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 Takes On OSU In Regular Season Finale
March 02, 2001 | Men's Basketball
March 2, 2001
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GAME INFORMATION
Ranked 17th in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls, Oklahoma (22-6 overall, 11-4 Big 12) hosts unranked Oklahoma State (19-7, 10-5) in both teams' regular season finale Saturday at 8 p.m. CST inside Lloyd Noble Center. The second Bedlam matchup of the year 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
A winner of 10 of its last 11 Big 12 games following a 1-3 league start, Oklahoma is coming off an 86-67 thumping of Colorado Wednesday in Norman. The Sooners stand in a three-way tie for second place in the Big 12 with Kansas and Texas, just a game behind league-leading Iowa State. A win Saturday would clinch a first-round bye for OU in the upcoming Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament. Oklahoma could still earn a first-round bye if it loses Saturday, but it would need Texas Tech to beat Texas in Lubbock.
The Sooners have played two games since point guard J.R. Raymond was suspended and subsequently dismissed from the team for violating team policy. Raymond averaged 18.5 points and 3.9 three-pointers over his last 10 games and was the team's leading scorer in Big 12 play with a 13.7 average. Sophomore Hollis Price has replaced Raymond at the point and is coming off a 21-point effort Wednesday. Price started OU's first 16 games this year at the position and averages 11.9 points, 4.7 assists and 1.8 steals per outing on the year. He has led the team in assists in 22 of 28 games this season and was named MVP of the team's first two tournaments of the campaign (Sooner Invitational and Big Island Invitational) as the starting point guard.
Junior forward Aaron McGhee has been a welcome addition to the team's frontcourt this year and averages a team-high 13.8 points per game. McGhee, who has scored at least 20 points eight times this season, also averages 4.7 rebounds per contest. He has battled foul trouble virtually all year and averages 23.8 minutes per game. Projected to 40 minutes per outing, his scoring average equals 23.0 points. McGhee has also made 19-of-41 three-point attempts (.463) on the year.
Nolan Johnson averages 12.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.6 steals per contest and posted a career-high-tying 23 points and 11 rebounds Wednesday. The senior guard, who ranks third in the Big 12 with his .845 free throw percentage, has averaged 6.6 rebounds over the last 12 outings. Johnson, McGhee and Price have each started in all 28 games.
Senior guard Kelley Newton has started the last two games and is shooting .461 from long range to rank seventh nationally. He averages 9.2 points and 2.3 three-pointers per contest.
OKLAHOMA STATE UPDATE
Since its 28-point win over the Sooners on Valentine's Day, Oklahoma State has won four of five games. The only setback was an 80-69 overtime decision to Texas in Stillwater Feb. 17. Since that contest, OSU has won close affairs at Texas A&M (82-76), at home against Kansas State (52-47), at Texas Tech (66-58) and at home versus Baylor (71-68). Saturday's game against OU will mark the Cowboys' fourth in eight days.
Junior guard Maurice Baker leads Oklahoma State in scoring (19.3 ppg), assists (4.3 apg), steals (2.0 spg), three-pointers (55), three-point percentage (.387) and free throw percentage (.803). The All-Big 12 candidate also ranks second on the team with his 6.6 rebounds per outing and has led OSU in scoring in 18 of 26 games. Junior forward/center Fredrik Jonzen averages 15.3 points and 6.5 boards per game and sports a .527 field goal mark. Sophomore point guard Victor Williams averages 12.3 points, 3.7 assists and 1.7 steals. Sophomore forward Andre Williams leads the team with his 7.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per outing, and also averages 7.4 points.
Head Coach Eddie Sutton has compiled a 247-102 (.708) record in 10-plus years at Oklahoma State. In his 31st year as a college head coach, he holds a 677-264 (.719) career record.
SERIES WITH OKLAHOMA STATE
Oklahoma leads the all-time series with Oklahoma State, 114-83, and owns a 69-25 advantage in Norman. The Sooners are 21-5 in the series at Lloyd Noble Center. Kelvin Sampson is 6-9 versus the Cowboys as OU's head coach, 4-2 at home.
Just two weeks ago, OSU dominated the Sooners in nearly every phase of the game in a 72-44 victory in Stillwater. The Cowboys shot .571 from the field (.625 in the second half) while OU managed just a .341 figure for the night. Oklahoma's 44 points, 15 field goals, 44 field goal attempts, two three-pointers, .154 three-point percentage and two steals that contest stand as season lows. OSU's Victor Williams scored a game-high 26 points while Fredrik Jonzen and Maurice Baker added 16 and 13, respectively. Nolan Johnson was the only Sooner to score in double figures with his 12 points.
