Fears scores 27 as Oklahoma knocks off No. 21 Mississippi State 93-87 to snap a 5-game skid
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) Jeremiah Fears had 27 points and a career-high 10 assists, and Oklahoma defeated No. 21 Mississippi State 93-87 on Saturday to snap a five-game losing skid and revive its NCAA Tournament hopes.
Fears, an 18-year-old freshman, made 7 of 12 field goals and 11 of 14 free throws. It was one of his most efficient performances overall and his second-best scoring effort of the season.
Jalon Moore scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half and Sam Godwin had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Sooners (17-10, 4-10 Southeastern Conference).
Josh Hubbard scored 19 points and KeShawn Murphy added 16 for Mississippi State (19-8, 7-7), which was coming off wins against ranked opponents Mississippi and Texas A&M.
Mississippi State led 37-34 at halftime, despite 15 points from Fears.
Moore made a 3-pointer, then dunked on a fast break to put the Sooners up 44-41 early in the second half. He hit another 3-pointer to push the margin to 53-48.
Oklahoma’s Brycen Goodine hit a 3-pointer from the corner and was fouled with 4:50 remaining. He made the free throw to put the Sooners up 81-69.
Mississippi State kept scrapping. Claudell Harris Jr. made a contested corner 3 to cut Oklahoma’s lead to 90-87 with 28 seconds remaining.
Mississippi State: The Bulldogs had 20 offensive rebounds and 21 second-chance points yet shot just 39.7% from the field.
Oklahoma: The Sooners, who have struggled with mistakes this season, committed just 11 turnovers.
Moore collected a defensive rebound in traffic and was fouled with 11.3 seconds remaining. He made the first of two free throws to give Oklahoma a 93-87 lead.
Oklahoma shot 68% from the field in the second half and 52.7% overall.
Mississippi State visits No. 4 Alabama on Tuesday night.
Oklahoma hosts No. 17 Kentucky on Wednesday night.
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NORMAN, Okla. (AP) Jeremiah Fears had 27 points and a career-high 10 assists, and Oklahoma defeated No. 21 Mississippi State 93-87 on Saturday to snap a five-game losing skid and revive its NCAA Tournament hopes.
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Bulldogs check in at full-strength ahead of tomorrow’s tip at Oklahoma
What wind there is sweeping across the plains Saturday will be cold. But the Bulldogs, and the Sooners as well, will both be safely indoors for their tip time in Norman. They all also should be healthy for their next Southeastern Conference contest.
The SEC’s initial availability report is same theme, next verse. Mississippi State’s roster for this conference season is all able and available. Game time is noon central on the SEC Network, and the second in a full roster of eight games now that every league member has had their mid-schedule bye.
Mississippi State (19-7, 7-6) has not turned in any names for the SEC’s initial lift. The second and official release will be two hours before tipoff. Coach Chris Jans has not had to scratch anyone for weeks, not since declaring guard Kanye Clary would be out for the balance of the season.
As for the home team, Oklahoma equally seems to be at full-strength for Saturday, just as they were for Wednesday’s loss to Florida.
What the Sooners also are is hungry, no make that starving for a SEC success. Since storming through the non-conference season unbeaten, Oklahoma has found life in their new league much tougher. So they take to their court 16-10 and 3-10 SEC. With five games remaining in the regular slate, then the SEC Tournament, Sooners can imagine a rout to post-season play. But the odds are obviously long now after five-straight losses.
Meanwhile Mississippi State brings a #21 ranking to Norman, along with a top-thirty NET ranking which has Chris Jans and club on track for a third-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. Bracketologists are still holding off declaring them as a ‘lock’ for a little longer.
But barring utter collapse the Bulldogs are going back to the post-season party. Their goal now is securing as high a SEC finish as remaining games allow, and parlaying that into their NCAA seeding come March 16.
The most recent forecasts by the two major bracket-builders have Mississippi State a six-seed (CBS) and a seven-seed (ESPN). A Saturday win at unranked Oklahoma may not boost that standing by itself.
But it would make for a third consecutive win, longest of the SEC season by State, with two ranked victims. And, it will give the Dogs an even better chance to end the schedule better than .500 SEC. After consecutive 8-10 seasons for Jans’ program, a winning league record was one major goal for year-three.
So is winning a NCAA tourney game. The better the seeding, the better the chances.
