Oklahoma defeats Texas A&M 83-63 in SEC Tournament second round, extending postseason run in Nashville

Oklahoma advances with 20-point SEC Tournament win over Texas A&M

Oklahoma defeated Texas A&M 83-63 on Thursday, March 12, 2026, in the second round of the Southeastern Conference men’s basketball tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The 20-point margin sent the Sooners into the tournament quarterfinals and ended the Aggies’ postseason run.

The outcome reversed the pattern of the teams’ recent head-to-head meetings during the 2025-26 season. Texas A&M had won both regular-season matchups, including an 83-76 decision in College Station on Jan. 10 and a 75-71 win in Norman on Feb. 21. Oklahoma’s win in Nashville therefore represented its first victory over Texas A&M this season, and it did so on a neutral floor with the tournament’s single-elimination stakes.

How the game turned: Oklahoma built a decisive first-half lead

Oklahoma’s control was established early and carried into halftime. The Sooners led 49-27 at the break, creating a 22-point cushion that reshaped the second half into a game of margin management rather than a possession-by-possession finish. Texas A&M outscored Oklahoma 36-34 after halftime, but the Aggies never erased the deficit created in the opening 20 minutes.

• Final score: Oklahoma 83, Texas A&M 63
• Halftime score: Oklahoma 49, Texas A&M 27
• Second-half scoring: Texas A&M 36, Oklahoma 34

Context inside the SEC bracket

The matchup paired the No. 11 seed Sooners against the No. 6 seed Aggies. Under the SEC tournament format, seeds 1-4 receive double byes to the quarterfinals and seeds 5-8 receive byes to the second round, leaving Oklahoma to play an additional game to reach the Thursday slate. Oklahoma entered the second round after a first-round win over South Carolina on Wednesday, March 11.

For Texas A&M, the loss came after a regular season that placed the Aggies among the top half of the league standings and earned them a first-round bye. For Oklahoma, the win provided a high-margin result against a higher-seeded opponent and extended a late-season surge that had already included a first-round SEC tournament win.

With the result, Oklahoma moved forward in the SEC tournament field while Texas A&M’s season continued into the NCAA selection period without additional conference-tournament wins.

What it means going forward

Oklahoma’s decisive first half provided the platform for a comfortable finish and a quarterfinal berth. The Sooners’ ability to generate separation early against a team that had beaten them twice in the regular season will be measured next by the level of opponent waiting in the quarterfinal round, where the SEC’s top seeds enter the bracket and margins typically tighten.