Thankfully for them, they played much better basketball in the second half.

Oklahoma opened the second half on a 15-5 run to take the lead. The Sooners shot 44.4% from the field in the final 20 minutes and held the Yellow Jackets to a 36.4% clip.

“There was no panic at halftime; it was just what we have to do better,” OU coach Porter Moser said. “We just weren’t moving the ball. We had way more movement in the second half, and what that does is it puts pressure on the defense, and we got to the foul line that way.”

Senior guard Kobe Elvis was the Sooners’ best player on Tuesday.

Elvis, a fifth-year transfer from Dayton, helped get the Sooners’ offense flowing. Elvis led OU in scoring for most of the game, finishing with 12 points, before Jeremiah Fears and Jalon Moore surged at the end of the game (18 and 15 points, respectively).

 He was also efficient, shooting 4-of-8 from the field.

The guard has started all eight games for the Sooners in his first season in Norman. He is averaging 10.9 points, 4.6 assists and 2.9 rebounds per contest.

Elvis’ addition has been crucial for OU.

Former Sooners point guard Javian McCollum, who led the team in scoring a year ago, transferred from Oklahoma to Georgia Tech in the offseason. (McCollum didn’t play in Tuesday’s game for the Yellow Jackets, as he has a concussion).

Without McCollum, Elvis is a key piece to the Sooners’ backcourt. Nights like Tuesday prove that he will play a large role as OU looks to make its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2021.

As previously mentioned, the Sooners’ win on Tuesday wasn’t pretty. But there aren’t pictures on the scorecards.

OU did enough to beat Georgia Tech — an ACC foe — and improve to 8-0.

The Sooners are 8-0, and their resume includes four wins over programs from power conferences: Providence, Arizona, Louisville and, now, Georgia Tech. It’s the first time in program history that the Sooners have begun 8-0 in back-to-back years.

OU is ranked No. 21 in the AP Poll and will likely keep, or improve upon, its ranking after this week. The Sooners host Alcorn State on Saturday as they look to move to 9-0.

There is still plenty of basketball to be played. 

Oklahoma will begin its first year of SEC play on Jan. 4 against Alabama, and the Southeastern Conference is no slouch in basketball. The Sooners are one of eight SEC teams ranked in the AP Poll, along with Auburn (No. 2), Tennessee (No. 3), Kentucky (No. 4), Alabama (No. 10), Florida (No. 13), Texas A&M (No. 22) and Ole Miss (No. 23).

But OU’s hot start proves that the Sooners can be competitive in their first year playing in a new conference.

“They took punches, they came back, they came out of timeouts,” Moser said. “And I’m liking the resiliency of this group and the finding ways to win.”