OU Plays Tulsa Tuesday in All-College

GAME INFORMATION
Oklahoma (7-2) meets Tulsa (2-5) in the first game of the Touchstone Energy All-College Classic at 6 p.m. CST inside Oklahoma City's Ford Center (Oklahoma State will play Gonzaga in the second game). The game will air on the Sooner Radio Network (flagship KOKC 1520 AM in Oklahoma City) with Bob Barry, Sr., (play-by-play) and Mike Houck (analyst) calling the action. It will be televised nationally by ESPN2 (Cox Cable 28 in OKC) with Dave Pasch (play-by-play) and Fran Fraschilla (analyst) announcing.

Game Notes in PDF

OKLAHOMA UPDATE
The Sooners, ranked 27th in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll and 29th in the AP version, are coming off a 61-53 victory on Thursday over a Southwest Missouri State squad which had won six straight games. OU won despite recording season lows in points, field goal percentage (.298) and assists (11). Kelvin Sampson's squad forced 22 SMS turnovers, however, and made 11 more free throws than the visiting Bears to bounce back from its 11-point loss to Duke five days earlier. Taj Gray scored 10 of his 11 points and grabbed all 13 of his rebounds after halftime as he logged his third straight double-double. The junior forward, who played just five minutes in the first half due to a pair of early fouls, also added two assists, a block and three steals. Sophomore guard Drew Lavender tallied 12 points to lead OU in scoring for the first time this season (he did it nine times last year). Lavender added four boards, three assists and four steals. Junior guard Terrell Everett had a similar line to Lavender's with 11 points, five rebounds, three assists and four steals. Sophomore guard Lawrence McKenzie added 10 points while senior guard Jaison Williams netted nine.

PROJECTED TULSA STARTERS (Stats averages)
F 4   Jarius Glenn (6-6, 220, Sr., 18.1 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 3.6 apg)
F 34 Guilherme Teichmann (6-9, 205, Sr., 5.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.4 apg)
C 50 Anthony Price (6-8, 225, Jr., 16.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 0.9 apg)
G 2   Chris Wallace (6-2, 185, Jr., 6.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.1 apg)
G 5   Brett McDade (6-0, 165, Fr., 4.4 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 2.6 apg)

PROJECTED OKLAHOMA STARTERS (Stats averages)
F 21 Taj Gray (6-9, 235, Jr., 14.5 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 1.6 apg)
F 34 Kevin Bookout (6-8, 259, Jr., 13.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 0.6 apg)
G 2 Jaison Williams (6-3, 181, Sr., 9.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.8 apg)
G 3 Drew Lavender (5-7, 153, So., 9.6 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 4.1 apg)
G 20 Terrell Everett (6-4, 185, Jr., 13.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 4.5 apg)

SOUTHWEST MISSOURI STATE LEFTOVERS
Junior forward Kevin Bookout, who scored in double digits in OU's first seven games, was held to single digits (seven points) for the second straight outing. He scored nine versus Duke.
Lawrence McKenzie was 2-for-5 from 3-point range and is 9-for-18 (.500) from beyond the arc over the last four games. He ranks second in the Big 12 with his .486 season mark.
Johnnie Gilbert's blocked shot was the 114th of his career, tying him for fourth place on OU's career list with Ryan Humphrey.
SMS didn't score until 16:25 remained in the first half and didn't record its first field goal until the 15:04 mark. The Bears didn't reach double digits until 6:15 was left in the half.
Oklahoma led 10-6 midway through the first half (SMS had 11 turnovers at that point).
Drew Lavender was 5-for-5 from the free throw line and is now shooting a Big 12-best .952 on the year (20-for-21).
Oklahoma's 14 steals were a season high. It recorded six steals in the game's first 3:35.
OU's starters scored 50 of the team's 61 points.

ABOUT TULSA
A member of the Western Athletic Conference, Tulsa is 2-5 and has lost four of its last five games. The Golden Hurricane is 2-4 at home and 0-1 on the road. Its wins have come against Northwestern State (63-54) and Prairie View A&M (97-44). It has lost to Wright State (72-66 in OT), at Arkansas (85-73), Oral Roberts (70-47), Wichita State (71-66) and Lamar (91-85). TU is shooting .445 from the field, .350 from 3-point range and .648 from the free throw line.

Senior forward Jarius Glenn is having a stellar statistical season to date, averaging 18.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.4 steals a game all team highs. Glenn is shooting .524 from the field and gets to the line for 6.9 free throw attempts an outing. Junior center Anthony Price averages 16.0 points, 5.0 boards and 1.1 blocks per game, and is shooting .506 from the field. Junior guard Seneca Collins scores 9.7 points a game and also averages 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 steal.

Alvin “Pooh” Williamson was named Tulsa's interim head coach when John Phillips resigned on Christmas Day. A 1996 TU grad, Williamson is in his fourth year on the Golden Hurricane staff. He played on a pair of NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 teams at Tulsa (1994 and '95) under Tubby Smith.

