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 Starts Year In Preseason NIT Monday
November 11, 2001 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 11, 2001
GAME INFORMATION
Ranked 25th and 23rd in the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls, respectively, Oklahoma starts its 2001-02 regular season in the Preseason NIT against Central Connecticut State Monday at 7 p.m. at the newly renovated 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 OU Associate Media Relations Director Mike Houck (analyst) calling the action. The season opener for both teams will not be televised.
Tickets are available and cost $15-20 for the general public and $10 for OU students.
PROJECTED OU STARTERS F 13 Aaron McGhee (6-8, 250, Sr.) C 42 Jozsef Szendrei (6-9, 240, Jr.) G 2 Ebi Ere (6-5, 215, Jr.) G 4 Quannas White (6-1, 190, Jr.) G 10 Hollis Price (6-1, 165, Jr.)
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
Central Connecticut State is coming off a 14-14 season in which it tied for fifth place in the Northeast Conference with an 11-9 record. Conference coaches picked the Blue Devils to finish fourth in this year's preseason league poll. Central Connecticut returns two starters from last year in first-team all- conference selection Corsley Edwards and league all-rookie team pick Ron Robinson. Edwards, a 6-9 senior center who is considered an NBA prospect, averaged 16.2 points and 7.9 rebounds per game as a junior while Robinson averaged 5.5 points and 7.6 boards per outing.
The Blue Devils won their only exhibition game, a 72-60 decision over Big Apple Basketball on Nov. 7. Playing without three regulars, CCSU used an 18-point, 14-rebound performance from Edwards to overcome a six-point second-half deficit and 24 turnovers. Central Connecticut shot .483 from the field and outrebounded Big Apple, 46-38. Robinson missed the game with tendonitis in his knee, sophomore forward Ricardo Scott sat out with a sore back and junior guard Damian Battles did not play due to an eye injury. All three are projected starters Monday night.
Head coach Howie Dickenman is in his sixth season at Central Connecticut and owns a 70-74 (.446) record. He was an All-American at CCSU and two-year team captain who became the first Blue Devil to record 1,000 career points and rebounds. He played from 1966-69.
OKLAHOMA UPDATE
Oklahoma won both of its exhibition games, the most recent an 85-56 triumph over the EA Sports Central All-Stars Friday night. OU shot just .375 from the field and .242 from three-point range but held a 56-40 rebounding advantage and forced 22 turnovers while committing just eight. Junior wing Jason Detrick and senior forward Daryan Selvy scored 16 points apiece while Hollis Price, Ebi Ere and Aaron McGhee added 15, 13 and 12, respectively. Ere also grabbed 13 rebounds to post a double-double while Selvy added eight boards and five steals. Price sank 3-of-6 three-point attempts and contributed seven rebounds and a team-high five assists. It was EA Sports' worst loss in eight contests and just its second by double digits.
Oklahoma notched its first win of the year last Monday, an 86-78 victory over Athletes First at the Howard McCasland Field House. Price led all Sooner scorers with 20 points while McGhee and Ere added 19 points each. Junior point guard Quannas White added 10 points and junior post Jozsef Szendrei pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds in 19 minutes of play. The Sooners shot just .390 from the field but performed nicely on the glass by posting a 49-39 advantage. OU grabbed 21 offensive boards to Athletes First's eight and the Sooners committed only 12 turnovers, six fewer than its opponent. Oklahoma, which led by as many as 15 (30-15) in the first half, carried a 46-33 lead into the halftime locker room but was outscored 45-40 in the second 20 minutes.
EXHIBITION LEFTOVERS
OKLAHOMA SCOUTING REPORT
The Sooners are coming off a 26-7 campaign in which they tied for second place in the Big 12. OU won the postseason league tournament, was ranked 13th in the final AP poll and earned its seventh consecutive NCAA Tournament berth.
This year's squad returns 45.4 percent of its scoring and 49.5 percent of its rebounding from last season. Back are senior forward Aaron McGhee and junior guard Hollis Price, the team's second and third-leading scorers a year ago. McGhee averaged 12.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per outing while Price averaged 11.8 points, a team-high 4.7 assists and team-best 1.9 steals. Also returning are senior forward Daryan Selvy (6.9 ppg and team-leading 5.2 rpg) and sophomore forward Johnnie Gilbert (2.3 ppg and 4.3 rpg). Junior center Jozsef Szendrei and redshirt freshman Blake Johnston saw very limited time early last season before missing the rest of the campaign due to injuries. Former walk-ons now on scholarship, Richard Ainooson and Michael Cano also return.
