Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus Auburn on February 24, 2026 , Win , 91, to, 79
Final
Men's Basketball
91
vs Auburn
79
University of Oklahoma Athletics
Men's Hoops Squares Off Against Arkansas
December 22, 2000 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 22, 2000
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GAME INFORMATION
Ranked 18th in the AP and 17th in the ESPN/USA Today coaches' polls, Oklahoma (8-1) hosts Arkansas (7-2) Saturday at 7 p.m. CST. The Razorbacks are ranked 25th and 23rd in the national polls. The game will air live on the Sooner Basketball Radio Network (flagship KOMA 1520 AM in Oklahoma City) with Bob Barry, Sr. (play-by-play) and Mark Mathew (analyst) calling the action. The contest will also be televised by the Sooner Sports Network (KWTV Channel 9 in OKC and KWBT Channel 19 in Tulsa). Dean Blevins (play-by-play), Charlie Spoonhour (analyst) and Renzi Stone (roving reporter) will announce.
OKLAHOMA UPDATE
Since a 55-point effort in a narrow loss at Mississippi, the Sooners' offense has been hitting on all cylinders. In victories against North Texas (by 28 points), Coppin State (by 54) and Southwest Texas (by 48), OU averaged 99.7 points and shot .505 from the field, .406 from three-point range and .803 from the free throw line. Oklahoma also averaged 15.3 steals over the three games and forced opponents into an average of 28.3 turnovers.
Aaron McGhee leads four Sooners who average double figures in scoring with his 17.2 points per game. The junior forward has posted totals of 26, 27, 28 and 32 so far this year. Sophomore point guard Hollis Price averages 12.7 points and team highs in assists (6.4 apg) and steals (2.8 spg). His 3.2 assist-to-turnover ratio is second best in the Big 12. Senior guard Kelley Newton, who scored a career-high 26 points versus Coppin State two games ago on 8-for-11 three-point shooting, averages 11.8 points per game. He is 25-for-44 (.568) from beyond the arc on the year and entered the week ranked 10th in the country in three-point percentage. Fellow senior guard Nolan Johnson averages 10.4 points per outing.
OU heads into the weekend leading the Big 12 in free throw percentage (.756), opponent rebounds (27.8), turnover margin (+9.2) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.36). The Sooners also rank second in scoring margin (+22.3) and steals (11.1).
ABOUT ARKANSAS
The Razorbacks rebounded from their one-point loss to Oklahoma State in Tulsa Dec. 9 with a 115-47 pounding of Northwestern (La.) State Wednesday at home. Arkansas shot .603 from the field, .571 from long range and 80.8 from the charity stripe in the 68-point romp. The Razorbacks, who also forced 31 turnovers, received a game-high 20 points from guards Brandon Dean and Jannero Pargo.
Sophomore forward Joe Johnson leads the team in both scoring (15.1 ppg) and rebounding (6.0 rpg). The Preseason SEC Player of the Year sports a .515 field goal percentage and a .391 three-point mark. Dean, a junior, is the only other Razorback who averages double figures in scoring (11.4 ppg). His .444 three-point percentage is the best on the squad. Fellow junior guard Teddy Gipson averages 9.7 points and 2.3 assists while Pargo, another junior, averages 9.3 points and a team-high 2.1 three-pointers per contest. T.J. Cleveland, yet another junior guard, averages a team-best 3.9 assists per game.
Head Coach Nolan Richardson, in his 16th season at Arkansas, is 363-145 (.715) at the school. The former Tulsa head coach is in his 21st year overall and owns a career record of 482-183 (.725). Richardson has guided the Razorbacks to the postseason each of the last 14 years.
SERIES WITH ARKANSAS
Saturday's game will mark the 20th meeting between the two schools and the eighth in Norman. Despite convincing OU victories in each of the past two seasons, Arkansas leads the overall series by a 12-7 count. The Sooners hold a 4-3 edge in Norman. Oklahoma Head Coach Kelvin Sampson is 2-1 against the Razorbacks. Besides a 66-52 win last year and an 87-57 triumph in 1998-99, Sampson's Sooners faced Arkansas during the 1994-95 campaign in the first round of the Rainbow Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Razorbacks won that contest, 86-84.
