The Thunder, in what’s become tradition, will host New Year’s Eve basketball for the 16th consecutive season with a 6 p.m. Sunday tipoff against the Nets.

Then we can flip the calendar to 2024, with much to look forward to across the Oklahoma sports landscape in 2024.

With help from my colleagues, I came up with 24 sports-related questions for 2024.

Soon we’ll have answers.

More: How OKC Thunder stars Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren are 'building synergy together'

Oklahoma City Thunder

1. Can the Thunder get the No. 1 seed in the West?

Absolutely. Which still sounds crazy, right? But it’s not at all.

The Thunder is 21-9, two games back of the first-place Timberwolves (23-7). But OKC has a better point differential (+8.3) than Minnesota (+6.0), which is often a predictor for future success.

I picked the Thunder to go 42-40. Never again will I be influenced by Sam Presti lowering expectations. I was way wrong about this team.

2. Is the Thunder a legitimate NBA title contender?

Not yet.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a superstar, but he’s yet to win a playoff series. Neither Chet Holmgren nor Jalen Williams has ever played in a playoff game. Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort are the only two players remaining from the Thunder’s last playoff team (2019-20).

Winning in the regular season is one thing. Winning in the playoffs is another. The Thunder isn’t battle tested.

But here’s where the Thunder might have a chance: The West isn’t as scary as it looked two months ago. The Nuggets are still the Nuggets and the Timberwolves have emerged as contenders, but the Lakers, Suns and Warriors have underwhelmed. And I’m not ready to take the Clippers, Kings or Mavericks seriously.

I guess what I’m saying is yes, there’s a chance for the Thunder to make the West Finals. What are we even doing here? It’s absurd that we’re already talking about this.

3. Will Shai Gilgeous-Alexander win the MVP?

I’m going to make a semi-bold prediction: If the Thunder gets the No. 1 seed in the West, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be the MVP. Those things go hand in hand.

SGA would be the first guard to win MVP since James Harden in 2017-18.

4. What other individual awards could the Thunder win?

Chet Holmgren is the runaway Rookie of the Year leader. Should we start talking about him as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate? Mark Daigneault is a worthy Coach of the Year candidate. SGA should be in the Clutch Player of the Year running. Isaiah Joe is on the far fringes of the Sixth Man of the Year conversation.

More: Mussatto: Chet Holmgren is running away in NBA Rookie of the Year race. It's no shock.

OU/OSU football

5. Can Ollie Gordon II win the Heisman Trophy?

He’ll be on the shortlist of favorites heading into the year.

Gordon might very well be the best running back in the country, but the Heisman is a quarterback award. Alabama’s Derrick Henry (2015) was the last running back to win the Heisman.

Henry ran for 2,219 yards and 28 touchdowns that season. Gordon rushed for 1,732 yards and 21 touchdowns this season. To truly compete for the award, Gordon will need a bigger workload and for OSU to be in the playoff hunt.

6. How will OU fare in its first SEC season?

I picked OU to go 7-5 (3-5 SEC). Maybe I’m underselling the Sooners like I did the Thunder.

7. Is Jackson Arnold the real deal?

Jackson Arnold made a slew of mistakes in OU’s Alamo Bowl loss. He also flashed his natural talent and star upside.

But to answer the question: I don’t know. How could anyone know at this point?

Here’s what I do know: Oregon’s quarterback situation is better than OU’s for 2024.

8. How will Josh Heupel react in return to Norman?

The Tennessee coach and former Sooner national championship quarterback will be back on Owen Field on Sept. 21.

Heupel’s relationship with his alma mater was all but ruined after the former OU offensive coordinator was fired by his old coach, Bob Stoops, in 2015.

It’s hard to blame Heupel, but at the same time, look how his career has taken off.

Heupel should receive a raucous ovation, which will hopefully go a long way in repairing the relationship.

More: Brennan Presley announces return to Oklahoma State football for 2024 season

OU/OSU softball

9. Can OSU softball make its fifth straight WCWS appearance?

Sure it can. Coach Kenny Gajewski has turned OSU into one of the best programs in the country, and the Cowgirls’ presence in the Women’s College World Series has only enhanced the tournament.

OSU lost its ace in Kelly Maxwell, but the Cowgirls added Katie Kutz — one of the top-ranked pitching prospects in the country. Kutz, from McLean, Virginia, went 44-0 as a high schooler.

OSU also returns Lexi Kilfoyl, an All-Big 12 second teamer who went 16-5 with a 1.70 ERA last season. Kilfoyl will fill in for Maxwell as OSU’s new ace.

10. Will the Bedlam softball rivalry be fiercer than ever with Kelly Maxwell in crimson and cream?

Speaking of Maxwell, she created quite a stir by transferring to rival OU.

Can you imagine Maxwell pitching for the Sooners against the Cowgirls in the WCWS? The regular-season meetings are going to be heated enough.

11. How long will OU softball’s winning streak last?

A better question might be: Will OU softball ever lose again?

The Sooners, which three-peated as national champions, will enter the season on a 53-game winning streak. The first tough test will come Feb. 9 against perennial powerhouse Washington in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

12. Could we get an OU vs. Jordy Bahl matchup in the WCWS?

Bahl went 44-2 with a sub-1.00 ERA in her two seasons at OU. But now she’s a Cornhusker, back in her home state of Nebraska.

Nebraska hasn’t made the WCWS since 2013, but Bahl is good enough to carry Nebraska back to OKC.

