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
No. 10 Men's Basketball Hosts Texas A&M Saturday Night
January 04, 2002 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 4, 2002
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
GAME INFORMATION
Ranked 10th and 11th in the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls, respectively, Oklahoma (10-1) will host unranked Texas A&M (6-8) Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Big 12 Conference opener for both teams. 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 Mike Houck (analyst) calling the action. The game will be televised on the Sooner Sports Television Network (KWTV Channel 9 in Oklahoma City) with Dean Blevins, Wayman Tisdale and Renzi Stone announcing.
TEXAS A&M PROJECTED STARTERS F 4 Nick Anderson (6-6, 230, So.) C 50 Andy Slocum (7-0, 275, So.) G 21 Daryl Mason (6-6, 190, Fr.) G 24 Bradley Jackson (5-11, 185, Jr.) G 32 Bernard King (6-5, 195, Jr.)OKLAHOMA PROJECTED STARTERS F 13 Aaron McGhee (6-8, 250, Sr.) C 21 Jabahri Brown (6-10, 210, So.) G 2 Ebi Ere (6-5, 215, Jr.) G 4 Quannas White (6-1, 190, Jr.) G 10 Hollis Price (6-1, 165, Jr.)
OKLAHOMA UPDATE
Oklahoma enters Saturday's game as winner of its last nine contests, the last five by an average of 39.6 points. The Sooners' No. 10 national AP ranking is their best in nine years (OU was also ranked No. 10 in the Jan. 11, 1993, poll under head coach Billy Tubbs).
OU will begin its sixth year of Big 12 Conference competition when it hosts Texas A&M. The Sooners boast a 55-25 regular season record in the league's five years, second only to Kansas' 64-16 mark. Kelvin Sampson's teams are 31-9 at home and 24-16 on the road in Big 12 play.
Junior guard Hollis Price is expected to play Saturday after missing the team's last game due to an eye injury sustained in practice. Price is the team's leading scorer by average (16.9 ppg) and also averages 2.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.0 steals per outing. He has drained a team-high 24 three-pointers and is shooting .453 from long range and .875 from the free throw line.
Ebi Ere, the Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year, ranks second on the team by averaging 15.9 points per game. The junior guard is coming off 19- and 20-point efforts against Maryland and Texas Southern, and is averaging 17.6 points over the team's last eight outings. Ere is also averaging 6.5 rebounds (second most on the team) and 2.0 assists. He owns an .886 (31-for-35) free throw percentage to rank fourth in the conference.
Over the last eight games, senior forward Aaron McGhee is averaging 15.4 points and 7.1 rebounds. He has three double-doubles on the year and has scored in double figures in eight of the last nine outings. McGhee ranks third on the squad with his 13.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per contest.
Sophomore center Jabahri Brown has played in five games in a Sooners uniform. The slender 6-10, 210-pound U.S. Virgin Islands product is averaging 7.0 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.6 blocks and 2.0 steals in 26.0 minutes per game. He scored eight points and grabbed a game-high 14 boards against Maryland and followed that with a 10-point, 12-rebound effort against Texas Southern in the All-College Classic. It marked his first double-double at Oklahoma.
ABOUT TEXAS A&M
Coming off a 73-63 loss at Centenary on Thursday night, Texas A&M sports a 6-8 record. The Aggies are 4-2 at home, 1-3 on the road and 1-3 at neutral sites. Head coach Melvin Watkins' crew has lost three consecutive games with its last win being a 71-64 decision over perennial Big Ten power Purdue in Las Vegas. Texas A&M won its first four games of the year but is just 2-8 since. Saturday's contest will mark the eighth straight game away from home for the Aggies.
Junior guard Bernard King, who is on pace to become A&M's all-time leading scorer, is averaging a team-high 17.5 points per game to go along with 4.8 rebounds, a team-best 4.2 assists and 1.2 steals per outing. King is shooting .435 from the field, has made a team-high 21 treys and owns a .716 free throw mark while playing a team-high 31.2 minutes a game.
Sophomore forward Nick Anderson is the only other Aggie averaging double figures in points (11.9 ppg) and also averages a team-high 5.4 rebounds. A member of the Big 12 All-Freshman Team last year, Anderson is shooting .488 from the field and .459 from long range (17-for-37).
Watkins is in his fourth year at Texas A&M where he owns a 36-63 (.364) record. He owns a 78-83 (.484) career mark, as he led UNC Charlotte to a 42-20 record during the 1996-97 and '97-98 seasons.
SERIES WITH TEXAS A&M
Oklahoma leads the all-time series with Texas A&M, 15-1, and owns a 7-0 advantage in Norman. The Aggies' only victory against the Sooners came during the 1998-99 season when A&M won 74-72 on a buzzer-beater in College Station. OU has won the last four meetings.