LAST YEAR VERSUS THE RAZORBACKS
Oklahoma outscored Arkansas 34-20 in the second half and ran away with a 66-52 win in Fayetteville last year. Arkansas' 52 points were its fewest at home since the 1984-85 season. OU shot .489 from the field and .500 from three-point land (11-for-22) while limiting the Razorbacks to .368 field goal and .280 three-point marks. Outrebounded in the first half by a 20-13 count, the Sooners won the second-half board battle, 18-10. Oklahoma trailed by one early in the second stanza before going on an 8-0 run that was keyed by a pair of Tim Heskett treys, and took a 45-38 lead. An Arkansas bucket snapped a five-minute scoreless drought, but a 16-6 run expanded the Sooners' lead to 15 (61-46) with 5:51 remaining and put the game out of reach. Eduardo Najera led OU with 18 points, 10 rebounds and five steals while J.R. Raymond scored 17 points and produced three steals. Heskett nailed five three-pointers and scored 15 points while Hollis Price finished with 10 points. Arkansas entered the game 90-10 inside Bud Walton Arena and was 49-3 in non-conference affairs there. OU's victory snapped the Razorbacks' 22-game non-conference home winning streak.
RECAPPING THE SOUTHWEST TEXAS CONTEST
Junior forward Aaron McGhee scored a game-high 26 points on 10-for-13 field goal shooting in just 15 minutes of action to lead the Sooners to a 96-48 win over visiting Southwest Texas Wednesday. The Sooners shot a sizzling .600 from the floor in the first half and finished the contest with a .548 mark, their third best this year. OU, which led from start to finish, used a 20-1 run midway through the first half to open a 33-10 advantage and took a commanding 52-19 lead into halftime. The Bobcats never threatened in the second half as the Sooners upped their margin to as many as 53 points before settling for the 48-point win. Junior guard J.R. Raymond canned 4-of-8 three-point tries en route to a 17-point effort. Backcourt mates Hollis Price and Kelley Newton added 11 and 10 points, respectively. Southwest Texas, which committed an OU opponent-high 31 turnovers, was led by Dain Ervin's 10 points.
SOUTHWEST TEXAS LEFTOVERS
FROM THE INFIRMARY
Freshman Johnnie Gilbert, who underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair torn cartilage in his left knee Dec. 8, played 13 minutes versus Southwest Texas Wednesday but is listed as "questionable" for the Arkansas game due to a thigh bruise sustained against the Bobcats.
Junior post Jozsef Szendrei was diagnosed with a bruised pharynx (neck) earlier this week and is not expected to play Saturday. Szendrei has played in just two games this year, as he was recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
McGHEE MAKING MOST OF MINUTES
Despite playing a total of 57 minutes over the last three games, forward Aaron McGhee has amassed 62 points (20.7 average) in wins over North Texas, Coppin State and Southwest Texas. The 62 points in 57 minutes equates to 43.5 points per 40 minutes. The southpaw averages 22.4 minutes per outing on the year and has not played more than 23 minutes in any of the last six games.
JUCO TRANSFERS CONTRIBUTING
OU signed four junior college recruits last year, and three of them have made significant contributions so far this season (the fourth, center Jozsef Szendrei, has played in just two games after recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, as well as a bruised pharynx). The trio, which is shooting a combined .617 from the field (108-for-175), has accounted for 35 percent of the team's points and 36 percent of its rebounds through nine games. Aaron McGhee leads the team with his 17.2 points per game and also averages 5.1 rebounds. Daryan Selvy is averaging 9.0 points and a team-high 5.8 boards per game. And in his six games, Ronnie Griffin is averaging 7.2 points and 3.3 rebounds. Griffin is averaging 10.7 points and 6.0 caroms over the past three outings.
