Leading by four points, 69-65, with under four minutes to go, the Sooners closed out game on a 13-3 run to put away the upset-minded Roadrunners of Cal State-Bakersfield, the West Region’s No. 15 seed.
With the win, No. 2-seeded Oklahoma moves on to play on Sunday against No. 10 seed Virginia Commonwealth, which defeated Oregon State 75-67.
The Oklahoma backcourt trio of Buddy Hield, Isaiah Cousins and Jordan Woodard contributed 55 of the Sooners’ 82 total points.
Cal State-Bakersfield, coached by former Oklahoma assistant Rod Barnes (2006-07) jumped out to a quick 8-0 advantage in the early going of the game before OU caught the Roadrunners at 10.