LAST YEAR VS. THE AGGIES
The Sooners posted a 79-65 win over the Aggies Jan. 9 in Norman last year and were victorious in College Station, 72-63. In OU's home triumph, the Sooners trailed much of the first half before taking a seven-point halftime lead. Aaron McGhee was 10-for-12 from the foul line and scored a game-high 24 points while Hollis Price and Daryan Selvy added 17 and 10 points, respectively. A&M's Bernard King scored all 17 of his team-high points after halftime. In College Station on Feb. 3, McGhee again led all scorers (with 22 points) while J.R. Raymond canned three treys to finish with 17 points. Nolan Johnson added 11 points and Price had 10 points, five assists and three steals. King paced A&M with 18 points.
TEXAS SOUTHERN RECAP
The Sooners played without leading scorer Hollis Price but showed no signs of adverse effects as they dominated Texas Southern Dec. 29 in the All-College Classic at the Myriad in Oklahoma City. Price, who was poked in the eye in practice two days earlier, cheered from the bench in street clothes and sunglasses. Jason Detrick replaced Price in the starting lineup and responded with a career-high 20 points, five rebounds, three assists and five steals. The five steals also marked a career best. Ebi Ere also poured in 20 points and added career highs in rebounds (9), assists (4) and steals (4). Daryan Selvy scored 15 points in 16 minutes while Jabahri Brown notched his first double-double as a Sooner by recording 10 points and 12 rebounds. Quannas White chipped in with 10 points. Oklahoma limited the Tigers to .306 field goal and an opponent-low .105 three-point shooting. The Sooners also outboarded Texas Southern by a 52-31 margin.
TEXAS SOUTHERN LEFTOVERS
Ebi Ere scored just two points in the game's first 18 minutes but finished with 20.
Oklahoma's 21 steals were a season high. The previous high was 16.
OU improved to 9-0 when leading at halftime and 9-0 when outrebounding opponents.
OU posted its second straight 14-for-22 free throw effort (.636), its worst of the year.
OU IN CONFERENCE OPENERS
Oklahoma is 6-1 in conference-opening contests under head coach Kelvin Sampson (2-0 Big Eight, 4-1 Big 12) with the lone loss coming last year at Iowa State, 100-80. The Sooners are also 6-1 under Sampson in their first home game of the league season (OU fell to Texas Tech by a 67-62 count at Lloyd Noble Center in 1996-97).
SOONERS IN BIG 12 RANKINGS
Oklahoma leads the Big 12 in free throw percentage (.751), scoring margin (+22.7), rebounding margin (+11.9), turnover margin (+5.7) and opponent rebounds (29.5). OU also ranks second in scoring defense (59.9) and three-point percentage defense (.290), and third in field goal percentage (.475) and steals (10.9).
QUICK TIPS
GETTING DEFENSIVE
Oklahoma's strong offensive performances over the past five games are well-documented. But the Sooners' defensive efforts have also been superb during the stretch. OU's last five opponents are shooting a mere .374 (102-for-273) from the field and just .253 (22-for-87) from beyond the arc. Also, those same foes are averaging 22.0 turnovers per game while Oklahoma has averaged 14.6 steals against them. For comparison's sake, the Sooners averaged 7.8 steals over their first six games.
A CHARITY CASE
In the latest NCAA stats (games through Dec. 17), the Sooners ranked fifth nationally in free throw percentage at .780. After back-to-back season-low .636 efforts versus Maryland and Texas Southern, that season mark now stands at .751 (still best in the Big 12). Six of OU's top eight scorers are shooting at least .700 from the charity stripe and its top two scorers (Hollis Price and Ebi Ere) own respective .875 and .886 season marks. Oklahoma has traditionally been a sound free throw shooting team under Kelvin Sampson as six of his first seven squads finished first or second in the league in the category. Last year, the Sooners paced the Big 12 with a .740 mark.
FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE BALLOONS
Oklahoma turned in a substandard shooting effort (.355) in its first two regular season contests, but over the last nine games is shooting a terrific .500 from the field (292-for-584). The Sooners recorded identical .574 marks in three consecutive games (Dec. 15-18) and have surpassed the .500 figure five times in the last nine contests. OU is now shooting .475 on the season to rank third in the Big 12.
PRICE IS RIGHT
Junior guard Hollis Price has shown no ill-effects from a severed triceps tendon sustained in his right (shooting) arm last March as he is averaging a team-high 16.9 points per game to go along with his 2.7 assists and team-high 2.0 steals. Price, who sat out last game after getting poked in the eye during practice, scored a season-low six points against Maryland Dec. 21 but averaged 21.0 in OU's four games before that. He is shooting .525 from the field, .453 (24-for-53) from three-point range and .875 (21-for-24) from the foul line.
The New Orleans, La., native did not commit a turnover in his first 83 minutes of play this year. Price spent most of the offseason rehabilitating his arm after an injury during OU's NCAA Tournament game against Indiana State last spring. He collided with ISU's Kelyn Block and had a piece of Block's tooth embedded in the arm. Price underwent three surgeries within the span of a week to irrigate the wound, remove the tooth and repair the severed tendon.
