NORMAN — Playing without a pair of starters, including leading scorer Austin Reaves, OU found a way to win against a top-10 opponent once again, building a lead and then holding on late for a 66-61 win over No. 9 Alabama in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge at Lloyd Noble Center on Saturday.
The Sooners have now won a season-high five consecutive games, each of the last three over top-10 opponents.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, OU is the first team since 1974 to win four regular-season games over top-10 opponents in the same month.
Here are three other observations from the win:
Big defense late
Alabama had hurt the Sooners from the perimeter in stretches but in the closing minutes, OU came up big defensively.