Happy Tuesday, friends and fans!

With the 2021 NCAA Basketball Tournament set to tip-off in five weeks, the No. 12 Oklahoma Sooners (12-5, 7-4) appear to be virtual locks to make the Big Dance given their already impressive résumé against AP ranked teams. As of today, OU is No. 19 in the NCAA NET Rankings.

As far as what seed Oklahoma could land entering the tournament, March Madness hoops analyst Andy Katz currently has Lon Kruger’s crew as a four-seed if the festivities began today.

Additionally, ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi also sees the Sooners as a four-seed in the tourney, as does CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm in his latest bracketology report.

Of course, OU still has a lot of work to do to in the regular season before it can secure a top-four seed, but as long as the defense doesn’t take a dip, Oklahoma should be competitive in just about every contest it plays the rest of the way.

Now onto today’s Hot Links! Orlando Brown Jr. has been granted permission to seek a trade, OU student-athletes extend program record for classroom excellence, Matt Campbell’s reign in Ames is set to continue for years to come and more!

OU Links

• True freshman DE Ethan Downs is an early-enrollee from the 2021 signing class and he’s already impressing in the weight room. Watch how effortlessly he cleans 290. Now imagine him against some poor, hapless O-lineman. *chills*

• Check out this comprehensive list of all the major opponents OU Football has scheduled over the next 16 years. The fun begins with a home-and-home against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and includes intriguing series with Georgia, Michigan, LSU, Alabama and Clemson. The thirties are about to be a whole lot of fun. Well, hopefully.

• Tre Norwood might be one of the most underrated draft prospects in this year’s class. If a team manages to pick him up late, they could find a true steal in this ball-hawking defensive back.

• Former OU OT Orlando Brown Jr. is reportedly testing the trade market after spending the past three seasons with the Baltimore Ravens and making two Pro Bowls.

• Once again, the Sooners don’t just produce on the field of play, they excel in the classroom as well. Through the 2020 fall semester, student-athletes at Oklahoma have turned in a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher for a program record 18th consecutive semester. Boomer!

Around the Sports World

• The Iowa State Cyclones have extended the contract for head football coach Matt Campbell through the 2028 season. The school has not yet released terms for the updated deal.
• This Wednesday, Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is expected to undergo surgery to mend a turf toe injury he sustained in the AFC Divisional Round win over the Cleveland Browns.
• Shortly after the North Carolina Tar Heels defeated the Duke Blue Devils over the weekend, several members of the team attended a party to celebrate. Two days later, video of said gathering surfaced, and neither the student-athletes nor others were seen wearing masks or maintaining social distance. As a result, the ACC canceled UNC’s next game against the Miami Hurricanes due to the conference’s COVID-19 safety measure protocol.
• Former first-round draft pick QB Josh Rosen has signed a one-year contract extension with the San Francisco 49ers after joining the team in late December.
• On Monday, legendary former NFL head coach Marty Schottenheimer passed away at the age of 77 after a seven-year battle with Alzheimer’s. His 200 wins in the league are currently the eighth-most all-time. Most notably, he coached the Kansas City Chiefs from 1989-1998.

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