2016–17 Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team

The 2016–17 Oklahoma Sooners basketball team represented the University of Oklahoma in the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Sooners were led by Lon Kruger in his sixth season. They played their home games at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Oklahoma as a member of the Big 12 Conference. They finished the season 11–20, 5–13 in Big 12 play to finish in ninth place. They lost in the first round of the Big 12 tournament to TCU.

2016–17 Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball
Conference	Big 12 Conference
Record	11–20 (5–13 Big 12)
Head coach	Lon Kruger (6th season)
Assistant coaches	Chris Crutchfield Carlin Hartman Kevin Kruger
Home arena	Lloyd Noble Center
Seasons ← 2015–16 2017–18 →

2016–17 Big 12 men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 3 Kansas	16	–	2		.889			31	–	5		.861
No. 13 West Virginia	12	–	6		.667			28	–	9		.757
No. 12 Baylor	12	–	6		.667			27	–	8		.771
No. 16 Iowa State †	12	–	6		.667			24	–	11		.686
Oklahoma State	9	–	9		.500			20	–	13		.606
Kansas State	8	–	10		.444			21	–	14		.600
Texas Tech	6	–	12		.333			18	–	14		.563
TCU	6	–	12		.333			24	–	15		.615
Oklahoma	5	–	13		.278			11	–	20		.355
Texas	4	–	14		.222			11	–	22		.333
† 2017 Big 12 Tournament winner Rankings from AP poll[1]

Previous season

The Sooners finished the 2015–16 season 29–8, 12–6 in Big 12 play to finish in third place in conference. They defeated Oklahoma State in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament before losing to West Virginia in the semifinals. The Sooners received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Cal State Bakersfield, VCU, Texas A&M, and Oregon to advance to the Final Four for the fifth time in school history. At the Final Four, they lost in the national semifinal to the eventual champion Villanova by 44 points, the largest margin in Final Four history.^[2]

Following the season, senior guard and player of the year winner Buddy Hield graduated and was selected as the sixth overall pick in the NBA draft by the New Orleans Pelicans.^[3]

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Ryan Spangler	00	F	6'8"	234	RS Senior	Bridge Creek, OK	Graduated
Dinjiyl Walker	2	G	6'1"	203	Senior	Vaughan, ON	Graduated
Isaiah Cousins	11	G	6'4"	200	Senior	Mount Vernon, NY	Graduated/2016 NBA draft
Bola Alade	14	G	6'4"	193	RS Freshman	Plano, TX	Walk-on; transferred to Texas–San Antonio
Buddy Hield	24	G	6'3"	214	Senior	Eight Mile Rock, Bahamas	Graduated/2016 NBA draft
Akolda Manyang	30	C	7'0"	243	Junior	Rochester, MN	Dismissed from the team due to felony assault; transferred to Utah Valley[4]
Austin Mankin	41	F	6'7"	210	Junior	Coppell, TX	Graduate transferred to Harding

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Darrion Strong	0	G	6'2"	180	Junior	Chicago, IL	Junior college transfer from Coffeyville Community College

Recruits

College recruiting information

Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
Kameron McGusty #10 SG	Katy, TX	Sunrise Christian Academy (KS)	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	Jul 20, 2015
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Kristian Doolittle #17 PF	Edmond, OK	Edmond Memorial High School	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Dec 2, 2014
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Matt Freeman PF	Auckland, New Zealand	Westlake High School	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Aug 6, 2015
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Jordan Shepherd PG	Asheville, NC	Asheville Christian Academy	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Aug 6, 2015
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Overall recruit ranking:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Oklahoma 2016 Basketball Commitments". Rivals. Retrieved July 11, 2016. "2016 Oklahoma Basketball Commits". Scout. Retrieved July 11, 2016. "ESPN". ESPN. Retrieved July 11, 2016. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout. Retrieved July 11, 2016. "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved July 11, 2016.

