The Oklahoma Sooners do not have a very tough non-conference schedule in the 2013-14 college basketball season, which is why they need to beat the Alabama Crimson Tide in their first game.

Oklahoma made the NCAA tournament last season and although Alabama finished tied for second in the SEC, it did not dance. Still, the Crimson Tide will be one of the better teams in the conference once again and they have the talent to make the NCAA tournament this year. They will be good enough to finish in the top three of the conference standings. That will be a lot easier said than done, though.

The Sooners certainly have some talent as well, but they will be losing some key players to say the least. Losing to Alabama would not be the end of the world, but it would make it that much tougher to make the tourney.

Oklahoma does play in the Big 12, though, which currently features two teams in the top 12 of the USA Today Coaches Poll. Kansas is ranked No. 6 and Oklahoma State is ranked No. 12.

It will be interesting to see if the Sooners can finish with 20 wins once again. This is a team that finished tied for fourth in the conference standings, but will look much different. The top three leading scorers are all gone.

There will not be many chances to earn a solid win before conference play for Oklahoma. That is why the game against Alabama could prove to be very important.

Win or lose, the season will not be lost. It is the first game and all.

If you’re a tweeter feel free to follow me @TheTrevorLowry or add me to your network on Google.