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Oklahoma Declines NIT Bid

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Oklahoma Declines NIT Bid


For the fourth time in five seasons, the Oklahoma Sooners were denied a chance among the 68-team field in the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Oklahoma did not appear among the field of 32 for the National Invitational Tournament when their bracket was released late Sunday evening. Oklahoma declined an invite to the postseason tournament.

This follows a stretch where the Sooners won eight of their final 11 games of the season, including post-season conference tournament play. OU beat South Carolina and Texas A&M in the first and seond rounds of the SEC Tournament only to lose to eventual champion Arkansas by three points.

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Oklahoma finished their season 19-15. Considering the hole they dug themselves from Jan. 7 to Feb. 3, losing a program record-tying nine consecutive games, OU’s late-season push was quite the accomplishment. With two quadrant one victories on the road against Texas and a neutral-court victory over A&M, Oklahoma gave themselves outside hope that they could be dancing further into March.

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Oklahoma coach Porter Moser | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

Oklahoma has not played in the NIT since Porter Moser’s first season in Norman in 2021-22. OU would beat Missouri State 89-72 int he first round and lose to St. Bonaventure 70-68 in the second round. Moser’s squad would decline an NIT bid two seasons later.

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OU is 11-8 all-time in the NIT, reaching the NIT Finals in 1991 before losing to Stanford.

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In five seasons, Moser has been one of the first teams out of the NCAA Tournament field four times. In his lone appearance as the Sooners’ head coach in 2024-25, OU was one of the last teams in. Moser is 93-74 during his run as the University of Oklahoma’s basketball coach.


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New Oklahoma athletic director Roger Denny announced on Saturday that Moser would return for his sixth season as OU’s head coach citing a desire to “ensure that our resources match our expectations.

“We haven’t held up our end of that bargain,” Denny added on his X account. “From NIL to staffing and beyond, we’re going to fix that.”

Following this season, OU stands to lose seniors Mo Wague, Tae Davis, Kirill Elatontse, Jeff Nwankwo, Nijel Pack, Reid Lovelace and Jadon Jones. The question now moves to if Moser can retain players like Xzayvier Brown, Derrion Reid, Dayton Forsythe, Kuol Atak and Kai Rogers while going into the transfer portal to bring in more talent for 2026-27.

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Parts of I-35 closed in Norman after power lines fall across highway

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Parts of I-35 closed in Norman after power lines fall across highway


NORMAN, Okla. –

High winds continue to cause power outages and traffic backups in the Norman, Oklahoma area Sunday.

ODOT reports at 3:12 p.m. that all lanes of north and southbound I-35 are closed between Main St. and SH-9E in Norman due to a downed power line. Drivers should avoid the area and locate an alternate route.

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Downed power lines forced the closure of southbound Interstate 35 near Lindsey Street in Norman on Sunday afternoon.

Authorities say power lines blew across the interstate, creating a hazardous situation for drivers.

Officials shut down all southbound lanes of I-35 while utility crews work to secure the lines and clear the roadway.

Drivers urged to avoid southbound I-35 near Lindsey Street

Traffic is expected to be affected while the closure remains in place.

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Drivers are urged to avoid the area and use alternate routes until the roadway reopens.

Officials have not said how long the closure will remain in place as crews respond.





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Minnesota Timberwolves at Oklahoma City Thunder odds, picks and predictions

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Minnesota Timberwolves at Oklahoma City Thunder odds, picks and predictions


The Minnesota Timberwolves (41-26) and Oklahoma City Thunder (52-15) meet Sunday at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Tip-off is at 1 p.m. ET (ABC). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NBA odds around the Timberwolves vs. Thunder odds and make our expert NBA picks and predictions for the best bets.

Season series: Timberwolves lead 2-1

The Timberwolves beat the Golden State Warriors 127-117 Friday, covering as a 5.5-point road favorite with the Over (222.5) cashing. Minnesota snapped a 3-game losing streak with the victory and is just 1-3 against the spread (ATS) in its last 4 contests. It is 28-39 ATS on the season.

