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Oklahoma Pulls Away from Mississippi Valley State to Earn First Win of 2026-27

The Sooners responded to their embarrassing season-opening loss with a win over Mississippi Valley State on Friday.

Oklahoma guard B.J. Edwards drives against Mississippi Valley State. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

NORMAN — For the first time of the 2026-27 season, the Sooners are in the win column.

Oklahoma beat Mississippi Valley State 84-57 at McCasland Field House on Friday. The win moves OU to 1-1 after the Sooners lost 68-64 to East Texas A&M in their season opener on Monday.

The Sooners shot 47 percent from the field and made 13 of their 40 three-point attempts. OU played an exceptional defensive game, forcing 17 turnovers and holding MVSU to a 36-percent clip from the field.

Here are three takeaways from Friday’s game:

Transfer B.J. Edwards shines

Guard B.J. Edwards, who transferred to OU before the season, was a standout against the Delta Devils.

Edwards notched a team-high 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting. The guard also went 4-for-6 on 3-pointers.

Edwards’ strong performance followed his rough OU debut on Monday. Against the Lions, he scored only three points on 1-of-7 shooting in 29 minutes, and he also went 1-of-5 on free-throw attempts.

Standing 6-foot-3, Edwards is playing his fifth college basketball season. He played one season at Tennessee before spending the last three years at SMU.

Ball control still an issue

Even though the Sooners won comfortably, they didn’t look particularly sharp in a lot of areas on Friday.

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OU committed 12 turnovers. Duke Brennan and Xzayvier Brown each logged three turnovers, while Dayton Forsythe committed two.

Against East Texas A&M, the Sooners turned the ball over 15 times.

The Sooners also dropped a handful of easy rebounds underneath their own basket. The Delta Devils ended the game with 15 second-chance points.

Starting guard returns from injury

Brown missed the opener with a lower-body injury, but he was back in the lineup against the Delta Devils.

Brown, playing his second season at OU, finished the game with five points on 2-of-6 shooting. He also registered seven assists and one rebound during his 27 minutes on the court.

While Brown’s stat line wasn’t overly flashy, his presence is vital for the Sooners. Last year, Brown averaged 15.4 points, 3.3 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game and started in all 37 contests.

Brown began his college career at St. Joseph’s before transferring to Oklahoma. His stepfather, Justin Scott, is an assistant coach for the Sooners.

The Sooners will be back at the Lloyd Noble Center on Monday, when they host North Alabama.

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