Kansas City once roared with the fan bases of all kinds of schools, and OU was among the many who embraced the tradition. Those memories endure.

OU basketball has been coming to Kansas City for conference tournaments since 1946. That’s eight decades of trips up Interstate 35 or, before the advent of freeways, U.S. highways 50 or 169.

In 1946, KC’s own Harry Truman was in the White House. Jackie Robinson was in his year between playing for the Kansas City Monarchs and Brooklyn Dodgers. Henry Ford, born in 1863, still was alive.

In 1946, Bud Wilkinson had yet to become the Sooner head football coach. OU and Kansas had the same number of Final Fours. OU’s enrollment was less than 11,000.

In 1946, the Big 12 was not yet even the Big Eight or even the Big Seven. Only six members formed the conference, so for the inaugural Big Six Holiday Tournament, Arkansas and Southern Methodist were invited to fill out the bracket.

And on December 12, 1946, OU lost to Kansas State 59-55 at Municipal Auditorium. That Sooner team would rebound nicely; OU went on to win the Big Six championship, make the NCAA Tournament and make the title game, where it lost to Holy Cross 58-47.

The holiday tournament became a tradition, then the post-season tournament became a tradition and now it’s an institution, hosted every year by Kansas City except for a few detours to Dallas or Oklahoma City a generation ago.

And at 2 p.m. Wednesday, the Sooners play Texas Christian at the Sprint Center in the Big 12 Tournament second round. That matinee against the Horned Frogs, or some game later in the week, will be OU’s final tournament game in Kansas City.

The Sooners are headed to the Southeastern Conference come July, and next year OU’s league tournament destination will be Nashville. Age-old foes Kansas State and Iowa State will be replaced by Florida and Auburn. Hated Kansas will give way to Kentucky. OSU to Arkansas. 

When it comes to football, the SEC move is mostly excitement and challenge. Fabulous venues, great traditions, monumental matchups.

The same excitement does not exist for the hardwood change. 

Conference tournament basketball is true tradition. Be it ballgames in Municipal against Wilt Chamberlain or Kemper Arena against Big Country or whoever suits up for the TCU Horned Frogs in the Sprint Center. Be it through burgers at Town Topic or ravioli at the Italian Gardens or the burnt ends at Jack Stack. Be it when Phog Allen was coaching Kansas or Norm Stewart was coaching Missouri or Scott Drew is coaching Baylor.

In football, the Sooners are joining the nation’s best conference, hoping to make the nation’s most celebrated conference title game. In basketball, the Sooners are leaving the nation’s best conference, leaving the nation’s most celebrated conference tournament.

Football runs college campuses, so there’s no decision to be made. But this month of March, when college basketball rules, is a time to mourn the loss of a great tradition.

Kansas City has been so important to many a great OU basketball season. So many great memories were made in the border town of Oklahoma border states. From the teams of Bruce Drake and Dave Bliss, to the teams of Billy Tubbs and Kelvin Sampson.

Time was, many a Sooner basketball fan descended upon Kansas City, helping create a kaleidoscope of conference colors all over the ancient river town.

Times have changed, and conference-tournament basketball doesn’t appeal so much to Sooner fans anymore. Their attention goes elsewhere. That makes it easier to make the SEC transition.

In some ways, OU gave up its Kansas City tradition years ago.

But let me tell you, there was a time. Sure, Kansas and Missouri always had homecourt advantages in Kansas City, but the fan bases of OU and OSU and Nebraska and Iowa State didn’t go down without a fight. They would pack Kemper Arena, and get a lot of help from each other.

These days, Kansas and Iowa State dominate the crowds at the Sprint Center, and only a couple hundred show up for any other school. 

But the move to the SEC reminds us that this was not always so. That Kansas City once roared with the fan bases of all kinds of schools, and OU was among the many who embraced the tradition.

From Gerald Tucker, to Garfield Heard, to Alvan Adams, to John McCullough, to Wayman Tisdale, to Mookie Blaylock and Stacey King, to Ryan Minor, to Eduardo Najera, to Hollis Price, to Blake Griffin, to Buddy Hield to Trae Young, Sooners for 80 years have shined on Kansas City hardwoods.

And now sometime this week, that tradition ends for good. Light a candle for those great memories, and shed a tear for what’s been lost.

For eight decades, OU basketball has been coming to Kansas City for conference tournament memories. Those memories end with the 2024 Big 12 Tournament. The Sooners are off to the SEC next season, and while the football will be wild, the same won’t be true of basketball.

Sellout Crowd production team

Producer: Jacquelyn Musgrove

Creative Director: Michael Lane

Social media: Bobby Howard

Director of Content: Mike Sherman

Director of Audience/Sponsor Fulfillment: Jay Spear

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