Maybe we’ll get Bahl vs. OU in the WCWS and Gabriel vs. OU in the College Football Playoff.

13. Are you ready for March 1?

When OU softball opens play at Love’s Field, a 4,200-seat venue.

More: Relive OU softball's run to three straight WCWS titles with our 'Crimson Empire' book

OU/OSU basketball

14. Will Mike Boynton keep his job?

You won’t find anyone who doesn’t like Boynton the person. But Boynton the coach needs to start winning if he’s to keep his job.

He inherited an incredibly challenging situation given OSU’s NCAA infractions, but that’s in the rearview mirror. The Cowboys are off to a slow 6-5 start this season and they look like long shots to make the NCAA Tournament. OSU made the tournament in one of Boynton’s first six seasons and the Cowboys are 47-61 in the Big 12 in his tenure.

Everyone is pulling for Boynton to turn it around in Stillwater, but time is running out.

15. Where will OU men’s basketball finish in the Big 12?

The Sooners are 11-1 and have a chance to finish the non-conference slate at 12-1 if OU beats Monmouth on Sunday.

But the Sooners rank 326th in strength of schedule, according to KenPom, out of 362 teams. Things are about to get a lot tougher in the Big 12.

I think the Sooners could go .500 in conference play, which would be enough to comfortably qualify for the NCAA Tournament.

16. Will OU and OSU women’s basketball make the NCAA Tournament?

It’s not looking good.

OU (7-5) stunningly lost a home game to Southern before Christmas. Southern, a SWAC program, is 2-9. Its only other win came against Louisiana Christian, an NAIA program in the Red River Athletic Conference. Not the company OU wants to keep.

OSU is 7-5, but the Cowgirls’ wins have come against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, New Orleans, Missouri State, Wyoming, Texas State, Southern Illinois (another one) and Utah Tech.

More: Oklahomans in bowls: State connections to each college football bowl game for 2023 season

Oklahoma high school sports

17. Will Jackson Holliday break camp with the Orioles?

The former Stillwater product and son of Matt Holliday made it all the way to Triple-A Norfolk as a 19-year-old. That’s unheard of.

Holliday, who turned 20 earlier this month, has a chance to make Baltimore’s big-league roster for Opening Day. The middle infielder is the No. 1 prospect in baseball, according to MLB.com.

The former No. 1 pick, in his first year of pro ball, hit .320 with a .449 on-base percentage across five levels. He hit 13 home runs and stole 28 bases.

18. How will the new transfer rule impact high school sports?

This is a game changer. The OSSAA earlier this month approved an exception that will grant one free transfer to every high school student who established athletic eligibility at another school. Under the old rule, transferring students had to sit out a year before regaining eligibility.

Now, the free transfer allows a student to change schools once without sitting out a year or moving into a new district.

OSSAA executive director David Jackson said “this doesn’t create a portal in the same sense that the NCAA has a transfer portal.”

We’ll see about that.

19. Is this the golden era for girls basketball in Oklahoma?

Bethany’s Zya Vann and Putnam City West’s Caya Smith — both OU signees — are ranked 46th and 70th nationally in ESPN’s 2024 HoopGurlz recruiting rankings.

The state’s 2025 class is even stronger.

Bethany’s Keziah Lofton (No. 17), Norman’s Keeley Parks (No. 19), Edmond Memorial’s Janiyah Williams (No. 21), Booker T. Washington’s Marcayla Johnson (No. 35), Edmond Memorial’s Avery Hjelmstad (No. 38) and Grind Prep’s Sania Richardson (No. 50) are all ranked as top-50 prospects in the 2025 class, according to HoopGurlz.

More: Coaches Confidential: Who's the toughest boys basketball player you have coached against?

Best of the rest

20. Can we please get a Shohei Ohtani rehab outing in Oklahoma City?

Please. The two-way mega star isn’t expected to pitch this season, in what will be his first as a Dodger after signing a $700 million contract.

Rehab assignments are more common for pitchers than hitters, but fingers crossed.

21. What will the OKC Baseball Club adopt as its new nickname?

Oklahoma City’s Triple-A squad remains affiliated with the Dodgers, but the club announced that it’s dropping the Dodgers nickname. This season, the team will be known as the Oklahoma City Baseball Club before a new nickname is revealed next offseason.

I actually like the new OKC branding, but the team needs a name.

The team was known as the 89ers from 1962-97, and it seems like there’s support to bring the name back.

Minor-league teams have increasingly outlandish names, though, so 89ers might be a little too tame.

22. Will OU women’s gymnastics three-peat as national champions?

First softball and now women’s gymnastics? Why not? The team is returning six gymnasts who combined for seven All-America honors. Another national title would be OU’s seventh, all in the last 10 years.

23. Is Bally Sports dead yet? Where will Thunder games air?

So much is still up in the air as it relates to Diamond Sports Group’s ongoing bankruptcy case. Diamond is the company that operates Bally Sports.

As I wrote 10 days ago, there’s a good chance the Thunder will have the opportunity to broadcast some of their remaining games locally over the air. A trial run of sorts in the post-Bally world.

Beyond that, who knows.

24. What is the future of the Oklahoma City Spark?

The pro softball team, after its inaugural season, is leaving the Women’s Professional Fastpitch league. The Spark will operate as an independent team, likely playing national teams or other independent squads.

Pro softball has yet to find stable footing in the sports landscape, but we’ve seen firsthand how popular the sport has become.

Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at jmussatto@oklahoman.com. Support Joe's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Can OKC Thunder win NBA title? Here are 24 pressing questions for 2024