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 Team Tries To Get Back On Winning Track
February 16, 2001 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 16, 2001
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GAME INFORMATION
Ranked 13th in the AP poll and 14th in the ESPN/USA Today version, Oklahoma (19-5 overall, 8-4 Big 12) hosts Baylor (16-6, 5-6) Saturday at 3 p.m. CST inside Lloyd Noble Center. The game will air live on the Sooner Basketball Radio Network (flagship KRXO 107.7 FM in Oklahoma City) with Bob Barry, Sr. (play-by-play) and Mark Mathew (analyst) calling the action. The contest will also be televised regionally by ESPN Plus (KFOR Channel 4 in OKC and KJRH Channel 2 in Tulsa). Brad Sham (play-by-play) and Chris Piper (analyst) will announce.
OKLAHOMA UPDATE
The Sooners dropped to third place in the Big 12 following their 72-44 setback at Oklahoma State Wednesday. The loss put an end to their seven-game winning and four-game road winning streaks, as well as their two-game winning skein at Gallagher-Iba Arena. OU shot just .341 from the field and .154 from three-point range in the contest as it suffered its largest margin of defeat (28 points) under seventh-year Head Coach Kelvin Sampson.
A main key to the team's success over the last month has been the play of junior J.R. Raymond. The point guard has led the Sooners in scoring in four of the last eight games and is averaging 18.5 points during the stretch. Of his 245 points this year, 148 (60 percent) have come in the last eight outings. Twenty-nine of his 48 three-pointers (60 percent) have also come during that span. He was held to seven points Wednesday, his lowest output since Jan. 16 at Texas Tech, and is now averaging 10.7 points per outing
Following a mild slump, Aaron McGhee has returned to form over the past six games and leads the Sooners in scoring with his 14.2 points per game on the season. The junior forward, who has scored at least 20 points eight times this year, also ranks second on the team with his 4.7 rebounds per contest. McGhee has battled foul trouble virtually all season and averages 23.5 minutes per game.
Reigning Big 12 Player of the Week Nolan Johnson averages 12.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.6 steals per contest. The senior guard leads the Big 12 with his .868 free throw percentage and has made 56-of-63 foul shots in the last nine games (.889). In the last eight games, he is averaging 6.9 rebounds per outing.
Despite averaging just 5.5 points over the last six outings, sophomore guard Hollis Price ranks third on the squad with his 11.7 scoring average. He also averages team highs in assists (4.8 apg) and steals (1.9 spg). He has led the team in assists in 19 of 24 games.
Senior reserve guard Kelley Newton is shooting .474 from long range to rank third in the Big 12 and also ranks fifth in the league with his 2.3 treys per contest. He has made at least one trey in 20 of 24 games and is averaging 9.1 points per outing.
BAYLOR UPDATE
Since dropping a 65-51 decision at home to Oklahoma Jan. 31, Baylor has won three of four games, including its last two. The Bears are coming off a stunning 85-77 home win over sixth-ranked Kansas on Monday in which they led 47-22 at halftime. With a 5-6 league mark, Baylor has posted more wins in conference play this year than it did the previous two combined (four). The Bears are 3-4 on the road this season and 13-2 at home. In Big 12 games, they are 1-4 on the road with their lone victory coming at Kansas State (63-55). They have lost at Texas Tech (68-58), Texas (73-66 in OT), Iowa State (72-51) and Texas A&M (73-69).
Senior forward Terry Black registered 20 points, six rebounds, three assists, four steals and six dunks in BU's win over Kansas and leads the team this year in scoring (16.0 ppg), rebounding (8.3 rpg), steals (2.5 spg) and field goal percentage (.640). Senior guard DeMarcus Minor averages 14.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and a team-high 4.5 assists per outing while sophomore backcourt mate Wendell Greenleaf averages 11.7 points and 2.7 assists. Baylor leads the Big 12 in steals per game (9.2) and ranks third in field goal percentage defense (.389).
In his second year as Baylor head coach is former Sooners mentor Dave Bliss. Bliss, who began his head coaching career at Oklahoma in 1975, racked up a 77-62 record in Norman and was named Big Eight Coach of the Year in two of his five seasons. He guided the Sooners to the 1979 NCAA Tournament, their first appearance since 1947. Bliss, who also posted a 142-101 mark in eight seasons at SMU and a 246-108 record in 11 years at New Mexico, is 495-292 (.629) in his career. He is 30-21 (.588) at Baylor.