McGHEE PLAYING LIKE A SENIOR
Aaron McGhee, OU's 6-8, 250-pound senior forward who was a first-team junior college All-American in 1999-2000, struggled in the Sooners' first two games but has performed very well over OU's last eight contests. McGhee, who averaged 12.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per game last season, averaged just 6.5 points and 3.0 boards in the Sooners' first two games this year. In OU's nine games since, however, McGhee is averaging 15.4 points and 7.1 rebounds. He has posted his lone three double-doubles this year against Central Michigan (19 points and 11 rebounds), St. Bonaventure (19 points and a career-high 19 boards) and Maryland (16 points and 11 rebounds).
McGhee has upped his season averages to 13.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per outing. He is shooting .454 from the field, .261 from long range and .792 from the foul line.
ERE CONTINUES PRODUCTION
Junior college transfer Ebi Ere, the Preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, ranks second on the team with his 15.9 points per game and is averaging 17.6 points over the last eight contests. Ere has posted double-digit point totals in nine of 11 games and also averages 6.5 rebounds per game to rank second on the squad. Ere was named the conference's rookie of the week Dec. 3 for his performances against Central Michigan and Arkansas. The 6-5 junior guard averaged 18.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in OU's wins that week. Against Arkansas, Ere was 10-for-14 from the field and 8-for-8 from the free throw line to finish with 29 points. Ere was a second-team junior college All-American last year at Barton County (Kan.) Community College when he averaged 25.5 points and 7.6 rebounds.
SELVY RESURFACES
Senior forward Daryan Selvy has been more aggressive the past three games than he had been the previous several, and the effort has paid off statistically. In OU's first seven games, Selvy averaged 5.7 points and 0.7 assists, and was shooting .391 from the field. Over the last four games, though, he has averaged 14.3 points, 2.5 assists, and has shot .719 (23-for-32) from the floor. Against Texas Southern in OU's last game, Selvy scored 15 points in 16 minutes on 7-of-10 shooting and registered a career-high five steals. He is now averaging 8.2 points, 5.6 boards, 1.4 assists and 1.8 steals while shooting .500 from the field.
BROWN LIFTS SOONERS
Is it coincidental that OU seems to be playing some of its best basketball in recent memory since Jabahri Brown became eligible five games ago? Maybe, but then again maybe not. Brown, OU's 6-10, 210-pound sophomore center who transferred from Rose State College in Midwest City, is averaging 7.0 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.6 blocks and 2.0 steals for the Sooners. A native of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Brown began his playing career at Florida International in 1999-2000 and signed with OU last November while a student at Rose State. He practiced with the Sooners last spring and this fall. The athletic Brown has helped supply 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 last 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.
GILBERT LIKELY DONE FOR SEASON
Sophomore Johnnie Gilbert has likely played his last game of the season for the Sooners. The forward played in the team's first six games (started in five) and averaged 4.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocked shots, but injuries have forced him to the sideline. Gilbert has a rotator cuff injury in his left (shooting) shoulder and he is also battling bursitis in his right hip.
SAMPSON NAMED USA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ASSISTANT COACH
OU head coach Kelvin Sampson was announced Dec. 13 as one of three assistant coaches of USA Basketball's 2002 World Championship Team that will compete in the 2002 FIBA World Basketball Championship for Men that is being held in Indianapolis, Ind., Aug. 29-Sept. 8, 2002. Sampson, San Antonio Spurs head coach Greg Popovich and Stanford head coach Mike Montgomery will serve as assistants for head coach George Karl (Milwaukee Bucks). The U.S. team is comprised of seven players thus far. They are Ray Allen (Milwaukee Bucks), Antonio Davis (Toronto Raptors), Michael Finley (Dallas Mavericks), Jason Kidd (New Jersey Nets), Shawn Marion (Phoenix Suns), Reggie Miller (Indiana Pacers) and Jermaine O'Neal (Indiana Pacers). Five more players will be named to the team at a later date.
YOUTH IS SERVED
Of Oklahoma's 10 regular players who have seen action in the team's first 11 games, only one has multiple years of Division I experience at Oklahoma - junior guard Hollis Price. Seniors Aaron McGhee and Daryan Selvy are in their second seasons at OU after transferring from junior college, as is true sophomore Johnnie Gilbert. Junior Jozsef Szendrei and freshman Blake Johnston redshirted last year and are in their first full season of Division I competition. Juniors Jason Detrick, Ebi Ere and Quannas White are all in their first season at OU after spending two years at the junior college level. Sophomore Jabahri Brown is in his first year at Oklahoma after playing his freshman year at Florida International.
BACK TO THE FUTURE
The 26-year-old Lloyd Noble Center is in the midst of a $17.8 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 has moved fans closer to the playing surface.
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 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 96-16 (.857) in seven-plus seasons inside the building under Kelvin Sampson.
SOONER SUCCESS UNDER SAMPSON
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.
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.
MODEL OF CONSISTENCY
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. Entering the current campaign, OU had posted a 557-246 (.694) record over the past 25 years.
Porter Moser Postgame vs West Virginia
Sunday, April 05
MBB Highlights: OU 82, Baylor 69
Saturday, April 04
Porter Moser, Xzayvier Brown, and Tae Davis Postgame vs Baylor
Saturday, April 04
Porter Moser and Nijel Pack Postgame vs Colorado
Thursday, April 02
