Oklahoma Sooners Basketball: Big 12 Conference releases men’s basketball schedule

The Big 12 Conference released its 2018-19 men’s basketball schedule on Wednesday, and every date for the Oklahoma Sooners’ upcoming season is now finalized. Some time and network information is still to be determined.

Conference play begins with a baptism by fire, as the Sooners will tip off Big 12 play against Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse on Jan. 2. Bedlam will once again start in Norman this season, with Oklahoma State heading down south on Jan. 5.

The Sooners are scheduled for ESPN Big Monday matchups against Baylor (Jan. 28 in Norman, Feb. 11 in Waco) and Iowa State (Norman, Feb. 4). OU’s Big Monday status for the Feb. 25 game at Iowa State is still up in the air, as it could potentially be played at either 6 p.m. or 8 p.m. on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU.

When combining this with OU’s non-conference slate, OU’s schedule will once again be one of the most difficult in college basketball. The Big 12’s ESPN BPI rating is the strongest in the nation entering the season, and the Sooners are also scheduled to play Florida (Battle 4 Atlantis), Notre Dame (Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden), Wichita State (Chesapeake Energy Arena in OKC), USC (BOK Center in Tulsa), Creighton in Norman and Northwestern in Evanston, Ill. OU could also face the likes of Stanford, Wisconsin, Virginia, Butler or others in Nassau following the matchup with the Gators.