2017 Recruits

College recruiting information (2017)
Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
Trae Young #4 PG	Norman, OK	Norman North High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Feb 16, 2016
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (93)
Brady Manek #30 PF	Harrah, OK	Harrah High School	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	Oct 22, 2015
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (81)
Hannes Polla C	Lathi, Finland	Helsinki Basketball Academy (FI)	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	265 lb (120 kg)	Sep 8, 2016
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (80)
Overall recruit ranking:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Oklahoma 2017 Basketball Commitments". Rivals. Retrieved July 11, 2016. "2017 Oklahoma Basketball Commits". Scout. Retrieved July 11, 2016. "ESPN". ESPN. Retrieved July 11, 2016. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout. Retrieved July 11, 2016. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved July 11, 2016.

Roster

2016–17 Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 0 Darrion Strong 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr Coffeyville CC Chicago, IL F 1 Rashard Odomes 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So Copperas Cove Copperas Cove, TX G 3 Christian James 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 218 lb (99 kg) So Bellaire Houston, TX C 4 Jamuni McNeace 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 215 lb (98 kg) RS So Allen Allen, TX F 5 Matt Freeman  6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 217 lb (98 kg) Fr Westlake Boys Auckland, New Zealand G 10 Jordan Woodard 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 187 lb (85 kg) Sr Edmond Memorial Arcadia, OK F 11 Kristian Doolittle 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Edmond Memorial Edmond, OK F 12 Khadeem Lattin 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 208 lb (94 kg) Jr Redemption Christian Homeschool Houston, TX G 13 Jordan Shepherd 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Asheville Christian Asheville, NC G 15 Grant Quinn (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Liberty Christian Argyle, TX G 20 Kameron McGusty 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Sunrise Christian Katy, TX F 21 Dante Buford 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 221 lb (100 kg) RS So Arlington Country Day Jacksonville, FL G 22 Daniel Harper (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS Sr Norman Norman, OK F 25 C. J. Cole (W) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 245 lb (111 kg) RS Sr Sperry Sperry, OK F 30 Marshall Thrope (W) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) RS Fr Bishop Kelley Tulsa, OK	Head coach Lon Kruger (Kansas State) Assistant coach(es) Chris Crutchfield (Omaha) Carlin Hartman (Tulane) Kevin Kruger (Arizona State) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster

Schedule

^[5]