The Thunder edged the Boston Celtics 104-102 Thursday, failing to cover as a 9-point home favorite as the Under (216.5) hit. Oklahoma City has ripped off 7 straight victories, but it is 0-7 ATS in those, often as a lofty favorite. The Thunder are 31-35-1 ATS this season.

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Oklahoma City won the first meeting betwen the teams 113-105 Nov. 26 at home, but the T-wolves won the next 2 games in Minnesota — 112-107 Dec. 19 and 123-111 Jan. 29

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Timberwolves at Thunder odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Saturday at 10:56 p.m. ET.

  • Moneyline (ML): Timberwolves +325 (bet $100 to win $325) | Thunder -425 (bet $425 to win $100)
  • Against the spread (ATS): Timberwolves +9.5 (-118) | Thunder -9.5 (-102)
  • Over/Under (O/U): 226.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)

Timberwolves at Thunder key injuries

Timberwolves

  • F Anthony Edwards (knee) questionable

Thunder

  • C Isaiah Hartenstein (calf) questionable
  • G Jalen Williams (hamstring) out

For most recent updates: Official NBA injury report.

Timberwolves at Thunder picks and predictions

Prediction

Thunder 114, Timberwolves 108

PASS.

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Avoid this play. The Thunder (-425) are 28-6 at home and should come out on top, yet they aren’t worth more than 4 times your money.

BET TIMBERWOLVES +9.5 (-118).

The Timberwolves are surging. Since Feb. 9, Minnesota is 9-4 straight up, has gone 1-1 ATS as an underdog, and is 2-2 ATS in its last 4 road games.

OKC has played well, but as noted above it hasn’t been winning by a sizable margin. The Thunder are just 1-8 ATS in their last 9 games when favored and have failed to cover in 4 straight home games.

BET UNDER 226.5 (-115).

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Both teams are trending toward the Under here. The Timberwolves are 2-6 O/U in their previous 8 games and 2-3 O/U in their last 5 road games.

The Thunder, who have scored fewer than 105 points in 3 of their last 4 games, are 1-5 O/U in their past 6 contests. They’ve allowed 102 points or fewer in 4 of their last 6 games.

For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

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Family rallies around Oklahoma father after head-on crash

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Family rallies around Oklahoma father after head-on crash


OKLAHOMA CITY –

A newlywed Oklahoma man expecting his first child with his wife is now facing a long road to healing after a devastating crash.

Zain Daniels had just married the love of his life in December. Now, the couple is preparing to welcome a baby boy.

But instead of getting ready for their son’s arrival, Daniels’ family says they are focused on helping him recover from serious injuries after a head-on crash.

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Family members say Daniels was simply driving to pick up his daughter from school when the collision happened.

The crash left him hospitalized with three broken bones, facial fractures and an abdominal wound.

“Ideally, we hope that he would make a full recovery,” said his aunt, Tamara Daniels. “But the reality of it is we just don’t know because of the extent of the injuries. He will have issues in the future.”

Daniels’ aunt and stepmother say the situation has been especially difficult for his wife, Paige.

“She’s really stressed out,” said Anna Daniels, his stepmother. “She is pregnant with their child that they’re expecting, and so we try to keep the stress down to a minimum on her.”

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The crash has also created major financial strain for the family.

Tamara Daniels says his job does not provide short-term or long-term disability benefits.

“His company doesn’t offer any type of short-term or long-term disability,” she said. “So his income is completely out of the picture. It’s just her income.”

With additional surgeries expected and medical bills continuing to grow, the family is now asking the community for help.

“It’s a family that’s going to have to struggle to make their ends meet because of somebody’s decisions that they made that day,” Anna Daniels said.

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Family members describe Daniels as a caring and giving person who spends time giving back to young athletes in the community. He volunteers as a wrestling and baseball coach and is known as a dedicated family man.

His family says the recovery process could take more than a year.

For now, they say their focus is helping him heal, and preparing for the arrival of his baby boy.

A GoFundMe has been created to help the family with medical expenses: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-nephew-after-car-crash

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