A highly rated class of recruits will see significant court time from the get-go. Junior wing Ebi Ere (pronounced EBB-ee ah-RAH), a second-team junior college All-American last year, will start. Fellow junior wing Jason Detrick is an athletic slasher who earned first-team juco All-America honors a year ago and should see plenty of action. Quannas White, another juco product, will play the point. White was Price's backcourt mate in high school and ran a similar offense to OU's the last two years in junior college. Matt Gipson is a talented freshman forward who is a redshirt candidate. Rounding out the class is Jabahri Brown, a 6-10 sophomore who is not eligible until the Dec. 15 game versus High Point. Brown, who began his career at Florida International, will likely start at center once he becomes eligible.
Also new to the team are freshmen Kenny Smith and Michael Liggett, both from Oklahoma City. Smith is a 6-4 guard while Liggett is a 6-6 forward.
OU IN SEASON OPENERS
Oklahoma has won 15 of its last 16 season-opening games with the lone defeat during the stretch coming to Massachusetts in 1993 (84-83). The Sooners are even more stingy in home openers as they have recorded a 21-1 mark the last 22 seasons (the Massachusetts game was played in Norman). Kelvin Sampson is 7-0 in season openers as OU's head coach.
SOONERS AND THE PRESEASON NIT
Oklahoma is making its fourth appearance in the Preseason NIT and 10th overall NIT appearance (OU has participated in six postseason NIT events). The Sooners are 3-3 in Preseason NIT competition and last participated during the 1995-96 season, Kelvin Sampson's second year as OU's head coach. Oklahoma beat Jackson State (99-68) in Norman that year before falling to Georgia Tech (83-72) at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The Sooners beat Brigham Young (119-110) and lost at UNLV (90-81) in the 1986 Preseason NIT and defeated New Orleans (95-65) before losing at Arkansas (110-88) in 1990.
THIS YEAR'S NIT
Should the Sooners win Monday versus Central Connecticut, they will play Wednesday against the winner of the Detroit-Michigan State game. Site and time of that contest will be announced following the first round. If OU wins its second game, it will advance to New York City to face DePaul, Fordham, Manhattan or Syracuse Nov. 21 inside Madison Square Garden. The Preseason NIT championship and consolation games will be held Nov. 23. If the Sooners make it to the title game they will play Arkansas, Fresno State, Maine, Montana State, Southern Cal, UNC Wilmington, Wake Forest or Wyoming.
BROWN BECOMES ELIGIBLE DEC. 15
Jabahri Brown, OU's 6-10, 210-pound sophomore center who is practicing with the team but ineligible to play in games due to transfer rules, will see his first action of the season Dec. 15 against High Point. A native of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Brown began his playing career at Florida International in 1999-2000 before transferring to Rose State College in Midwest City where he attended classes during the fall semester last year. He signed with OU last November and practiced with the Sooners during last year's spring semester. The athletic Brown will give Oklahoma a defensive presence Coach Sampson has been seeking in the middle for several years. Brown averaged 8.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots per game as a freshman at Florida International. He also competed this summer in the World University Games for the U.S. Virgin Islands and averaged 7.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.6 blocked shots.
ERE NAMED PRESEASON NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Junior guard Ebi Ere was named Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year by both league media and coaches. The 6-5, 215-pound Tulsa native was a second-team All-American at Barton County (Kan.) Community College last year when he averaged 25.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.6 blocked shots for his 29-9 squad. Ere, a unanimous NJCAA All-Tournament selection after averaging a tourney-high 32.3 points per game over four outings, was successful in his OU debut Monday against Athletes First. He averaged 16.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks in the Sooners' two exhibition victories.
BACK TO THE FUTURE
After playing its opening exhibition game at the Howard McCasland Field House, OU returned to its normal home, Lloyd Noble Center, for Friday's contest against the EA Sports Central All-Stars. Lloyd Noble Center is in the midst of a $17.1 million renovation and expansion project with the majority of the facelift to the existing arena recently completed. The renovation included a new ceiling, new and brighter "sports lighting" and the addition of retractable floor seating that will move fans closer to the playing surface. A new court is expected to be installed prior to Monday's regular season opener.
The expansion portion of the project will result in arguably the top collegiate basketball practice, training and office facility in the country. The OU men's and women's teams have each begun working out in brand new practice gyms and will soon have at their disposal new locker rooms, player lounges, film rooms, training rooms, meeting rooms, a hydrotherapy room, an X-ray and examination room, a weight room and coaching offices. The new 70,000-square-foot facility will also include a banquet room and a legacy lobby.
