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 Basketball Goes For Third Straight Win
January 26, 2001 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 26, 2001
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GAME INFORMATION
Ranked 24th in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll, Oklahoma (14-4 overall, 3-3 Big 12) hosts Nebraska (9-9, 2-3) Saturday at 12:45 p.m. CST inside Lloyd Noble Center. 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 ESPN Plus (KFOR Channel 4 in OKC and KJRH Channel 2 in Tulsa). Chuck Cooperstein (play-by-play) and Chris Piper (analyst) will announce.
OKLAHOMA UPDATE
After beginning the Big 12 season with a 1-3 record, Oklahoma has won its last two league games. The most recent was a 75-68 home triumph over rival Texas Wednesday in which J.R. Raymond made five three-pointers en route to a game-high 21-points. It marked the second straight game that Raymond converted five three-pointers (he scored 25 points in OU's overtime win at Kansas State last Saturday). Forty-six of the point guard's 143 points (32 percent) and 10 of his 29 three-pointers (34 percent) this year have come in the last two games.
Despite recording just four points against Kansas State, Aaron McGhee leads the Sooners in scoring with his 14.7 points per game on the year. The junior forward, who has scored at least 22 points six times this year, also ranks third on the team with his 4.8 rebounds per outing and leads the squad with a .519 three-point mark (14-for-27). Over the team's last four games, McGhee has struggled shooting the ball and sports just a .211 mark from the field (8-for-38).
Sophomore guard Hollis Price averages 13.8 points (a team-high 16.3 in Big 12 play) and team highs in assists (5.3 apg) and steals (2.1 spg). Price, who has led the team in assists in 16 of 18 games, ranks second in the Big 12 with a 2.4 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Senior guards Nolan Johnson and Kelley Newton average 11.9 and 9.9 points per game on the year, respectively. Johnson, who has converted 23 consecutive free throw attempts, has been a consistent scorer for more than a month. Newton ranks third in the Big 12 in three-point percentage (.489) and fifth in three-pointers per contest (2.4), but is 2-for-9 from long range over the past three games.
A starter in the past two outings, freshman forward Johnnie Gilbert is averaging 3.2 points and a team-high 5.6 points in Big 12 play. He is coming off a career-high-tying six-point performance versus Texas.
NEBRASKA UPDATE
An 85-79 winner over Missouri Wednesday, Nebraska has been victorious is just two of its last eight games. Three of the losses during the span, however, were by a combined seven points (at Minnesota, at Missouri and versus Iowa State). The Huskers, who are shooting an impressive .496 from the field this year, are 0-5 on the road and 0-2 away from home in conference play. Their league wins have come against Texas and Missouri while their losses have been at Missouri, at Kansas and versus Iowa State.
Senior guard Cookie Belcher, the Big 12 leader in steals (2.9 spg), paces Nebraska in the scoring and assists departments with his 15.3 and 4.2 respective averages. Senior frontcourt members Kimani Ffriend and Steffon Bradford have been a force this year. Ffriend averages 14.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.1 blocked shots per game while Bradford averages 13.0 points and 8.7 boards. Ffriend also leads the league with his .679 field goal percentage while Bradford owns a .599 season mark. Junior guard Cary Cochran ranks second in the conference in both three-point percentage (.500) and three-pointers per game (2.8).
Barry Collier is in his first season as Nebraska's head coach. He spent the past 11 years as the head coach at Butler University and posted a 196-132 (.598) record. He directed Butler to three NCAA Tournament and three NIT appearances.
SERIES WITH NEBRASKA
Oklahoma leads the overall series with Nebraska, 96-78, and is 11-5 in the last 16 meetings. The Sooners also sport a 55-20 mark against the Huskers in Norman. Kelvin Sampson is 5-3 against NU as OU's head coach and owns a 3-1 record at Lloyd Noble Center. Nebraska was victorious two years ago (the last meeting in Norman), 96-81. Nebraska shot .660 from the field and handed OU its second-worst defeat in Lloyd Noble history.
Last year in Lincoln, the Sooners rebounded for a 62-54 victory despite their .344 field goal performance. OU bolted to a 15-point first-half victory but suffered a nearly seven-minute scoreless drought and had to hang on down the stretch. J.R. Raymond and Nolan Johnson each scored 14 points for Oklahoma and Eduardo Najera added 10 points and a game-high 13 rebounds for his 12th double-double of the season. Larry Florence scored a game-high 17 points for Nebraska and was the only Husker in double figures.
