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 Basketball Plays At Texas Saturday On ESPN
February 09, 2001 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 9, 2001
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GAME INFORMATION
Ranked 21st in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls, Oklahoma (18-4 overall, 7-3 Big 12) travels to face Texas (17-6, 6-3) Saturday night at 8 CST inside the Frank Erwin Center. Texas is ranked 25th in the ESPN/USA Today poll. 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 nationally by ESPN. Ron Franklin (play-by-play) and Jon Sundvold (analyst) will announce.
GAME INFORMATION
Ranked 21st in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls, Oklahoma (18-4 overall, 7-3 Big 12) travels to face Texas (17-6, 6-3) Saturday night at 8 CST inside the Frank Erwin Center. Texas is ranked 25th in the ESPN/USA Today poll. 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 nationally by ESPN. Ron Franklin (play-by-play) and Jon Sundvold (analyst) will announce.
OKLAHOMA UPDATE
Winners of six straight (including their last three on the road), the Sooners enter the weekend alone in third place in the Big 12 with a 7-3 record after beginning league play with a 1-3 mark. OU is coming off an 80-72 home win over Texas Tech Wednesday in which it grabbed a season-high 26 offensive rebounds. The Sooners, which shot just .373 from the field and .292 from three-point range, forced 18 Texas Tech turnovers while committing just nine.
One of the keys to the team's recent success has been the play of junior guard J.R. Raymond. Last week's Big 12 Player of the Week has led the Sooners in scoring in four of the last six games and is averaging 20.3 points over the six-game streak. Of his 219 points this year, 122 (56 percent) have come in the last six outings. Twenty-three of his 42 three-pointers (55 percent) have also come during that span. He scored a game-high 19 points versus the Red Raiders and is now averaging 10.4 points per game on the season.
Following a mild slump, Aaron McGhee has returned to form the past four games (16.0 ppg) and leads the Sooners in scoring with his 14.5 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 4.8 rebounds per contest. McGhee has battled foul trouble virtually all season and averages 23.4 minutes per game. He has committed at least four fouls in eight of the last 11 contests.
Despite averaging just 6.3 points over the last four outings, sophomore guard Hollis Price ranks second on the squad with his 12.4 scoring average. He also averages team highs in assists (5.1 apg) and steals (2.0 spg). He has led the team in assists in 19 of 22 games.
A consistent double-digit scorer, senior Nolan Johnson averages 12.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.6 steals. The guard ranks second in the Big 12 with his .869 free throw percentage and has made 45 of 50 foul shots in the last seven games (.900).
Kelley Newton was 3-for-7 from three-point land Wednesday and is now shooting .491 from long range to rank third in the Big 12. The senior guard also ranks fifth with 2.4 treys per game.
TEXAS UPDATE
Since its 75-68 loss to OU on Jan. 24, Texas is 2-2 with wins over Texas A&M (81-61) and Colorado (77-72) and losses at Arizona (80-52) and Kansas (82-66). The Longhorns are 13-0 at home this season and own the nation's fourth-longest home winning streak at 25 games. Texas has won its four league home games by an average of 14.0 points.
Senior guard Darren Kelly, who scored 25 points in UT's win at Colorado Wednesday, averages team highs in points (17.9 ppg), assists (3.3 apg) and steals (1.5 spg). He has scored in double figures in nine straight games and is averaging 21.0 points over the last three outings. Junior guard/forward Maurice Evans averages 15.5 points and 2.4 treys per game while junior forward Chris Owens averages 14.1 points per contest, as well as team highs in rebounding (8.4 rpg) and blocked shots (2.9 bpg). Freshman forward James Thomas (.520) is the only Longhorn shooting above .500 from the field.
In his third year at Texas, Rick Barnes is 60-28 (.682) as the Longhorns' head coach. He coached the 1987-88 season at George Mason (20-10), the next six at Providence (108-76) and the following four at Clemson (74-48). Barnes owns a 262-162 (.618) career record.
SERIES WITH TEXAS
Oklahoma owns a commanding 37-16 series lead over Texas and has won 19 of the last 23 matchups. The Sooners are 13-9 versus the Longhorns in Austin and have won three of the last five games there, all under Kelvin Sampson. Sampson is 10-3 versus Texas as OU's head coach.
On Jan. 24, J.R. Raymond drained five three-pointers and scored a game-high 21 points as OU downed UT in Norman, 75-68. The Sooners, who trailed just once the entire evening (5-3 early in the contest), led by three at halftime and by as many as 11 in the second half before fending off a couple of late Texas rallies for the seven-point win. Hollis Price (17) and Nolan Johnson (10) joined Raymond in double figures 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 digits with his 15 points and also grabbed a team-high 10 boards. Texas shot .373 from the field and .552 (16-for-29) from the foul line.
RECAPPING THE TEXAS TECH CONTEST
OU overcame .373 field goal and .292 three-point shooting to edge Texas Tech in Norman Wednesday, 80-72. J.R. Raymond led five Sooners in double figures with a game-high 19 points as OU matched its longest winning streak of the year at six games. Oklahoma used a 14-0 first-half run to take a 22-10 lead but had to settle for a 37-35 halftime edge. The Red Raiders took several one-point leads early in the second half before OU went up 59-50 with 9:09 remaining. Tech responded to take a 69-67 advantage on a Mikey Marshall basket with 3:42 left, but the Sooners outscored the Raiders 13-4 down the stretch to earn the victory. OU registered a season-high 26 offensive rebounds and finished with a 47-36 overall board advantage. Nolan Johnson recorded 15 points, seven rebounds and three steals for OU and was followed in scoring by Aaron McGhee (13), Kelley Newton (13) and Daryan Selvy (12). Selvy also corralled a career-high 12 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. Jayson Mitchell scored a team-high 16 points for Tech while Andre Emmett added 15. The Red Raiders fell to 8-11 overall and 2-6 in the Big 12.