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
11/08/2016* 7:00 pm, SSTV		Washburn	W 84–64		Lloyd Noble Center (7,789) Norman, OK
Regular season
11/13/2016* 4:00 pm, SSTV		Northwestern State	W 97–61	1–0	Lloyd Noble Center (8,456) Norman, OK
11/17/2016* 6:00 pm, ESPNU		vs. Tulane Tire Pros Invitational quarterfinals	W 89–70	2–0	HP Field House  Orlando, FL
11/18/2016* 6:30 pm, ESPNU		vs. Northern Iowa Tire Pros Invitational semifinals	L 67–73 OT	2–1	HP Field House  Orlando, FL
11/20/2016* 4:00 pm, ESPNU		vs. Clemson Tire Pros Invitational 3rd place game	W 70–64	3–1	HP Field House  Orlando, FL
11/25/2016* 2:00 pm, SSTV		Abilene Christian	W 72–64	4–1	Lloyd Noble Center (9,303) Norman, OK
11/29/2016* 7:00 pm, SSTV		Northern Colorado	W 87–67	5–1	Lloyd Noble Center (7,579) Norman, OK
12/03/2016* 12:00 pm, BTN		at No. 17 Wisconsin	L 70–90	5–2	Kohl Center (17,287) Madison, WI
12/07/2016* 7:00 pm, SSTV		Oral Roberts	W 92–66	6–2	Lloyd Noble Center  Norman, OK
12/10/2016* 3:00 pm, ESPN2		vs. Wichita State All-College Basketball Classic	L 73–76	6–3	Chesapeake Energy Arena (11,157) Oklahoma City, OK
12/17/2016* 11:30 am, CBS		Memphis	L 94–99 OT	6–4	Lloyd Noble Center (9,081) Norman, OK
12/21/2016* 7:30 pm, CBSSN		vs. Auburn Basketball Hall of Fame's Birthday of Basketball	L 70–74	6–5	Mohegan Sun Arena (3,462) Uncasville, CT
12/30/2016 6:00 pm, ESPN2		No. 4 Baylor	L 50–76	6–6 (0–1)	Lloyd Noble Center (10,254) Norman, OK
01/03/2017 8:00 pm, ESPNU		at TCU	L 57–60	6–7 (0–2)	Schollmaier Arena (5,576) Fort Worth, TX
01/07/2017 2:00 pm, ESPNews		at Kansas State	L 64–75	6–8 (0–3)	Bramlage Coliseum (12,295) Manhattan, KS
01/10/2017 8:00 pm, ESPN2		No. 2 Kansas	L 70–81	6–9 (0–4)	Lloyd Noble Center (9,788) Norman, OK
01/14/2017 7:30 pm, ESPNU		Texas Tech	W 84–75	7–9 (1–4)	Lloyd Noble Center (8,601) Norman, OK
01/18/2017 6:00 pm, ESPN2		at No. 7 West Virginia	W 89–87 OT	8–9 (2–4)	WVU Coliseum (11,895) Morgantown, WV
01/21/2017 1:00 pm, ESPN		Iowa State	L 87–92	8–10 (2–5)	Lloyd Noble Center (9,673) Norman, OK
01/23/2017 8:00 pm, ESPN		at Texas	L 83–84	8–11 (2–6)	Frank Erwin Center (10,898) Austin, TX
01/28/2017* 1:00 pm, ESPN		No. 25 Florida Big 12/SEC Challenge	L 52–84	8–12	Lloyd Noble Center (10,859) Norman, OK
01/30/2017 8:00 pm, ESPN		Oklahoma State Bedlam Series	L 66–68	8–13 (2–7)	Lloyd Noble Center (10,103) Norman, OK
02/04/2017 6:00 pm, ESPNU		at Texas Tech	L 69–77	8–14 (2–8)	United Supermarkets Arena (10,194) Lubbock, TX
02/08/2017 8:00 pm, ESPN		No. 13 West Virginia	L 50–61	8–15 (2–9)	Lloyd Noble Center (8,608) Norman, OK
02/11/2017 5:00 pm, ESPN2		at Iowa State	L 64–80	8–16 (2–10)	Hilton Coliseum (14,384) Ames, IA
02/14/2017 8:00 pm, ESPN2		Texas	W 70–66	9–16 (3–10)	Lloyd Noble Center (7,545) Norman, OK
02/18/2017 7:00 pm, ESPNU		at Oklahoma State Bedlam Series	L 92–96	9–17 (3–11)	Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611) Stillwater, OK
02/21/2017 6:00 pm, ESPN2		at No. 9 Baylor	L 54–60	9–18 (3–12)	Ferrell Center (6,135) Waco, TX
02/25/2017 5:00 pm, ESPNU		Kansas State	W 81–51	10–18 (4–12)	Lloyd Noble Center (10,181) Norman, OK
02/27/2017 8:00 pm, ESPN		at No. 1 Kansas	L 67-77	10–19 (4–13)	Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS
03/04/2017 2:00 pm, ESPNews		TCU	W 73–68	11–19 (5–13)	Lloyd Noble Center (9,526) Norman, OK
Big 12 tournament
03/08/2017 6:00 pm, ESPNU	(9)	vs. (8) TCU First round	L 63–82	11–20	Sprint Center (18,972) Kansas City, MO
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time.

x- Sooner Sports Television (SSTV) is aired locally on Fox Sports. However the contract allows games to air on various affiliates. Those affiliates are FSSW, FSSW+, FSOK, FSOK+, and FCS Atlantic, Central, and Pacific.