RECAPPING THE TEXAS CONTEST
Junior guard J.R. Raymond made five three-pointers for the second straight contest and finished with a game-high 21 points as Oklahoma downed Texas, 75-68, Wednesday night in Norman. The Sooners shot .418 from the field, their highest figure over the past four games, and limited the Longhorns to a .373 mark. Texas also had trouble from the free throw line where it turned in a 16-for-29 (.552) performance. OU, which trailed just once the entire evening (5-3 after a Maurice Evans three-pointer), led by as many as eight in the first half before settling for a 32-29 halftime advantage. A Raymond trey with 16:39 left in the game pushed the Sooners' lead to 11, their largest of the night, before Texas used a 12-2 run to make the score 47-46 midway through the second half. OU quickly responded with an 8-0 run to go back up by nine and fended off a couple of late Texas rallies that trimmed the lead to as little as three points. Hollis Price (17) and Nolan Johnson (10) joined Raymond in double digits while Jameel Heywood added a season-high nine points for the Sooners. Johnson also grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds for his second double-double of the year. Evans led four Longhorns in double figures with his 15 points and also grabbed a team-high 10 boards. Darren Kelly and Chris Owens, who combined to average 32.9 points entering the game, totaled 17.
TEXAS LEFTOVERS
SATURDAY IS MOOKIE BLAYLOCK DAY
Mookie Blaylock, a 1989 first-team All-American for the Sooners, will be honored at halftime of Saturday's game with the retirement of his jersey, OU's career leader in steals (281) and steals per game (3.8), Blaylock will attend the game with his wife (Janelle) and three sons (Daron, Zackary and Dominick). The former NBA All-Star will become the third former Sooner to have his jersey hang from Lloyd Noble Center's ceiling (Wayman Tisdale and Alvan Adams are the others).
OKLAHOMA'S BIG 12 HISTORY
The Sooners boast a 46-24 (.657) Big 12 regular season record in the league's four-plus years, second only to Kansas' 57-12 (.826) mark. OU finished 9-7 (fifth place) in 1997, 11-5 (tied for second) in both 1998 and 1999, and 12-4 (tied for third) last year. Kelvin Sampson's Big 12 squads have posted a 26-9 league record at home and a 20-15 mark on the road.
HESKETT EXPECTED TO PLAY
Senior Tim Heskett missed Wednesday's game versus Texas after aggravating a disc in his lower back during practice Monday. The guard was forced to redshirt the 1997-98 season due to an injury in the same area. Heskett is expected to play Saturday versus the Huskers, however.
EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND
A third-team All-Big 12 pick last year, junior guard J.R. Raymond has returned to form over the past two games after enduring a lengthy slump. Raymond entered last Saturday's game against Kansas State averaging just 6.5 points and had totaled just seven points over the Sooners' previous five contests. A switch back to point guard - the position he played the majority of last season when he averaged 13.4 points per game - seemed to jump start the Gastonia, N.C., native, however, as he made five three-pointers and scored a season-high 25 points against the Wildcats. In Wednesday's win over Texas, Raymond canned five treys again and finished with a game-high 21 points.
A member of last year's Big 12 All-Newcomer Team, Raymond made 95 three-pointers - the second most in OU single-season history - but had only 19 three-point makes this year prior to OU's last two games. He is now averaging 8.4 points, 2.0 assists and 1.7 treys per game.
SHOULDERING THE LOAD
In OU's six Big 12 games, the team's guards have accounted for 65 percent of its points (272 of 417). That figure is even larger over the Sooners' last four games as the backcourt has scored 72 percent of OU's points (187 of 259).
SHOOTING WOES
The Sooners are shooting just .393 from the field in conference play and a mere .352 in their last four outings. Prior to Big 12 action, Oklahoma sported a .491 field goal mark and cracked the .500 mark six times in 12 outings. The team has shot .500 just once in six league games, however (.526 in opener at Iowa State).
HANDLING WITH CARE
The Sooners committed a season-high-tying 16 turnovers versus Texas but still lead the Big 12 in turnovers per game (12.9) and turnover margin (+6.9). Oklahoma has committed more turnovers than its opponents in just two of 18 games this season. OU led the league with 12.8 turnovers per game last year.
GILBERT PROVIDING A SPARK
Freshman Johnnie Gilbert has performed admirably in OU's last four games, the last two as a starter. The forward scored a career-high-tying six points Wednesday versus Texas and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds last Saturday at Kansas State in a career-high 31 minutes of action. In 28 minutes at Texas Tech Jan. 16, Gilbert hauled in a game-high nine boards. And against Kansas Jan. 13, the Minneapolis, Minn., product blocked a career-high five shots, all in the first half, and grabbed five boards in just 14 minutes.
