East Texas A&M authored one of the biggest upsets in recent college basketball history on Monday night, stunning Oklahoma 68-64 at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman — and Sooners coach Porter Moser did not hide from it, opening his postgame press conference with an apology to the fan base.
Porter Moser after Oklahoma’s loss (Credits: ESPN)
Porter Moser Apologizes After East Texas A&M’s Historic Upset of Oklahoma
“Before we take any questions, the only thing I know what to do is apologize to the fan base and get better,” Moser said. “I apologize to every single person that came in.” He added that his team “played on our heels the whole night,” taking full responsibility: “The things you do in a game like this in basketball that get you beat, we did.”
The numbers back up the history. The Lions entered as 28.5-point underdogs, and per ESPN Research their win is the second-largest Division I upset by point spread in the last 30 years — behind only Eastern Illinois’ stunner over Iowa in 2022 (+30.5). It was East Texas A&M’s first-ever win over a power conference opponent, with the Lions picked to finish last in the 12-team Southland preseason poll after an 11-21 season and a No. 294 KenPom ranking. They have never reached the NCAA tournament.
Bo Aldridge Leads Lions Past Sooners 68-64
Bo Aldridge led all scorers with 22 points, sealing the win at the line after a 6-0 run put the Lions up 66-60 with 1:12 remaining. Oklahoma trailed 34-25 at halftime and never recovered despite outscoring the visitors 39-34 in the second half. The Sooners shot just 41 percent from the field, missed 15 free throws and committed 15 turnovers. Pop Isaacs led OU with 15 points, Derrion Reid added 14 points and 10 rebounds, but point guard Xzayvier Brown — who started all 37 games last season — missed the game with a lower-body injury. Moser refused to use it as an excuse: “Should we have won? Yes, we should have found a way to win.”
The loss snapped several OU streaks: the Sooners had won 22 of their previous 23 season openers and 30 straight non-conference home games. For a coach entering a make-or-break sixth season after missing last year’s NCAA tournament, the hot seat just got hotter. Oklahoma hosts Mississippi Valley State on Friday.
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Source: ESPN — read the full story there.
