East Texas A&M stuns Oklahoma 68-64 in season opener, historic upset to open 2026-27 campaign
NORMAN, Okla. — East Texas A&M defeated Oklahoma 68-64 on Monday night, delivering the Sooners a historic loss to open the 2026-27 season. The Lions, playing in just their sixth year of existence, secured their first-ever victory over a power conference program.
Oklahoma entered as 28.5-point favorites but struggled from the outset, managing only 25 points in the first half and hitting a single field goal in the final four minutes of the opening frame. The Lions built a 16-point lead after Mohamed Diakite and Alonzo Dodd drilled back-to-back 3-pointers out of the break.
The Sooners never recovered, though Pop Isaacs cut the deficit to a two-possession game with 25 seconds remaining after an and-one layup. Tyler Hendricks then missed a 3-point attempt that would have put Oklahoma in the lead. Bo Aldrich sealed the upset with a pair of free throws in the final seconds.
Aldrich led East Texas A&M with 22 points, going 8-of-12 from the field. The Lions shot 11-of-27 from beyond the arc, compared to Oklahoma's 5-of-20 from distance. Derrion Reid added 14 points for the Sooners, while Isaacs contributed 15.
The victory ranks as the second-largest Division I upset by spread in the past three decades, according to ESPN, trailing only Eastern Illinois' 30.5-point upset over Iowa in 2022. For Oklahoma, the loss extends a difficult stretch for coach Porter Moser, who is 95-75 in six seasons at the program and has yet to win an NCAA tournament game. Moser, entering the final year of his contract under new athletic director Roger Denny, apologized to the fan base postgame, stating the team 'did not good enough.'
East Texas A&M, picked to finish last in the Southland preseason poll, improved to 1-0. Oklahoma fell to 0-1 and will look to respond in a competitive non-conference slate before beginning SEC play.