RECAPPING THE COLORADO CONTEST
Except for a slow start in which it fell behind 10-2 Wednesday, OU controlled play much of the night in an 86-67 victory over Colorado at Lloyd Noble Center. The Sooners overcame their early eight-point deficit and took a 33-32 halftime lead before outscoring the Buffaloes 53-35 in the second half with the help of .531 shooting. Nolan Johnson tied a career-high with 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, one shy of his career best, while Hollis Price added 21 points on 8-of-11 field goal and 3-for-4 three-point shooting. Aaron McGhee was also solid, scoring 15 points and pulling down eight rebounds. Kelley Newton was 4-for-9 from three-point range and finished with 12 points. Colorado's Jamahl Mosley scored a team-high 15 points while D.J. Harrison tallied 14 points and nine rebounds. The Sooners outrebounded the Buffs 38-31 and improved to 17-0 this season when outboarding their opponent.
COLORADO LEFTOVERS
AN OU WIN SATURDAY WOULD...
AN OU LOSS SATURDAY WOULD...
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.
RAYMOND DISMISSED FROM TEAM
OU's leading scorer over a 10-game span from Jan. 20 to Feb. 19, junior point guard J.R. Raymond was dismissed from the team by Head Coach Kelvin Sampson Sunday night for a violation of team policy. Raymond had been suspended by Sampson Thursday, Feb. 22, and did not travel with the Sooners for last Saturday's 68-60 loss at Maryland.
Raymond averaged 11.3 points in 25 games this year for OU and had averaged 18.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 3.9 three-pointers over his final 10 games (the Sooners went 9-1 during the stretch). The Gastonia, N.C., native made 58 treys on the season and recorded a .400 three-point mark. Raymond was a third-team All-Big 12 selection last season when he averaged 13.4 points and drained 95 three-pointers, the second-highest single-season total in school history.
SAMPSON NAMED NAISMITH AWARD FINALIST
Kelvin Sampson is one of 20 finalists on the Naismith Coach of the Year Award list released late last week. Sampson joins fellow Big 12 coaches Larry Eustachy (Iowa State) and Roy Williams (Kansas) as finalists. The seventh-year OU head coach has guided the Sooners to four straight 20-win seasons and is expected to earn his eighth consecutive NCAA Tournament bid (he guided Washington State to the "Big Dance" in 1993-94). Sampson was named the 1995 national coach of the year by the Associated Press, United States Basketball Writers Association and Basketball Weekly in his first season at OU.
On Thursday, Sampson was named Big 12 Coach of the Year by collegeinsider.com. This marks the second straight season he has claimed the Internet site's award.
SOONERS POST FOURTH STRAIGHT 20-WIN SEASON
Oklahoma's 82-60 win over Baylor Feb. 17 marked its 20th victory of the season. The Sooners have recorded four consecutive 20-win campaigns and have reached the 20-win mark in five of seven seasons under Kelvin Sampson. This is the 19th time in school history that OU has won at least 20 games. Seventeen of those 20-win seasons have come over the past 20 years.
SOLID DOWN THE STRETCH
Since Kelvin Sampson became OU's head coach prior to the 1994-95 season, the Sooners are 42-18 (.700) in February and March regular season games. Oklahoma is 19-6 (.760) in the regular season in those two months over the last three years. This year, OU posted a 6-2 mark in February.
GUARDS SHOULDERING THE LOAD
In OU's 15 Big 12 games, the team's guards have accounted for 66 percent of its points (699 of 1,061). That figure is even larger over the Sooners' last 12 conference games as the backcourt has scored 68 percent of OU's points (616 of 903).
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 .740 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 12 of 15 conference games and own a .754 free throw mark in those 15 outings.
Three Sooners rank in the top 10 in the league in free throw shooting. Nolan Johnson (.845) ranks third while Aaron McGhee (.784) and Hollis Price (.780) rank ninth and 10th, respectively.
STREAK STOPPERS
OU's victory at Missouri Feb. 19 snapped the Tigers' 13-game home winning streak. Missouri entered the contest 12-0 at home this year. The Sooners also stopped Texas' 25-game home winning streak Feb. 10 with a 75-54 victory in Austin. The Longhorns were 13-0 at home this season. Unfortunately, Oklahoma was unable to halt Maryland's 76-game non-conference home winning streak last Saturday.
OKLAHOMA'S BIG 12 HISTORY
The Sooners boast a 54-25 (.684) Big 12 regular season record in the league's five years, second only to Kansas' 63-16 (.797) 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 30-9 league record at home and a 24-16 mark on the road.
ROAD WARRIORS
The Sooners concluded their road season with a 5-5 record, marking the fourth straight year they have posted a .500-or-better finish on enemy wood. Oklahoma's 24-16 conference road record since Big 12 play began is the league's second best behind Kansas' 28-12 record. Since the Big 12's inception prior to the 1996-97 season, Texas (20-19) is the only other conference team with an aggregate winning road record. Oklahoma State ranks fourth with an 18-21 mark.
