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
OU Men's Hoops Team Goes To College Station
February 02, 2001 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 2, 2001
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GAME INFORMATION
Ranked 24th in AP poll and 21st in the ESPN/USA Today coaches version, Oklahoma (16-4 overall, 5-3 Big 12) travels to College Station, Texas, Saturday for a game against Texas A&M (0-8, 6-14) at 12:45 p.m. CST inside Reed Arena. 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). Bill Doleman (play-by-play) and Reid Gettys (analyst) will announce.
OKLAHOMA UPDATE
The Sooners, 65-51 victors at Baylor Wednesday, carry a four-game winning streak into their game Saturday. OU began the Big 12 season 1-3 but now sits with a more comfortable 5-3 league mark. One of the keys to the team's recent success has been the play of junior guard J.R. Raymond. The reigning Big 12 Player of the Week has led the Sooners in scoring in three of the last four games and is averaging 21.5 points over the four-game stretch. Eighty-six of his 168 points this year (51 percent) and 19 of his 38 three-pointers (50 percent) have come in the last four outings. He is now averaging 9.6 points per game on the season.
Aaron McGhee leads the Sooners in scoring with his 14.3 points per game despite failing to reach double digits in three of the last four outings. The junior forward, who has scored at least 20 points seven times this year, also ranks third on the team with his 4.7 rebounds per contest. McGhee has battled foul trouble virtually all season and averages 23.1 minutes per game. He has committed at least four fouls in eight of the last nine contests.
Sophomore guard Hollis Price averages 13.1 points (a team-high 13.9 in Big 12 play) and team highs in assists (5.2 apg) and steals (2.0 spg). He has led the team in assists in 17 of 20 games.
Senior guard Nolan Johnson was 7-for-12 from the field against Baylor and scored a team-high 17 points to up his season average to 12.1 points per game. He had gone a combined 4-for-22 from the field in the previous three games. Johnson has grabbed 34 boards and gone 24-for-28 at the free throw line during OU's four-game winning streak.
Kelley Newton was 5-for-8 from three-point range Wednesday and is now shooting .495 from long range to rank second in the Big 12. The senior guard also ranks fourth with 2.5 treys per game.
TEXAS A&M UPDATE
Texas A&M enters Saturday's game having lost all eight of its conference contests. The Aggies are coming off an 81-61 loss at Texas Tuesday, a game in which they shot .351 compared to the Longhorns' .593 mark. In conference outings, Texas A&M is shooting .355 from the field while its foes have posted a .481 mark.
Sophomore guard Bernard King has led the team in scoring in nine of the last 10 games and is averaging a team-best 18.3 points per outing. He has made 43 three-pointers and also averages team highs in assists (4.5 apg) and steals (1.6 spg). Senior forward Carlton Brown ranks second on the squad with his 11.9 scoring average and paces the team with his 6.4 boards per game. Freshman forward Nick Anderson averages 8.4 points and 5.5 rebounds. Senior big man Aaron Jack, who averaged 4.9 points and 4.9 rebounds in 14 games this year, had his career end recently due to concussions. Jack is the son of former OU basketball and baseball standout Bobby Jack.
In his third year as the Aggies' head coach, Melvin Watkins has posted a 26-49 (.347) record at A&M. The former UNC Charlotte mentor is in his fifth year as a collegiate head coach and owns a 68-69 (.496) career record.
SERIES WITH TEXAS A&M
Oklahoma owns a 14-1 all-time series advantage over Texas A&M with its lone loss coming on a last-second basket in 1998-99 in College Station. The Sooners boast a 9-1 mark against the Aggies under Kelvin Sampson and are 4-1 all-time in College Station. Just over three weeks ago, OU posted a 78-65 win over A&M. The Sooners trailed much of the first half before rallying to take a 38-31 halftime lead. They made six three-pointers after the break and watched their lead hover around the 10-point mark much of the second stanza. Aaron McGhee, who was 10-for-12 from the foul line and 2-for-3 from three-point land, scored 13 of his game-high 24 points following intermission. Hollis Price contributed 17 points and five assists for OU while Daryan Selvy added 10 points, a game-high eight boards, three blocks and three steals. A&M's Bernard King scored all of his team-high 17 points after halftime.
RECAPPING THE BAYLOR CONTEST
Oklahoma bolted to a 7-0 lead and never looked back in a 65-51 road win over Baylor Wednesday night. The win, OU's 13th straight against the Bears and the eighth in a row in Waco, was the Sooners' fourth consecutive in Big 12 action. 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.
BAYLOR LEFTOVERS
PATCH HONORS OSU PLANE CRASH VICTIMS
The Sooners donned a black circular patch with an orange "O" inside it on their jerseys Wednesday 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 Saturday night's Oklahoma State charter plane crash.
GRIFFIN NO LONGER WITH TEAM
Head Coach Kelvin Sampson announced Monday that he and junior Ronnie Griffin have mutually agreed that Griffin will no longer continue as a member of the OU team. Griffin, who had missed the Sooners' last three games for violating team rules, averaged 4.8 points and 3.4 rebounds in 10.9 minutes per contest this year. The Louisville, Ky., native played in 13 games (started in eight) and posted a .575 field goal percentage. Griffin played last year at Tallahassee (Fla.) Community College.