Oklahoma posted a 13-1 record at Lloyd Noble Center last season and is 88-16 (.846) in seven seasons inside the building under Kelvin Sampson.
PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
In the annual preseason Big 12 media poll released Oct. 30, Oklahoma was picked to finish fourth in the league race behind Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma State, respectively. Big 12 coaches also picked the Sooners to finish fourth behind the same three teams. Here are the preseason polls:
Big 12 Media Poll
Team (first-place votes) Points 1. Kansas (19) 344 2. Missouri (11) 324 3. Oklahoma State 289 4. Oklahoma 265 5. Texas 263 6. Iowa State 202 7. Colorado 175 8. Baylor 126 9. Texas Tech 116 10. Kansas State 107 11. Nebraska 64 12. Texas A&M 48
Big 12 Coaches Poll
Team (first-place votes) Points 1. Kansas (7) 126 2. Missouri (4) 111 3. Oklahoma State 100 4. Oklahoma (1) 92 5. Texas 85 6. Iowa State 64 7. Colorado 62 8. Kansas State 44 9. Baylor 40 10. Texas Tech 35 11. Texas A&M 25 12. Nebraska 18
MORE PRESEASON PICKS
Oklahoma is picked as high as 16th nationally (Blue Ribbon Yearbook and Dick Vitale) in preseason print and online publications. The Sooners have also been tabbed 19th (ESPN.com), 21st (Basketball News) and 24th (Athlon and Street & Smith's). OU is ranked 23rd in the initial ESPN/USA Today Top 25 Poll and 25th in the AP version.
BOOK IT
Kelvin Sampson: The OU Basketball Story is now in bookstores. Written by Dallas Morning News' Steve Richardson and released in October, the book chronicles the Oklahoma head coach's journey from his childhood days in North Carolina to coaching stints at Michigan State, Montana Tech and Washington State, and to his current position at OU. The 269-page book is filled with interviews and accounts of former players, coaches and associates. Retail price is $18.95.
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
OU BOASTS NATION'S FOURTH-LONGEST POSTSEASON STREAK
Oklahoma has made 20 consecutive postseason appearances (16 NCAA and four NIT), the fourth-longest streak among Division I programs. Only North Carolina (35 years), Georgetown (27) and Indiana (24) own longer postseason streaks. The last time Oklahoma did not compete in the postseason was in 1980-81.
HEAD COACH KELVIN SAMPSON
Now in his 19th year as a collegiate head coach, Kelvin Sampson is in his eighth year at the Oklahoma helm. He has averaged 22.3 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 seven seasons.
Sampson began his head coaching career in 1980 at Montana Tech when he was hired as the program's interim head coach. He went 73-45 in four seasons and was inducted into the school's sports hall of fame four 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 156-69 (.693) record and an 88-16 (.846) home mark. Three of his squads have played in the Big 12 Tournament championship game and last year's squad won the tournament title. 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.
AP TOP 25 POLL
Nov. 5, 2001
(First-place votes in parentheses)
School Record 1. Duke (61) 0-0 2. Maryland (1) 0-0 3. Illinois 0-0 4. Kentucky 0-0 5. UCLA 0-0 6. Florida 0-0 7. Kansas 0-0 8. Missouri 0-0 9. Iowa 0-0 10. St. Joseph's 0-0 11. Virginia 0-0 12. Memphis 0-0 13. Stanford 0-0 14. Georgetown 0-0 15. Michigan State 0-0 16. Temple 0-0 17. Boston College 0-0 18. Oklahoma State 0-0 19. North Carolina 0-0 20. Southern Cal 0-0 21. Syracuse 0-0 22. Indiana 0-0 23. Texas 0-0 24. Alabama 0-0 25. Oklahoma 0-0
ESPN/USA TODAY TOP 25 POLL
Nov. 1, 2001
(First-place votes in parentheses)
School Record 1. Duke (30) 35-4 2. Illinois (1) 27-8 3. Maryland 25-11 4. Kentucky 24-10 5. Florida 24-7 6. UCLA 23-9 7. Kansas 26-7 8. Iowa 23-12 9. Missouri 20-13 10. St. Joseph's 26-7 11. Virginia 20-9 12. Michigan State 28-5 13. Memphis 21-15 14. Georgetown 25-8 15. Stanford 31-3 16. Boston College 27-5 17. Temple 24-13 18. Oklahoma State 20-10 19. North Carolina 26-7 20. Syracuse 25-9 21. Indiana 21-13 22. Texas 25-9 23. Oklahoma 26-7 24. Southern Cal 24-10 25. Fresno State 26-7
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