Sooners to Tackle Sun Devils in Tulsa Throwdown
Oklahoma and Arizona State will square off at Tulsa’s BOK Center on Saturday, Dec. 5, marking the fourth meeting in series history—and the first in T-town. Tickets hit public sale July 27, with OU season‐ticket holders and students enjoying presales. ASU leads the head‐to‐head 2–1, including an 86–70 victory last season in Tempe. OU’s home‐away neutral‐site record at the BOK Center stands at 4–1, with wins over Tulsa, USC, and two over Arkansas under coach Porter Moser’s leadership. Moser enters his sixth season, while ASU debuts Randy Bennett, fresh off 25 years at Saint Mary’s. Oklahoma’s full 2026–27 schedule remains under wraps, though last year’s slate included neutral-site games in NBA arenas and marquee road trips to Gonzaga and Wake Forest.
The Sooners, having only made the NCAA Tournament once in five years under Moser, are now treating Tulsa like the new “it” spot to secure bragging rights—and presumably to dodge questions in Norman about why they still can’t crack March Madness. Fans can look forward to the usual OU spectacle: overpriced nachos, band performances that double as fear-inducing flash mobs, and the coaches desperately Googling “how to beat Sun Devils” during timeouts. Meanwhile, Randy Bennett, who has coached so long at Saint Mary’s he might be mistaken for a Benedictine monk, will try to convince his new roster that beating Oklahoma is more than just a positive Yelp review.
Sooner Baseball Brings in Johnson Duo and Pro Scout Guru
Oklahoma head coach Skip Johnson has added his son, Tyler Johnson, as assistant coach and scouting coordinator, alongside veteran MLB scout Ken Guthrie as assistant director of scouting and player personnel. Tyler spent eight years coaching in Texas—most recently at Dallas Baptist—and boasts four NJCAA World Series appearances and a 2021 national title at McLennan College. Guthrie brings 14 years of pro scouting experience with the Orioles and Mets, overseeing talent evaluation across Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Both hires align with Oklahoma’s shift toward a “player acquisition model,” blending junior‐college recruiting prowess with professional scouting know-how to sustain the Sooners’ rich baseball tradition.
In a move that screams “we smell nepotism and we want more,” Skip Johnson has promoted his own spawn to the dugout, ensuring family game nights will henceforth include budget spreadsheets and scouting report bake sales. Meanwhile, Ken Guthrie will attempt to translate the fine art of grading minor-leaguers into the mystical realm of 18-year-olds who peak at double-digit bat speeds. One can only imagine locker rooms now echoing with dad jokes, MLB draft war stories, and the occasional altercation over who gets to nap in the office’s recliner. But hey, if you haven’t got blood ties or decades of glass-ceiling-shattering scouting, you might as well just root from the stands.
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