The University of Oklahoma was founded in the year 1890 in Norman, Oklahoma. It features 17 varsity sports teams. It has been given the nickname, Sooners to both the men and women's sports teams. All the teams participate in the NCAA’s Division I-Bowl Subdivision and in the South Division of the Big 12 Conference. Joe Castiglione is the current athletic director of the university.

The Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team is a prominent NCAA Division I team in America. Billy Tubbs has been the most successful coach of the team. During his tenure, the team gained national prominence. He took over the charge of the team in the year 1980. Kelvin Sampson has also been the head coach of the team in the past while Jeff Capel is the current head coach. Some of the star players of the team include Wayman Tisdale, Eduardo Najera, Hollis Price Mookie Blaylock and Stacey King.

The Lloyd Noble Center is the home arena for the Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team. It is a multi-purpose arena that is located in Norman, Oklahoma. The arena was inaugurated on December 1, 1975. It has a seating capacity for 11,528 spectators. Along with the men's basketball team, it also hosts the Oklahoma Sooners women's team. The arena has also witnessed some notable concerts by Jimi Hendrix, Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley in the 1960s and 1970s.