Gilbert missed two games in December after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee to repair torn cartilage. He is averaging 2.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks on the year. His 5.6 rebounds per game in Big 12 play are a team high.
McGHEE EXPERIENCING ROLLERCOASTER SEASON
OU's leading scorer and third-leading rebounder, Aaron McGhee has experienced a solid season, for sure. However, the junior forward has had a several dips this year, as well, including the last two games when he's totaled 10 points. McGhee has recorded totals of 22, 24, 26, 27, 28 and 32 points so far this year, but has also logged games of zero, three, four, five, six (twice), eight and nine points. On the year, McGhee is shooting .497 from the field, .519 from the three-point line and .750 from the foul line. Since the Big 12 opener at Iowa State when he was 7-for-8 from the field, he is shooting just .259 (14-for-54).
McGhee was a first-team junior college All-American last year at Vincennes (Ind.) University. He was named the MVP of the national junior college tournament when he averaged 34.5 points.
JOHNSON CONTINUES TO PLAY WELL
Senior Nolan Johnson has been OU's most consistent player over the last 14 games, scoring in double figures in 11 of those outings. Not including a zero-point performance against Texas A&M Jan. 9 when he did not attempt a field goal and played just 10 minutes due to a sprained right knee, Johnson is averaging 15.0 points in the team's last nine games.
The former Brooklyn (N.Y.) Player of the Year as a high school senior, Johnson is shooting .456 from the field and .887 (63-71) from the free throw line on the season. He is now averaging 11.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game on the year. His 12 boards Wednesday versus Texas were a career high and he is averaging 10.0 rebounds over the past two games.
NEWTON IS OU'S MAD BOMBER
Senior guard Kelley Newton is enjoying a stellar season from beyond the three-point arc. Newton who ranks third in the Big 12 in three-point percentage (.489) and fifth in three-pointers per game (2.4), has made at least one three-pointer in 15 of 18 games and at least two treys in 14 contests. He has raised his career three-point percentage to .437 (93-for-213). 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 tries versus Coppin State Dec. 16 en route to a career-high 26 points. He was also 6-for-9 from downtown while scoring 20 points Dec. 30 versus SMU in the All-College Tournament final.
Newton, who has started 10 games but has come off the bench the last four, has reached double digits in points 10 times this year. He ranks fourth on the squad with his 9.9 points per game.
PRICE IS RIGHT
Sophomore point guard Hollis Price is averaging a team-high 16.3 points in Big 12 play. In all games, Price ranks second on the squad in scoring with his 13.8 points per game. Price leads the team in assists (5.3 apg) and steals (2.1 spg) and also boasts a 2.4 assist-to-turnover ratio to rank second in the Big 12. Additionally, he has been OU's leading assist man in 16 of 18 games.
A member of last year's Big 12 All-Freshman Team, Price 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.
HESKETT RETURNING TO FORM
Tim Heskett, a fifth-year senior who was OU's career leader in three-point percentage entering the year with his .420 mark, has seen his season percentage rise recently after a dismal start to the year. The Lexington, S.C., product made just 12 of his first 49 three-point tries this year for a .245 mark. Over the last eight games, however, Heskett has gone 9-for-20 from long range. He is now shooting .304 from beyond the arc on the season. Heskett ranks second in OU history in both three-point makes (204) and three-point attempts (505).
OU LEADS LEAGUE IN FREE THROW PERCENTAGE
It should come as no surprise that Oklahoma leads the Big 12 Conference in free throw percentage with its .731 season mark. Under Kelvin Sampson, the Sooners have finished first or second in the conference in free throw shooting every season except 1998-99.
WHO WILL IT BE?
Six different Sooners have led the team in scoring this season. Aaron McGhee has done it five times while Hollis Price, Nolan Johnson and J.R. Raymond have done it four times apiece. Kelley Newton and Daryan Selvy have paced the team once each. Seven different Sooners have also led the team in rebounding this year.
SEVEN STRAIGHT TOURNAMENT CROWNS
Oklahoma's tournament titles in the Sooner Invitational, the Big Island Invitational and the All-College Tournament this year marked its fifth, sixth and seventh in a row 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 regular-season tournament winning streak stands at 16 games.
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
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 144-66 (.686) record and an 83-16 (.838) 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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