SERIES WITH BAYLOR
Oklahoma owns an 18-5 series lead over Baylor and has won its last 13 games versus the Bears. The Sooners are 8-2 in Norman, 8-2 in Waco and 2-1 at neutral sites. OU has won the last five meetings in Norman. Its only loss to the Bears at Lloyd Noble Center came in 1977-78 (75-67).
In the first meeting this year on Jan. 31 in Waco, OU bolted to a 7-0 lead and never looked back in a 65-51 triumph. The win marked OU's eighth in a row at Baylor. Nolan Johnson scored a team-high 17 points and added seven rebounds, two assists and two steals for OU while J.R. Raymond and Kelley Newton scored 15 each with deadly three-point shooting (Raymond was 3-for-4 and Newton was 5-for-8). Raymond also recorded game highs with eight boards and six assists. The Sooners led by as many as 10 points in the first half before settling for a 31-24 halftime lead as Baylor shot just .286 from the field. OU scored the first five points of the second half to go up by 12 and never led by less than eight the rest of the way. The Sooners' largest lead was 16 points. The Bears' .311 field goal percentage was the lowest by an OU opponent this year. Baylor also turned in just a .063 three-point performance (1-for-16). Greg Davis paced the Bears with a career-high 18 points and eight rebounds while Terry Black added 14 points and seven boards.
RECAPPING THE OKLAHOMA STATE CONTEST
Oklahoma State halted OU's seven-game winning streak Wednesday in Stillwater by dominating a 72-44 contest. The Sooners recorded season lows in points, field goals (15), field goal attempts (44), three-point field goals (2), three-point percentage (.154) and steals (2). The Cowboys, meanwhile, shot .571 from the field (the best figure against an OU foe this year) and posted a 32-22 rebounding advantage to improve to 9-0 at home. Oklahoma State never trailed in the contest and used 18-first half points by Victor Williams to take a 36-18 lead to the locker room. The sophomore guard added eight more in the second half to help OSU increase its margin to as many as 31 (68-37 with 5:25 to go). In addition to his game-high 26 points, Williams added five rebounds and three assists. He was followed in scoring by Fredrik Jonzen (15) and Maurice Baker (13). Nolan Johnson (12 points) was the only Sooner to score in double figures. He and J.R. Raymond paced the team with five boards apiece. The 28-point loss was the largest for OU under seventh-year Head Coach Kelvin Sampson (the previous mark of 27 was set at Iowa State in 1997-98).
OKLAHOMA STATE LEFTOVERS
PATCH HONORS OSU PLANE CRASH VICTIMS
The Sooners began donning a black circular patch with an orange "O" inside it on their jerseys Jan. 31 versus Baylor. The patch, which appears on the upper left chest, will be worn for the rest of the season to honor the 10 victims of the Jan. 27 Oklahoma State charter plane crash. OU is also wearing the black jersey bands issued by the Big 12 Conference.
SELVY OK FOLLOWING COLLAPSE
Junior forward Daryan Selvy fell to the floor near midcourt with 2:28 remaining in Wednesday's game at Oklahoma State as a result of severe stomach cramps. OU doctors and trainers tended to Selvy for several minutes before he rose and walked to the locker room where he was further treated. Selvy, who averages 6.9 points and a team-high 5.5 rebounds per game, was cleared by doctors to practice Thursday and is expected to play Saturday versus Baylor.
SOLID DOWN THE STRETCH
Since Kelvin Sampson became OU's head coach prior to the 1994-95 season, the Sooners are 39-17 (.696) in February and March regular season games. Oklahoma is 16-5 (.762) in the regular season in those two months since the 1998-99 campaign began.
GUARDS SHOULDERING THE LOAD
In OU's 12 Big 12 games, the team's guards have accounted for 66 percent of its points (546 of 830). That figure is even larger over the Sooners' last 10 games as the backcourt has scored 69 percent of OU's points (463 of 672).
TOPPING THE FREE THROW CHARTS...AGAIN
It should come as no surprise that Oklahoma leads the Big 12 Conference in free throw percentage with its .746 season mark. Under Kelvin Sampson, the Sooners have finished first or second in the conference in free throw shooting every season except 1998-99. The Sooners have shot .700 or better from the line in 11 of 12 conference games and have posted an .800-or-better mark in four of the last six outings. Over its last eight games, the team is shooting .771 from the charity stripe (138-for-179).
Three Sooners rank in the top 11 in the league in free throw shooting. Nolan Johnson (.868) ranks first, Aaron McGhee (.788) is eighth and Hollis Price (.774) ranks 11th.