SERIES WITH TULSA
Oklahoma holds a commanding 23-11 series lead with Tulsa and is 2-1 against the Golden Hurricane under head coach Kelvin Sampson. The Sooners won 81-73 last year in Norman in OU's third game of the year. Reserve guard Jaison Williams came off the bench to supply a team-high 16 points and help OU overcome a 22-9 first half deficit. Lawrence McKenzie added 13 points while Kevin Bookout had 10 points and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds. Oklahoma scored three field goals in a 20-second span to increase a 71-67 lead to 77-67 with less than a minute to play. Tulsa's .592 field goal mark was the best against OU in defeat during Sampson's tenure as head coach.

The Golden Hurricane won the last time the teams met in the All-College, 78-75 on Dec. 28, 1996, in the championship game of the four-team event. OU posted a 76-61 win against TU on Jan. 7, 1995, in the All-College title game in Sampson's first year as head coach. The Sooners are 4-1 against Tulsa in the All-College Tournament.

OU IN THE ALL-COLLEGE
This year's All-College Classic marks the 29th such event for Oklahoma and its 22nd straight. The Sooners own a 48-11 all-time record in All-College events and have claimed 17 championships. OU is 15-2 with five titles under head coach Kelvin Sampson and has won its last 11 games in the event. This marks the fourth straight year that the All-College features a nontournament format. OU beat Princeton 58-55 last year, Michigan State 60-58 two years ago and Texas Southern 97-55 in 2001-02 in the “classic” format.

JUCO TRANSFERS SUPPLYING IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Junior college transfers Terrell Everett and Taj Gray have quickly become two of OU's top producers this season. Gray, a 6-9, 235-pounder, leads OU in scoring (14.1 ppg), rebounding (8.2 rpg) and blocked shots (1.7 bpg) in 25.4 minutes a contest. The unanimous Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year has already won a pair of league rookie-of-the-week honors, the first one after recording 29 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and four blocks in OU's season-opening win against Cal State Northridge. Gray has registered four games of 11 or more rebounds and is averaging 17.0 points and 12.0 boards over the last three outings. He has registered a double-double in each of those last three games.

Everett, a 6-4, 185-pound left-handed guard, has been steady all season at the wing and point guard spots. He is averaging 12.8 points (ranks second on team), 4.2 rebounds (ranks third) and a team-high 4.3 assists a game. Everett has scored in double figures in each of the last eight games and is averaging 13.9 over the last seven. He was named Big 12 Rookie of the Week following his three-game performance at the Great Alaska Shootout.

SOONERS SPORTING MORE SCORING BALANCE IN 2004-05
Oklahoma's guards accounted for 68 percent of the team's points last season. That figure is down this year, however, as the Sooners have showcased a potent inside attack. OU's guards have scored 389 of the squad's 674 points, or 58 percent this season. Junior forwards Taj Gray (14.1 ppg) and Kevin Bookout (12.4 ppg) are the main reasons OU's frontcourt production has increased from 32 percent of the team's points last year to 42 percent this year. Gray and Bookout rank first and third on the squad in scoring.

GUARDS TIGHTEN DEFENSIVE SCREWS
Oklahoma's guards have done a solid job of defending the 3-point line this season as the team leads the Big 12 in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.267). Over the last six games, opponents are shooting .258 from beyond the arc (17-for-66). No opponent has made more than five 3-pointers against OU this year. Conversely, the Sooners have made at least five treys in all but one game.

SOONERS DISPLAY MUCH IMPROVED SHOOTING
After posting a .408 field goal mark last year its worst in 40 seasons Oklahoma is off to a solid shooting start in 2004-05. The Sooners have shot better than .500 from the field in six of their nine games and own a .473 season figure. OU shot .509 against Cal State Northridge in the season opener, .532 versus High Point, .550 against Washington, .529 versus Minnesota, .549 at Purdue and .517 against Northern Colorado. The 2003-04 Sooners shot .500 or better from the field just three times all season.

MORE SHOOTING NOTES
Oklahoma's leader in field goal percentage his first two seasons, junior forward Kevin Bookout is shooting a stout .653 from the field this season (47-for-72) to lead the Big 12 (for perspective, Baylor's Aaron Bruce ranks second with a .583 mark). The 6-8, 259-pounder has showcased a reliable mid-range jumper and has shot .500 or better in all nine games this year. He made nine of his 10 field goal attempts against then-No. 22 Washington on Nov. 26. Bookout was also 5-for-5 against Cal State Northridge in the season opener and was 6-for-6 in the second half at Purdue on Dec. 8. He shot .587 as a freshman to lead the Big 12 Conference and posted a .516 mark last year in 13 games.

BETTER TO GIVE THAN RECEIVE
The Sooners have registered 144 assists through eight contests for an average of 16.0 a game. An assist has been credited on 60 percent of OU's field goals. Last year's team averaged 12.1 assists a contest and 53 percent of its baskets were assisted.

