East Texas A&M pulled off a historic 68-64 upset over Oklahoma in Monday's season opener, marking the second-largest point-spread upset in the last 30 years.
Stunning numbers
The Lions entered as 28.5-point underdogs, with an outright win paying out at just over 58-to-1 odds. It was the program's first victory over a high-major opponent. East Texas A&M had been picked last in the Southland Conference preseason poll.
Oklahoma's struggles
The Sooners missed 15 free throws, finishing 17-for-32 (53%) from the line. Star point guard Xzayvier Brown sat out with a leg injury, but coach Porter Moser refused to use that as an excuse. Oklahoma committed 15 turnovers and trailed by 16 points in the second half.
East Texas A&M's heroes
Bo Aldridge, a Hutchinson Community College transfer, led all scorers with 22 points and five assists. Freshman forward Mohamed Diakite added 15 points, seven rebounds, two assists, three steals, and a game-sealing dunk.
Aftermath
Moser apologized to fans and acknowledged the loss will hurt Oklahoma's NCAA Tournament resume. The Sooners dropped to -0.98 Wins Above Bubble (WAB), a metric used by the selection committee. Oklahoma was previously 31-0 in Quad 4 games under Moser.
East Texas A&M, located in Commerce, Texas, about 66 miles northeast of Dallas, competes in the Southland Conference and has an enrollment of approximately 11,500 students.