BREAKING 80
In six-plus years under Kelvin Sampson, the Sooners sport an 86-10 (.896) mark when scoring at least 80 points. OU is 11-1 (.917) this year under the circumstance and 25-2 (.926) over the last two years.
HANDLING WITH CARE
Despite committing more turnovers than their opponents in five of the last nine games, OU leads the Big 12 in turnovers per game (12.9) and turnover margin (+4.5). OU led the league with just 12.8 turnovers per game last year. This year, opponents have committed 126 more miscues. The Sooners have committed more turnovers than their foes in just seven of 28 games.
HEYWOOD'S ROLE INCREASING
Senior Jameel Heywood has started 12 games this year (including the team's last nine), and the Sooners are 10-2 in those outings. Following a two-point, one-rebound effort in OU's loss at Oklahoma State Feb. 14, the forward has been a steady force. Heywood is averaging 5.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in games against Baylor, Missouri, Maryland and Colorado (he has shot a combined 10-for-16 from the field in those games). His eight-foot jumper in the lane with no time left on the clock gave OU a 63-61 road win against the Tigers Feb. 19. He is shooting .549 from the field (28-for-51) over his last 16 games after shooting .308 in his first 11 contests.
JOHNSON STEADY AS HE GOES
Senior guard Nolan Johnson, who ranks second on the team with his 12.5 scoring average, has been one of OU's most consistent players this season and was named Big 12 Player of the Week Feb. 12 after averaging 19.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals in wins over Texas Tech and Texas. He is coming off a career-high-tying 23-point effort against Colorado on Wednesday and also had 11 rebounds, one shy of his career high. Johnson also turned in a 23-point, eight-rebound effort in OU's 21-point win at Texas Feb. 10. Over the past 12 games, Johnson is averaging 12.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals. Johnson, who has scored in double figures in nine of the last 11 games, ranks third in the Big 12 with his .845 season free throw mark.
McGHEE EXPERIENCING ROLLERCOASTER SEASON
OU's leading scorer (13.8 ppg) and fourth-leading rebounder (4.7 rpg), Aaron McGhee has experienced a solid season, for sure. However, the junior forward has had 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 (twice), five, six (twice), eight (twice) and nine (twice) points. He has been steadier of late, scoring between 10 and 16 points in five of the last seven outings. On the year, the 6-8 lefty is shooting .477 from the field, .463 from three-point range and .784 from the foul line.
McGhee was a first-team junior college All-American last year at Vincennes (Ind.) University and was named the MVP of the national junior college tournament when he averaged 34.5 points. He began his collegiate career at Cincinnati where he sat out the 1997-98 season and played during the 1998-99 campaign.
NEWTON IS OU'S MAD BOMBER
Senior guard Kelley Newton, who has started the past two games after coming off the bench the previous 13, is enjoying a stellar season from beyond the three-point arc. Newton has gone a combined 8-for-17 from long range in the last two outings and ranks among the Big 12's leaders in three-point percentage (.461) and three-pointers per game (2.3). In fact, he entered the week ranked seventh nationally in three-point percentage (.462). Newton has made at least one three-pointer in 24 of 28 games and at least two treys in 18 contests. He has raised his career three-point percentage to .432 (114-for-264).
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 has reached double digits in points 14 times this year and ranks fifth on the squad with his 9.2 points per game.
PRICE IS RIGHT
Sophomore point guard Hollis Price broke out of a mild funk Wednesday by scoring 21 points on 8-for11 field goal and 3-for-4 three-point shooting against Colorado. Price, who ranks third on the squad in scoring with his 11.9 points per game, had averaged just 7.1 points and 5.4 field goal attempts over the previous nine contests. Price plays a team-high 32.7 minutes per game and also leads the squad in assists (4.7 apg) and steals (1.8 spg). He boasts a 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio to rank sixth in the Big 12. Additionally, he has been OU's leading assist man in 22 of 28 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.
SAMPSON LOOKING FOR EIGHTH STRAIGHT NCAA BID
Kelvin Sampson has participated in seven consecutive NCAA Tournaments as a head coach (six with Oklahoma and one with Washington State). That string ranks sixth among current coaches. Only Arizona's Lute Olson (16 straight), Temple's John Chaney (11), Kansas' Roy Williams (11), Cincinnati's Bob Huggins (nine) and Purdue's Gene Keady (eight) have taken teams to more consecutive NCAA Tournaments. Kentucky's Tubby Smith and Maryland's Gary Williams have also been to seven straight "Big Dances" while Stanford's Mike Montgomery has been to six.
MODEL OF CONSISTENCY
Including this year, Oklahoma has registered a winning record in 24 of its last 25 seasons. No other Big 12 team can boast as many winning campaigns since the 1975-76 season as the Sooners. OU has posted a 553-245 (.693) record over the past 25 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 152-68 (.691) record and an 87-16 (.845) 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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