MESSING WITH TEXAS
Oklahoma's 75-54 win at Texas last Saturday improved Kelvin Sampson's record against teams from the state of Texas to 52-8 (.867) in his six-plus years at OU. During the same span, Oklahoma is 19-4 (.826) in games played in Texas. Oklahoma is 6-0 at Baylor, 4-1 at Texas Tech and Texas A&M, 4-2 at Texas and 1-0 at SMU.
SAMPSON JOINS WILLIAMS IN 50-WIN CLUB
Kelvin Sampson won his 50th Big 12 league game last Wednesday against Texas Tech. Only Sampson (51-25) and Kansas' Roy Williams (60-15) have posted more than 50 wins in the Big 12 regular season.
OKLAHOMA'S BIG 12 HISTORY
The Sooners boast a 51-25 (.671) Big 12 regular season record in the league's four-plus years, second only to Kansas' 60-15 (.800) 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 28-9 league record at home and a 23-16 mark on the road.
ROAD WARRIORS
Oklahoma's 23-16 conference road record since Big 12 play began is the league's second best behind Kansas' 26-11 record. Since the Big 12's inception prior to the 1996-97 season, no other conference team has an aggregate winning road record. Texas ranks third with an 18-19 mark and is followed by Oklahoma State (16-21).
BREAKING 80
In six-plus years under Kelvin Sampson, the Sooners sport an 84-10 (.894) mark when scoring at least 80 points. OU is 9-1 (.900) this year under the circumstance and 23-2 (.920) over the last two seasons.
HANDLING WITH CARE
Despite committing more turnovers than their opponents in three of the last five games, OU leads the Big 12 in turnovers per game (12.6) and turnover margin (+5.6). OU led the league with 12.8 turnovers per game last year. This year, opponents have committed 135 more miscues. The Sooners have committed more turnovers than their foes in just five games.
EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND
A third-team All-Big 12 pick last year, junior guard J.R. Raymond has returned to form over the past eight games after enduring a lengthy slump. Raymond entered OU's game against Kansas State Jan. 20 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 jumpstart the Gastonia, N.C., native, however, as he made five three-pointers and scored a season-high 25 points against the Wildcats. With the exception of his seven-point performance Wednesday at Oklahoma State, Raymond has continued his torrid pace. Over the past eight games, Raymond is averaging 18.5 points and 3.6 treys.
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 eight games (he now has 48). He has led the team in scoring in four of the last eight games and is now averaging 10.7 points, 2.3 assists and 2.1 treys per contest.
STEADY JOHNSON NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior guard Nolan Johnson, who ranks second on the team with his 12.6 scoring average, has been one of OU's most consistent players this season and was named Big 12 Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 19.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals in OU's two wins last week. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native has scored in double figures in seven straight games and turned in a career-high 23-point, eight-rebound effort at Texas last Saturday. Over the past eight games, Johnson is averaging 13.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.9 steals. He has also made 50-of-57 free throw tries during the stretch (.877) and leads the Big 12 with his .868 season free throw mark.
McGHEE EXPERIENCING ROLLERCOASTER SEASON
OU's leading scorer and second-leading rebounder, Aaron McGhee has experienced a solid season, for sure. However, the junior forward has had a several dips this year, as well. McGhee has recorded totals of 20, 22 (twice), 24, 26, 27, 28 and 32 points so far this year, but has also logged games of zero, three, four, five, six (twice), eight (twice) and nine (twice) points. On the year, McGhee is shooting .485 from the field, .472 from the three-point line and .788 from the foul line.
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.
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 (.474) and fifth in three-pointers per game (2.3), has made at least one three-pointer in 20 of 24 games and at least two treys in 16 contests. He has raised his career three-point percentage to .435 (104-for-239). 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 nine, has reached double digits in points 12 times this year. He ranks fifth on the squad with his 9.1 points per game.
PRICE IS RIGHT
Sophomore guard Hollis Price ranks third on the squad in scoring with his 11.7 points per game, but is averaging just 4.3 field goal attempts and 5.5 points over the last six contests. Price, who plays a team-high 32.7 minutes per game, never struggles in finding ways to help his team, though. He leads the squad in assists (4.8 apg) and steals (1.9 spg) and also boasts a 2.2 assist-to-turnover ratio to rank fourth in the Big 12. Additionally, he has been OU's leading assist man in 19 of 24 games.
A member of last year's Big 12 All-Freshman Team, Price has 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.
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 transferred to OU at the end of the fall 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.
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 149-67 (.690) record and an 85-16 (.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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