire against the Commodores.
Guard Xzayvier Brown scored a team-high 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Nijel Pack logged 17 points and made three 3-pointers.
OU also got quality minutes out of its backcourt reserves. Guards Dayton Forsythe and Jadon Jones each logged two 3-pointers off the bench, as those two combined for 20 points.
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As a team, Oklahoma shot 53 percent from the floor and 43 percent on 3-pointers. 
The Commodores, however, rallied late and weathered away at OU's offensive onslaught.
Despite trailing by 19 points with 3:38 remaining, Vanderbilt went on a 22-6 run to make it a three-point game with 28 seconds left. OU made two free throws after that before Vanderbilt's Tyler Tanner hit a 3-pointer made it a two-point game with five seconds left.
Brown drew a foul on OU's ensuing inbounds pass, and the guard made both attempts to ice the game.
Vandy played Saturday’s game down two starters — former OU guard Duke Miles and guard Frankie Collins. Tanner's 37 points on 10-of-23 shooting were a game high.
Any road win against a ranked team in conference play is a quality one, make no mistake.
The victory over the Commodores will go down as a “Quad 1” win, as Vanderbilt is ranked No. 14 in the NET rankings. OU is no longer in sole possession of last place in the SEC standings, as the Sooners’ 2-9 league record is tied with South Carolina.
But there’s no erasing the losing streak that preceded Saturday’s upset.
OU saw its NET position fall from No. 49 on Jan. 4 to No. 85 entering the Vanderbilt game. Even though the Sooners will almost certainly see a jump in the rankings resulting from Saturday’s win, they are still far on the outside looking in at the NCAA Tournament bubble.
Realistically, OU’s only chance of making the Big Dance is if it wins the SEC Tournament in March.
The upset over Vanderbilt is certainly a welcome sight for the Sooners after their dreadful month and change. But plenty remains to be seen as far as if they can sustain any momentum as a result.
Oklahoma will have the first part of the upcoming week off before hosting Georgia on Saturday.
Carson Field has worked full-time in the sports media industry since 2020 in Colorado, Texas and Wyoming as well as nationally, and he has earned degrees from Arizona State University and Texas A&M University. When he isn’t covering the Sooners, he’s likely golfing, fishing or doing something else outdoors. Twitter: https://x.com/carsondfield
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