TEXAS TECH 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.
SAMPSON JOINS WILLIAMS IN 50-WIN CLUB
Kelvin Sampson won his 50th Big 12 league game Wednesday against Texas Tech. Only Sampson (50-24) and Kansas' Roy Williams (59-14) have posted 50 or more wins in the Big 12 regular season.
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 .745 season mark. Under Kelvin Sampson, the Sooners have finished first or second in the conference in free throw shooting every season except 1998-99. Three Sooners rank in the top 12 in the league in free throw shooting. Nolan Johnson (.869) ranks second, Hollis Price (.782) ranks ninth and Aaron McGhee (.771) is 12th. The Sooners have shot .700 or better from the line in nine of 10 conference games and are shooting .814 in their last four outings (70-for-86).
SELVY COMES ALIVE VERSUS TECH
Forward Daryan Selvy had not shot well in OU's six games prior to Wednesday and appeared to be lacking in the confidence department. Against Texas Tech, however, the junior performed like an all-league player and finished with 12 points, a career-high 12 rebounds, two assists, two steals and a blocked shot. He was 6-for-8 from the field in 30 minutes of action. Selvy had averaged 2.8 points and shot just .167 from the field (5-for-30) in OU's previous six games.
GILBERT A GO FOR SATURDAY
Freshman Johnnie Gilbert is expected to be available for action Saturday after missing Wednesday's Texas Tech game due to left knee irritation. The forward underwent arthroscopic surgery Dec. 8 to repair torn cartilage in the knee and missed two games. Gilbert has made six starts this year and is averaging 2.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per outing. He also leads the team with 0.9 blocks per game.
OKLAHOMA'S BIG 12 HISTORY
The Sooners boast a 50-24 (.676) Big 12 regular season record in the league's four-plus years, second only to Kansas' 59-14 (.808) 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 22-15 mark on the road.
ROAD WARRIORS
Oklahoma's 22-15 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 18-19 mark and is followed by Oklahoma State (16-20).
MESSING WITH TEXAS
Since Kelvin Sampson became OU's head coach in 1994, the Sooners are 51-8 (.864) in games against teams from Texas. During the same time, OU is 18-4 (.818) in games played in Texas. Oklahoma is 6-0 at Baylor, 4-1 at Texas Tech and Texas A&M, 3-2 at Texas and 1-0 at SMU.
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.
EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND
A third-team All-Big 12 pick last year and last week's Big 12 Player of the Week, junior guard J.R. Raymond has returned to form over the past six 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. Raymond has continued his torrid pace, averaging 20.3 points and 3.8 three-pointers during OU's six-game winning streak.
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 six games (he now has 42). He has led the team in scoring in four of the last six games and is now averaging 10.4 points, 2.3 assists and 2.0 treys per contest.
GUARDS SHOULDERING THE LOAD
In OU's 10 Big 12 games, the team's guards have accounted for 66 percent of its points (466 of 711). That figure is even larger over the Sooners' last eight games as the backcourt has scored 69 percent of OU's points (383 of 553).
HANDLING WITH CARE
Oklahoma, which is averaging just 8.0 turnovers in its last two outings, leads the Big 12 in turnovers per game (12.4) and turnover margin (+6.5). OU led the league with 12.8 turnovers per game last year. This year, opponents have committed 142 more miscues. Foes have committed more turnovers in 19 of 22 games.
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 (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 and nine (twice) points. On the year, McGhee is shooting .491 from the field, .500 from the three-point line and .771 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.
STEADY AS HE GOES
Senior Nolan Johnson, who ranks third on the team with his 12.2 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 Jan. 31. 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. He has now scored in double figures in five straight games and is coming off a 15-point, seven-rebound effort.
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 14.5 points in the team's last 13 games. He is averaging 6.8 boards and 6.2 free throw makes during OU's six-game win streak.
NEWTON IS OU'S MAD BOMBER
Senior guard Kelley Newton, who canned 5-of-8 three-point tries Jan. 31 at Baylor, is enjoying a stellar season from beyond the three-point arc. Newton, who ranks third in the Big 12 in three-point percentage (.491) and fifth in three-pointers per game (2.4), has made at least one three-pointer in 18 of 22 games and at least two treys in 16 contests. He has raised his career three-point percentage to .442 (102-for-231). 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 seven, has reached double digits in points 12 times this year. He ranks fifth on the squad with his 9.5 points per game.
PRICE IS RIGHT
Sophomore guard Hollis Price ranks second on the squad in scoring with his 12.4 points per game, but is averaging just 5.3 field goal attempts and 6.3 points over the last four contests. Price, who plays a team-high 33.7 minutes per game, never struggles in finding ways to help his team, though. He leads the squad in assists (5.1 apg) and steals (2.0 spg) and also boasts a 2.4 assist-to-turnover ratio to rank third in the Big 12. Additionally, he has been OU's leading assist man in 19 of 22 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.
WHO WILL IT BE?
Six different Sooners have led the team in scoring this season. J.R. Raymond has led OU six times while Nolan Johnson and Aaron McGhee have done it five times each. Hollis Price has done it four times while Kelley Newton and Daryan Selvy have paced the team once each. Eight different Sooners have also led the team in rebounding this year.
GRIFFIN NO LONGER WITH TEAM
Head Coach Kelvin Sampson announced Jan. 29 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.
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.
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 148-66 (.692) 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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