NEWTON LIGHTING IT UP
Senior guard Kelley Newton ranks second in the Big 12 in three-pointers per game (2.8) and third in three-point percentage (.568). The Kansas City, Kan., native drained eight treys tying Texas A&M's Bernard King for the most by a Big 12 player this year on 11 attempts versus Coppin State last Saturday en route to a career-high 26 points. Newton has made at least two three-pointers in all but one game this year and has raised his career three-point percentage to .443 (74-for-167).
PRICE IS RIGHT
Hollis Price is off to a terrific start this season, as evidenced by his 12.7 points, 6.4 assists and 2.8 steals averages. The sophomore point guard is also shooting .506 from the field, .379 from three-point range and .852 from the charity stripe. Entering the week, Price ranked third in the Big 12 in assists, first in steals and second in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.2).
Price, who scored 10 or more points in OU's first five games, has already earned MVP honors in two tournaments this year. He won the Sooner Invitational MVP trophy after averaging 11.0 points, 8.5 assists, 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 steals and just 1.5 turnovers in wins over Alcorn State and La Salle. At the Big Island Invitational, Price took home another trophy after averaging 21.0 points, 5.7 assists and 1.7 steals while shooting .719 (23-for-32) from the field and .615 (8-for-13) from three-point land in victories against Montana State, Tulane and Oregon State. Versus the Green Wave, Price was 10-for-14 from the floor, 3-for-5 from beyond the arc and 7-for-9 from the foul line for a career-high 30 points. He also contributed six assists and four steals in that contest.
GRIFFIN RESPONDS TO STARTING ROLE
Junior forward Ronnie Griffin, who did not participate in Oklahoma's first three games due to eligibility issues that occurred prior to his recruitment by or attendance at OU, has started each of the last three games and has produced solid numbers. In 18 minutes versus North Texas, the Louisville, Ky., native recorded 10 points, seven rebounds (five offensive) and a pair of steals. Versus Coppin State, Griffin totaled 18 points, seven rebounds and two steals in just 16 minutes of play. He registered four points, four rebounds and three assists in 18 minutes against Southwest Texas. Griffin's per-game points and rebounds averages stand at 7.2 and 3.3, respectively. He is also shooting .667 from the field (16-for-24) and .846 from the foul line (11-for-13).
Griffin averaged 12.5 points and 5.3 rebounds at Tallahassee (Fla.) Community College last year and was a first-team All-Panhandle Conference selection. He shot .544 from the field and helped the Eagles to a 25-5 final record.
A HANDS-OFF APPROACH
Entering the Dec. 16 Coppin State game, the Sooners appeared to be having a difficult time adjusting to the NCAA's point of emphasis this season cleaning up "rough play." OU was whistled for fouls an average of 22.9 times over its first seven outings. Against Coppin State and Southwest Texas, however, the Sooners averaged 17.5 fouls per contest. Despite the recent decline in Oklahoma fouls, opponents have attempted 212 free throws to OU's 176 this season.
BALANCED ATTACK
Aaron McGhee leads four Sooners who average double digits in points per game. McGhee, who averages 17.2 per outing, is joined by Hollis Price (12.7), Kelley Newton (11.8) and Nolan Johnson (10.4). J.R. Raymond and Daryan Selvy are not far behind with their respective 9.3 and 9.0 points-per-game marks. No Kelvin Sampson-coached Oklahoma team has ever finished a season with five players averaging double figures in scoring. Four players averaged at least 10.0 points per game in both the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons, however.
BACK ON TRACK
Since shooting .295 from three-point land in its first two games of the season, Oklahoma has rebounded sharply in the department. In its last seven games, OU has gone 61-for-141 from beyond the arc for a strong .433 percentage.
The Sooners now own a .400 three-point mark for the season and boast four players (Aaron McGhee, Kelley Newton, Hollis Price and J.R. Raymond) with a .372 or better figure. Interestingly, the school's career leader in three-point percentage entering the year (.420), senior guard Tim Heskett sports just a .250 percentage (11-for-44) through nine games.
