NORMAN, Okla. — The 2026-27 college basketball season is only days old, but the hot seat in Norman is already reaching a boiling point. In an outcome that will be remembered as one of the most shocking results in recent Division-I history, East Texas A&M stunned Oklahoma on Monday night, walking away from the Lloyd Noble Center with a 68-64 victory.
The Lions, a program selected to finish last in the Southland Conference preseason poll, entered the matchup as massive 28.5-point underdogs. The result marks the first win in program history against a power conference opponent and serves as the second-largest upset in Division-I basketball over the last three decades, trailing only Eastern Illinois’ improbable win over Iowa in 2022.
For Porter Moser, the defeat is a jarring wake-up call. Entering his sixth season at the helm in Oklahoma, the pressure was already mounting for a coach who has yet to guide the Sooners to an NCAA Tournament win. With a new athletic director, Roger Denny, overseeing the department and only one year remaining on his contract after this season, Monday’s loss creates an immediate crisis of confidence.
The Sooners’ struggles were evident from the opening tip. Oklahoma managed a stagnant 25 points in the first half, connecting on just a single field goal during the final four minutes of the frame. The Lions capitalized on the host’s lethargy, extending their lead to 16 points early in the second half after Mohamed Daikite and Alonzo Dodd hit consecutive 3-pointers.
While Oklahoma eventually found a pulse, the comeback effort proved too little, too late. Pop Isaacs, who led the Sooners with 15 points, pulled the team within a two-possession game with 25 seconds remaining following an and-one layup. However, a potential go-ahead 3-pointer from Tyler Hendricks rimmed out, and the Lions’ Bo Aldrich sealed the historic upset with a pair of clutch free throws.
Aldrich proved to be the hero for East Texas A&M, finishing with a game-high 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting. As a team, the Lions were remarkably composed from deep, sinking 11-of-27 from behind the arc. In stark contrast, Oklahoma struggled to find any rhythm from distance, finishing just 5-of-20. Derrion Reid joined Isaacs in double figures with 14 points, but the lack of secondary scoring underscored the team’s offensive woes.
For the Lions, a program in just its fifth year of existence that has never posted a winning record, the victory is a transformative milestone. For Moser, the path ahead looks increasingly treacherous. If Oklahoma cannot immediately pivot from this historic embarrassment to a productive conference campaign, the noise surrounding his job security will only grow louder as the winter progresses.
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