OKLAHOMA'S BIG 12 HISTORY
The Sooners boast a 48-24 (.667) Big 12 regular season record in the league's four-plus years, second only to Kansas' 59-12 (.831) 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 27-9 league record at home and a 21-15 mark on the road.
ROAD WARRIORS
Oklahoma's 21-15 conference road record since Big 12 play began is the league's second best behind Kansas' 26-10 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 a 17-18 mark and is followed by Oklahoma State (16-19).
MESSING WITH TEXAS
Since Kelvin Sampson became OU head coach in 1994, the Sooners are 17-4 (.809) in games played in Texas. Oklahoma is 6-0 versus Baylor, 4-1 against Texas Tech, 3-1 against Texas A&M, 3-2 versus Texas and 1-0 against SMU.
BREAKING 80
In six-plus years under Kelvin Sampson, the Sooners sport an 83-10 (.892) mark when scoring at least 80 points. OU is 8-1 (.889) this year under the circumstance and 22-2 (.917) over the last two seasons.
EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND
A third-team All-Big 12 pick last year and the current Big 12 Player of the Week, junior guard J.R. Raymond has returned to form over the past four 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 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 the Jan. 24 win over Texas, Raymond canned five treys again and finished with a game-high 21 points. In OU's triumph over Nebraska last Saturday, he made six three-pointers (all in the first half) and scored a game-high 25 points. Wednesday at Baylor, Raymond was 3-for-4 from long range and finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
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 four games. He has led the team in scoring in three of the last four games and is now averaging 9.6 points, 2.2 assists and 2.0 treys per contest.
GUARDS SHOULDERING THE LOAD
In OU's seven Big 12 games, the team's guards have accounted for 66 percent of its points (368 of 559). That figure is even larger over the Sooners' last six games as the backcourt has scored 71 percent of OU's points (283 of 401).
FOES HELPING FROM THE LINE
During the Sooners' four-game winning streak, opponents have shot just .579 from the free throw line. Kansas State posted a .676 mark while Texas, Nebraska and Baylor shot .552, .444 and .611, respectively. OU is shooting .750 over the same span.
HANDLING WITH CARE
The Sooners committed 12 turnovers to Baylor's 11 on Wednesday, marking just the third time in 20 games this year that OU has made more miscues than its opponent. Oklahoma leads the Big 12 in turnovers per game (12.9) and turnover margin (+6.3). OU led the league with 12.8 turnovers per game last year. This year, opponents have committed 126 more miscues.
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. McGhee has recorded totals of 20, 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 (twice) points. On the year, McGhee is shooting .498 from the field, .500 from the three-point line and .764 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 .324 (24-for-74).
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 SNAPS MINI SHOOTING SLUMP
Senior Nolan Johnson, who ranks third on the team with his 12.1 scoring average, has been one of OU's most consistent players this season. Johnson hit his stride in late December and continued to score in bunches in early January, but then struggled from the field the OU's three games prior to Wednesday. In those three contests, the guard went 1-for-7 against Kansas State, 1-for-7 versus Texas and 2-for-8 against Nebraska for a combined .182 percentage (4-for-22). Johnson broke out of that slump, however, by making 7-of-12 shots and finishing with a team-high 17 points against Baylor.
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 14.8 points in the team's last 11 games. He is averaging 8.5 rebounds and 6.0 free throw makes over the last four outings.
NEWTON IS OU'S MAD BOMBER
Senior guard Kelley Newton, who canned 5-of-8 three-point tries Wednesday at Baylor, is enjoying a stellar season from beyond the three-point arc. Newton, who ranks second in the Big 12 in three-point percentage (.495) and fourth in three-pointers per game (2.5), has made at least one three-pointer in 16 of 20 games and at least two treys in 15 contests. He has raised his career three-point percentage to .441 (98-for-222). 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 five, has reached double digits in points 11 times this year. He ranks fourth on the squad with his 9.7 points per game.
PRICE IS RIGHT
Sophomore point guard Hollis Price is averaging a team-high 13.9 points in Big 12 play. In all games, Price ranks second on the squad in scoring with his 13.5 points per game. Price leads the team in assists (5.2 apg) and steals (2.0 spg) and also boasts a 2.3 assist-to-turnover ratio to rank sixth in the Big 12. Additionally, he has been OU's leading assist man in 17 of 20 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.
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 10 games, however, Heskett has gone 9-for-20 from long range (he has not attempted a trey in OU's last three games). 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).
NEAR THE TOP OF THE CHART...AGAIN
It should come as no surprise that Oklahoma ranks second in the Big 12 Conference in free throw percentage with its .737 season mark (Iowa State leads at .739). 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. Nolan Johnson, Aaron McGhee and J.R. Raymond have done it five times while Hollis Price has done it four times. Kelley Newton and Daryan Selvy have paced the team once each. Seven different Sooners have also led the team in rebounding this year.
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 146-66 (.689) record and an 84-16 (.840) 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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