Last year, the Sooners ranked second in the Big 12 with a .383 season three-point mark and two years ago finished second with a .388 percentage. The OU single-season record of .414 was set in 1986-87.
ANOTHER TOURNAMENT TROPHY
Oklahoma's tournament titles in the Sooner Invitational and the Big Island Invitational this season give the Sooners six straight in the regular season. Last year the Sooners won the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska, the Sooner Invitational in Norman and the All-College Tournament in Oklahoma City. OU also captured the All-College Tournament championship in the 1998-99 season. The Sooners' last loss in regular season tourney competition came to North Carolina State (62-58) in the final round of the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic in December 1998. Their winning streak stands at 14 games.
PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
In the annual preseason Big 12 media poll released Nov. 2, Oklahoma was picked to finish second in the league behind Kansas. Among the teams the Sooners were predicted to finish ahead of were Missouri (third), Texas (fourth), Iowa State (fifth) and Oklahoma State (sixth). OU was also picked second in the league race by conference coaches.
SAMPSON SIGNS PAIR OF RECRUITS
Head Coach Kelvin Sampson announced Nov. 7 that center Jabahri Brown and wing Matt Gipson have signed National Letters of Intent to play basketball at OU next season.
"Jabahri and Matt are two young men who give us a great follow-up to last year's outstanding recruiting class," said Sampson. "We really wanted to get better inside and be more athletic. We accomplished both goals by signing these two talented players."
A native of St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, the 6-11 Brown transferred to Rose State College in Midwest City, Okla., following his freshman year at Florida International University last season. Brown will transfer to OU at the end of the current semester and will be eligible to play for the Sooners following the conclusion of the fall 2001 semester when he will have sophomore status. He averaged 8.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.3 blocked shots and 1.6 steals in 24.3 minutes per game last season as a true freshman at Florida International.
Gipson is a 6-9 wing player from Burkburnett High School in Burkburnett, Texas, who averaged 21.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game as a junior last year. Compared in style by some to former Utah standout Keith Van Horn, Gipson helped his squad to a 24-11 record while earning unanimous all-district and all-region honors. Fastbreak Recruiting rates him as the fifth-best senior in the Midwest.
OU BOASTS NATION'S FOURTH-LONGEST POSTSEASON STREAK
Oklahoma has made 19 consecutive postseason appearances (15 NCAA and four NIT), the fourth-longest streak among Division I programs. Only North Carolina (34 years), Georgetown (26) and Indiana (23) own longer postseason streaks. The last time Oklahoma did not compete in the postseason was in 1980-81. The four longest current postseason streaks are as follows:
MODEL OF CONSISTENCY
Oklahoma has registered a winning record in 23 of its last 24 seasons. No other Big 12 team can boast as many winning campaigns since the 1975-76 season as the Sooners. OU has posted a 531-239 (.690) record over the past 24 years.
HEAD COACH KELVIN SAMPSON
Now in his 18th year as a collegiate head coach, Kelvin Sampson is in his seventh year at the Oklahoma helm. He has averaged 21.7 wins per season at OU and is one of two Big 12 coaches Kansas' Roy Williams is the other - to lead his team to the NCAA Tournament each of the last six seasons.
Sampson began his head coaching career in 1980 at Montana Tech when he was hired as the program's interim head coach. He recorded a 73-45 mark in four seasons and was inducted into the school's sports hall of fame three years ago.
In 1988, Sampson was named head coach at Washington State and compiled an even 103-103 record over seven years, including two 20-win campaigns.
Hired by Oklahoma on April 25, 1994, he has guided the Sooners to a 138-63 (.687) record and an 80-15 (.842) home mark. Two of his OU squads (1997-98 and 1999-00) have played in the Big 12 Tournament championship game. In 1998-99, he directed OU to an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearance.
Sampson was named the 1995 national coach of the year by the Associated Press, the USBWA and Basketball Times.
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