Oklahoma Sooners Basketball | Buddy Hield To Return For Senior Season

Up until Friday morning Buddy Hield, remained one of the biggest question marks left in the realm of college basketball. The decision to enter the Draft or to return for a final year would significantly alter the course of the Oklahoma Sooners upcoming season. Lon Kruger and the rest of Sooner Nation officially received the news at 10:30 am as Hield publicly announced his decision to return.

Leading up to Hield's announcement, there were plenty of mixed emotions. How much weight would be put on the disappointing loss in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament? Could anyone really read into the fact that Hield's mom attended the final games of the season?

It's possible the finish played a factor as Hield said, "I'm on a great team and we have a lot of unfinished business, I just can't wait to see what's in store for next year. I want to go to the Final Four. That's always been a dream for me. Playing with these guys, for my coaches and for my university is a lot of fun."

Yet, one of the most telling signs could possibly be found in Hield's draft projections. After earning Big XII Player of the Year honors behind 17.4 points per game while connecting on a conference high 93 three pointers, some put Hield as a fringe first rounder. However, the latest mock draft from Draft Express placed the Sooner in the mid-second round.

When it's all said and done, Buddy revealed that "getting my degree is also really, really important to me."

Regardless, with Hield coming back and the experience gained by some of the youngsters on the roster, this Oklahoma team could easily be the team to beat in 2015-16. I'm going to throw out my bold prediction and say that this squad becomes the team to dethrone the Kansas Jayhawks.