So with healthy bodies Jans is making sure as a coach can the Mississippi State minds are healthy for another road game. With a 4-2 road record in SEC play thus far, he seems to be getting that done as well.
While all of the Friday games are not final, once they are, one would have a difficult time finding a stat line more impressive than Mississippi State’s Pico Kohn. On Friday against Missouri State, Kohn matched a career high he set just last week with eleven strikeouts. Simply put, the talented southpaw is realizing the potential he has had all along.
Though Kohn has not credited with the win on this Friday, Mississippi State would not have won without him. Kohn scattered four hits over 6.1 innings. For the second straight outing, Kohn stuck out eleven and did not walk a single hitter. That was especially important today as it took eight innings for the Bulldog bats to get going. The cold weather was a factor, but so was the starting pitching for both clubs.
“In between innings, I was going in and putting the hot pack on my arm,” Kohn explained “(Coach Justin) Parker kept saying that it was a bad day for the hitters. It’s all about a mentality, I think. I was just trying to do what I do and not really think about the weather.”
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As Kohn has become more comfortable, he has allowed his competitive side to show. Despite being mild-mannered off the field, Kohn has been known to yell for hitters to get in the box. On Friday, he even offered some fist pumps after big punch-outs. Kohn struck out the final hitter he faced in the 7th, Zack Stewart. The Bulldog leftie showed a little emotion as his work day came to an end. It was an important out at a critical time of the ball game.
“I think it’s just confidence and trusting the work that I put in,” Kohn shared. “I try not get too high or too low. The guy was saying some crazy things, so I had to, you know.
“I really thought Parker was going to come in (after the 6th) and tell me that I was done. I knew (Stewart) was on deck. Parker said, ‘You’ve got one batter, so go out there and do your job’. I was pretty excited I got to go back out there and do it again.”
The bedrock truth of the matter is that those match-ups are exactly why Kohn came back to Mississippi State rather than turning pro. Pico wants the ball when the game is on the line. He wants to show what he can do against some of the best hitters in college baseball. Stewart is one of them. Kohn has worked hard to prepare for 2025 to be the best season of his college career.
“I think it’s about getting into a routine and just trying to do the same thing over and over,” Kohn said. “After Virginia last year, I kind of got off my routine that I had gotten into. I kind of had to find it again in the fall. Just being able to create that routine has helped me out a lot.”
Whatever that routine consists of, it is working. Kohn has given State exactly what it needed so far. The veteran southpaw was expected to be the Friday night guy. Through two weeks of play, Kohn has validated the staff’s belief in him.
“I’ve just been working with Coach Parker,” Kohn shared. “I’m just trying to be consistent with my mechanics. Throughout the week, I am just trying to fine tune everything. That way, once I go out there, I am not really thinking about it. I’m just doing it.”
With Friday’s 3-1 win, Mississippi State improves its record to 4-1. The Bulldogs and the Bears of Missouri State (2-2) will meet again on Saturday. State will be looking to take the series. The Bulldogs have announced that RHP Karson Ligon (1-0, 2.25 ERA) will get his second straight Saturday start. Missouri State is expected to counter with RHP Jackson Holmes (0-1, 16.20 ERA). The game can be heard on the Bulldog Baseball radio network and seen on the ESPN App.
The NCAA Tournament selection committee unveiled its midseason top 16 seeds for the 2025 March Madness bracket last week, but a series of upsets and surprise results dramatically changed the field in the days since. Duke and Auburn remained No. 1 seeds with strong mid-week wins, while blue-blood Kansas continued its spiral with a stunning 91-57 loss at BYU.
Georgia and Xavier jumped from the first four out to the last four in this week. It would mark the Bulldogs’ first NCAA Tournament appearance in 10 seasons. A handful of big-named programs weren’t quite as lucky. Indiana, Arkansas and North Carolina remain outside of the NCAA Tournament bubble, with just a handful of regular season games left to play.
CBS Sports bracketologist Jerry Palm updated his NCAA Tournament projections after and eventful week. He highlighted Kentucky at Alabama on Saturday as a key matchup to watch for NCAA Tournament seeding.
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Here are the latest NCAA Tournament projections from CBS Sports:
Last Four In: Texas, Oklahoma, Xavier, Georgia
First Four Out: Indiana, Arkansas, North Carolina, Boise State
North Carolina remained on the outside of the NCAA Tournament picture despite its 24-point win over NC State (Quad 3). Georgia and Xavier jumped from the first four out to the last four in, while Arkansas fell to the wrong side of the bubble after its seven-point loss at Auburn, the second straight loss for John Calipari’s Wildcats.
