How to watch UConn vs. Oklahoma: Odds, storylines for men's NCAA Tournament matchup

New York Times

21-03-2025

Can the defending champion UConn Huskies do it again? The odds are against them, as they currently sit way down on the title board at +2500 to win it all. This matchup will be fun to watch as it features three electric players in Jeremiah Fears, Solo Ball and Liam McNeeley. And, of course, the ever-temperamental Huskies coach Dan Hurley. Fears, a projected lottery pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, can take over any game when he steps on the court. Can he lead the Sooners to an upset?
We've got a breakdown of the strengths and weaknesses on both sides of the matchup, plus odds and viewing info. Our game previews are a collaborative effort between The Athletic staff, The Field of 68 and Brad Evans' The Gaming Juice.
Dive into March Madness with The Athletic
Projecting the bracket | Best picks to win the title
Strengths: When UConn's offense is humming, few teams are more dangerous. Sophomore Solo Ball has made the leap as one of college basketball's most dangerous shooters, while Liam McNeeley has shown the ability to completely dominate a game. The Huskies are top-five nationally in assist rate, and before McNeeley and veteran point guard Hassan Diarra went down with injuries, they were KenPom's best offensive unit this side of Auburn. And with Alex Karaban's midseason slump a thing of the past, they're one of the most difficult teams in the tournament to defend. They are one of the few squads in the field with the ability to beat anyone on a night when they get hot.
Advertisement
Weaknesses: As good as UConn is offensively, that's how bad it can be defensively. There are two real issues on that end of the floor. For starters, the Huskies cannot stop fouling. They rank in the bottom 10th percentile in defensive fouls per possession — opponents live at the free-throw line — which is a problem exacerbated by the fact that their best offensive weapons struggle to prevent dribble penetration. The odd part is that they are arguably the best rim-protecting team in the country, but too often the combination of over-helping on an opponent's paint touch and weakside defenders getting lost leads to open shooters. The simplest way to explain it: A team full of players who rate somewhere between average and poor defensively probably isn't going to be great defensively, regardless of the scheme.
Outlook: UConn has to be great offensively if it is going to have a chance to get to the second weekend, and the Huskies finally look like themselves on that end of the floor after a rough start to the new year. They ranked closer to top 50 than top five in offensive efficiency in 2025, according to BartTorvik, and a big reason was just a simple lack of toughness. They run as intricate of an offense as anyone in college basketball, but teams that can get physical with them defensively, blow up their timing, and force them to run offense from 'behind the line of scrimmage,' so to speak. And if they are not firing on all cylinders offensively, they are an average team. UConn is good enough to win a game it is supposed to win, but I do not expect the Huskies to be able to upset one of the top seeds in the tournament. The dream of a three-peat won't last past the first weekend.
—Rob Dauster
Strengths: Jeremiah Fears is one of college basketball's most electric players as a freshman and is a projected NBA lottery pick. When the 6-foot-4 guard is on, Oklahoma is tough to beat. The Sooners are 8-2 when Fears scores 20 or more points with wins against Arizona, Michigan, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Missouri and Georgia. He's a major reason why the Sooners are top-25 in offensive efficiency. Senior forward Jalon Moore, the team's second-leading scorer (16.0 points per game) behind Fears (17.0), gives OU a great one-two scoring combo that can fill it up with any duo in the country.
Advertisement
Weaknesses: The Sooners are undersized, and it shows in the rebounding numbers. They rank in the 280s in rebounding margin and grab only 26.9 percent of their misses, the second-lowest mark in the SEC. Factor that in with a bit of a turnover bug, and this team does not have much margin for error. Oklahoma ranks lower than 150 in turnover percentage offense and doesn't force opponents to cough up the ball much. Fears is the heart and soul of this squad, but riding a freshman in the NCAA Tournament can be challenging, especially when he's averaging 3.5 turnovers per game.
Outlook: Having potentially the best player on the court at any given moment from the guard spot could give OU some juice. But with the way the Sooners have struggled to piece together wins in the SEC, they could be an early flameout. Well, unless Fears goes nuclear.
—Sam Lance
(Photo of Liam McNeeley: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)