SoonerTraveler
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Best Teams in OU History (Winning Percentage)
First off, I admire this OU team, but I would like to provide some historical perspective by looking back over the past 40 years. There have been previous threads related to where this OU team fits into the overall picture of OU basketball history. The 2016 OU Sooners are currently 24-6 (12-6; Big-12). With only the Post Season games remaining, OU can lose no more than eight (8) games. In other words, in the WORST CASE scenario, OU could finish with a winning percentage of .750 (24-8). I will use this “8-Loss” standard to compare the records of the best OU teams over the past 40 years.
There are different ways to measure the on-court success of a team’s basketball season. One straight-forward way is to consider the team’s winning percentage. Since 1975, OU has had twelve (12) seasons where the team lost 8 games or less. These teams have the best winning percentages over the past 40 years, and are ranked by winning percentage below. Obviously, all of these teams were in the NCAA Tournament.
OU Teams With 8 Losses or Less Since 1975
Pct. ... Year .... Record (Conference) ... Coach ... Post Season
.897 ... 1988 ... 35-4 (12-2) ... Tubbs ... (1) (2) / NCAA (5-1; NCAA Finals)
.861 ... 2002 ... 31-5 (13-3) ... Sampson ... (2) / NCAA (4-1; Final-4)
.853 ... 1984 ... 29-5 (13-1) ... Tubbs ... (1) / NCAA (0-1)
.844 ... 1990 ... 27-5 (11-3) ... Tubbs ... (2) / NCAA (1-1)
.838 ... 1985 ... 31-6 (13-1) ... Tubbs ... (1) (2) / NCAA (3-1; Elite-8)
.833 ... 1989 ... 30-6 (12-2) ... Tubbs ... (1) / NCAA (2-1)
.833 ... 2009 ... 30-6 (13-3) ... Capel ... NCAA (3-1; Elite-8)
.800 ... 2016 ... 24-6 (12-6) ... Kruger ... Post Season Pending
.794 ... 2003 ... 27-7 (12-4) ... Sampson ... (2) NCAA (3-1; Elite-8)
.794 ... 2000 ... 27-7 (12-4) ... Sampson ... NCAA (1-1)
.788 ... 2001 ... 26-7 (12-4) ... Sampson ... (2) NCAA (0-1)
.758 ... 2005 ... 25-8 (12-4) ... Sampson ... (1*) NCAA (1-1)
(1) Conference Champion
(1*) Tied for Conference Championship
(2) Conference Tournament Champion
Of all the teams on the above list, the 2016 Sooners have the worst conference record at 12-6. The historic significance of this team remains to be determined. So much of the success of a basketball team is judged on how they succeed in the post season. If the 2016 Sooner team has a great post-season run, then they can move up this list. Of course a National Championship would put them at the top of any list.
First off, I admire this OU team, but I would like to provide some historical perspective by looking back over the past 40 years. There have been previous threads related to where this OU team fits into the overall picture of OU basketball history. The 2016 OU Sooners are currently 24-6 (12-6; Big-12). With only the Post Season games remaining, OU can lose no more than eight (8) games. In other words, in the WORST CASE scenario, OU could finish with a winning percentage of .750 (24-8). I will use this “8-Loss” standard to compare the records of the best OU teams over the past 40 years.
There are different ways to measure the on-court success of a team’s basketball season. One straight-forward way is to consider the team’s winning percentage. Since 1975, OU has had twelve (12) seasons where the team lost 8 games or less. These teams have the best winning percentages over the past 40 years, and are ranked by winning percentage below. Obviously, all of these teams were in the NCAA Tournament.
OU Teams With 8 Losses or Less Since 1975
Pct. ... Year .... Record (Conference) ... Coach ... Post Season
.897 ... 1988 ... 35-4 (12-2) ... Tubbs ... (1) (2) / NCAA (5-1; NCAA Finals)
.861 ... 2002 ... 31-5 (13-3) ... Sampson ... (2) / NCAA (4-1; Final-4)
.853 ... 1984 ... 29-5 (13-1) ... Tubbs ... (1) / NCAA (0-1)
.844 ... 1990 ... 27-5 (11-3) ... Tubbs ... (2) / NCAA (1-1)
.838 ... 1985 ... 31-6 (13-1) ... Tubbs ... (1) (2) / NCAA (3-1; Elite-8)
.833 ... 1989 ... 30-6 (12-2) ... Tubbs ... (1) / NCAA (2-1)
.833 ... 2009 ... 30-6 (13-3) ... Capel ... NCAA (3-1; Elite-8)
.800 ... 2016 ... 24-6 (12-6) ... Kruger ... Post Season Pending
.794 ... 2003 ... 27-7 (12-4) ... Sampson ... (2) NCAA (3-1; Elite-8)
.794 ... 2000 ... 27-7 (12-4) ... Sampson ... NCAA (1-1)
.788 ... 2001 ... 26-7 (12-4) ... Sampson ... (2) NCAA (0-1)
.758 ... 2005 ... 25-8 (12-4) ... Sampson ... (1*) NCAA (1-1)
(1) Conference Champion
(1*) Tied for Conference Championship
(2) Conference Tournament Champion
Of all the teams on the above list, the 2016 Sooners have the worst conference record at 12-6. The historic significance of this team remains to be determined. So much of the success of a basketball team is judged on how they succeed in the post season. If the 2016 Sooner team has a great post-season run, then they can move up this list. Of course a National Championship would put them at the top of any list.
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