No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 16 American / Southern
No. 8 Creighton vs. No. 9 Utah State
No. 5 Mississippi State vs. No. 12 George Mason
No. 4 St. John’s vs. No. 13 Yale
Auburn remained the top overall seed after taking care of Arkansas and has chances to further bolster its NCAA Tournament résumé with four ranked matchups over its final five games of the regular season. Mississippi State usurped Kansas as the No. 5 seed in the South Region after the Jayhawks’ 91-57 loss to BYU. Chris Jans and Mississippi State won back-to-back games against ranked opponents.
No. 6 Clemson vs. No. 11 Oklahoma / Georgia
No. 3 Purdue vs. No. 14 Chattanooga
No. 7 Illinois vs. No. 10 Vanderbilt
No. 2 Houston vs. No. 15 Norfolk State
Houston passed Texas A&M for the No. 2 seed in the South Region after notching its fifth straight win with a 80-65 beatdown of Arizona State in Tempe. Clemson jumped into the top region after it followed its 20-point win over North Carolina with a 26-point victory at Florida State. The Tigers are clearly the second-best team in the ACC behind Duke.
No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 16 Nebraska-Omaha
No. 8 Saint Mary’s vs. No. 9 UConn
No. 5 Marquette vs. No. 12 UC San Diego
No. 4 Michigan State vs. No. 13 Lipscomb
Alabama is set to make its fifth straight NCAA Tournament, matching its second-longest streak in program history. The Crimson Tide are poised for its second-ever No. 1 seed, both coming the last three seasons under Nate Oats. UConn is projected for its lowest seed of the Dan Hurley era.
No. 6 Memphis vs. No. 11 Drake
No. 3 Iowa State vs. No. 14 Utah Valley
No. 7 Maryland vs. No. 10 West Virginia
No. 2 Texas A&M vs. No. 15 Norfolk State
No region experienced more change over the last week than the bottom half of the Midwest. There’s eight new teams in this section from last week, which featured Tennessee at No. 2, Texas Tech at No. 3, Illinois at No. 6 and Louisville at No. 7. Texas A&M has never earned a No. 2 seed or better in the NCAA Tournament.
No. 1 Florida vs. No. 16 Bryant
No. 8 New Mexico vs. No. 9 Gonzaga
No. 5 Ole Miss vs. No. 12 Yale (Marquette)
No. 4 Arizona vs. No. 13 High Point
Florida remains a No. 1 seed in the updated bracketology after it throttled Oklahoma, 85-63, to improve to 23-3 on the season. The Gators haven’t entered March Madness higher than a No. 4 seed since the Billy Donovan era. Arizona rebounded from the 62-58 loss to Houston with a 75-67 win at Baylor to stay on the No. 4 seed-line.
No. 6 Kansas vs. No. 11 Wake Forest
No. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 14 South Alabama
No. 7 Louisville vs. No. 10 Nebraska
No. 2 Wisconsin vs. No. 15 Cleveland State
Kansas continues to tumble down seed-lines, this time falling from a No. 5 in the South to a No. 6 in the West following a stunning 91-57 loss at BYU on Tuesday. Kentucky bounced up to a No. 3 with its 82-61 win against Vanderbilt, setting up a chance at a March Madness rivalry clash with an ascending Louisville squad.
No. 1 Duke vs. No. 16 Quinnipiac / Southeast Missouri State
No. 8 Baylor vs. No. 9 San Diego State
No. 5 Texas Tech vs. No. 12 Liberty
No. 4 Missouri vs. No. 13 Akron
Duke remains the fourth No. 1 seed. The Blue Devils are at little risk of losing of falling from the No. 1 seed-line with zero ranked teams remaining but will have a hard time cracking the top three seeds for that same reason. Missouri earning a No. 4 seed would mark its highest since 2008-09.
No. 6 UCLA vs. No. 11 Texas / Xavier
No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 14 Towson
No. 7 Oregon vs. No. 10 BYU
No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 15 Central Connecticut State
Tennessee is poised for back-to-back No. 2 seeds or better for the first time in program history. Dusty May guided Michigan to its first 20-win season in four years and more than doubled the Wolverines’ win total from last season’s abysmal 8-24 finish under Juwan Howard, earning a well-deserved contract extension on Friday.
This article originates on 247Sports.
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