Oklahoma took college basketball by Sooner storm over the season's first two months, winning with a freewheeling style and Trae Young's nightly one-man show.

Once the calendar flipped to 2018, the Sooners hit a Big 12 roadblock.

College basketball's toughest conference has taken a toll on Oklahoma and its fabulous freshman, pushing the Sooners onto the NCAA Tournament bubble.

"It's been tough for a while," Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger said. "We've got to keep battling. It's not going to get easier."

Picked to finish sixth in the Big 12 preseason poll, the Sooners were one of college basketball's...