GENEROUS GUARDS
Starting guards Terrell Everett and Drew Lavender lead the team in assists with 4.3 and 4.0 per game, respectively. The last time OU had two players average 4.0 or more handouts for an entire season was in 1993-94. John Ontjes averaged 6.5 assists while Pete Lewis averaged 4.0 in Billy Tubbs' final season as Oklahoma's head coach.

NOT AFRAID OF REJECTION
Junior forward Taj Gray (6-9) and freshman center Longar Longar (6-11) have been intimidating in the paint with their shot-blocking ability. Gray has registered two games of four rejections while Longar has blocked three shots on two occasions. Gray is averaging 1.7 swats an outing to rank fourth in the Big 12. Longar is averaging 1.3 blocks in 9.7 minutes a game to rank 10th in the league. The Sooners are averaging 4.3 blocks a contest as a team. Senior Johnnie Gilbert, who has three blocked shots this year, is tied for fourth (with Ryan Humphrey) on OU's career list with 114.

TURNOVERS UP, BUT...
Partially because of OU's up-tempo style of play this season, the team's turnover average has increased by more than two a game from last year. The Sooners are averaging 15.4 offensive miscues a game compared to 13.1 per contest last season. However, Oklahoma has committed fewer turnovers than seven of its nine opponents this year. OU is forcing its foes into 18.6 turnovers a game, second most in the Big 12.

ANOTHER TURNOVER NOTE
Dating back to the start of the 2003-04 season, Oklahoma has committed more turnovers than its opponent just six times in its last 40 games (15 percent of the time).

BREAKING 80
The Sooners have been tough to beat under Kelvin Sampson when they score at least 80 points in a game. Since Sampson arrived in Norman prior to the 1994-95 season, OU is 117-12 (.907) when reaching 80 points. The Sooners have won 34 of their last 36 and 50 of their last 53 when scoring 80 or more.

FOUST, TURNER TO TRANSFER
Coach Kelvin Sampson announced on Dec. 21 that sophomores Brandon Foust and Larry Turner are finished playing at OU and will transfer. Foust cited playing time issues as his reason for leaving while Turner said he will attend school closer to his home so he can help raise his six-month-old son. Both played in five games this season. Foust, a guard/forward from Columbus, Ohio, averaged 2.8 points and 1.0 rebound per contest this year. A center from Milledgeville, Ga., Turner averaged 2.0 points and 1.8 boards.

SAMPSON HONORED BY USA BASKETBALL
On Dec. 16, OU head coach Kelvin Sampson was named the USA Basketball 2004 Developmental Coach of the Year for guiding the USA World Championship for Young Men Qualifying Team to a 5-0 record and a gold medal last summer in Halifax, Nova Scotia. As recipient of the award, which was determined by the USA Basketball Executive Committee, Sampson has been nominated by USA Basketball for the U.S. Olympic Committee's Developmental Coach of the Year award, which will be announced by the USOC at a later date. Said Sampson, “It's wonderful to receive this honor, but the real honor is just to be asked to represent your country. The fact that they asked me to be the head coach of that team I was raised to say yes' to that.” Players on Sampson's USA squad included Chris Paul and Justin Gray (Wake Forest), Hassan Adams and Mustafa Shakur (Arizona), Sean May (North Carolina), P.J. Tucker (Texas), Charlie Villanueva (Connecticut), Curtis Withers (Charlotte) and Bracey Wright (Indiana).

OKLAHOMA TIP INS
OU shot .500 or better from the field three times all of last season, but has shot better than .500 in six of its nine games this year. The Sooners shot .408 last year but own a .473 mark this year.
Junior forward Kevin Bookout went 5-for-5 from the field against Cal State Northridge and 9-for-10 against Washington. He also went 6-for-6 in the second half at Purdue. Bookout has shot .500 or better from the field in all nine games this year leads the Big 12 with his .653 season field goal percentage.
OU's starting frontcourt of Bookout (.653) and Taj Gray (.536) is shooting a combined .590 from the field.
Junior guard Terrell Everett has scored in double figures in the last eight games and is averaging 13.9 points over the last seven outings.
Oklahoma has been outrebounded by an average of 6.0 boards in its losses to Washington and Duke. In its seven wins, OU is outrebounding its foes by 4.6 a game.
Freshman guard David Godbold started and played 36 minutes Dec. 1 against Coppin State. He scored a game-high 14 points, pulled down seven rebounds (five offensive) and was 4-for-6 from 3-point range. Godbold has played 26 minutes combined in his five other games.
Freshman center Longar Longar is 7-for-8 from the field this season. His first six field goals were dunks.
Drew Lavender, a .782 free throw shooter a year ago, is 20-for-21 (.952) this season to lead the Big 12. He also ranks third in the league with his 2.3 steals a game. He has eight thefts in the last two outings.
A career .527 free throw shooter entering the year, Bookout is off to an 18-for-24 start this season (.750).
OU averaged 2.3 dunks a game last year. Through nine games this season it is averaging 3.4 a contest.
Six Sooners are averaging at least 8.5 points a game.
OU has won 55 of its last 59 home games (.932).

SOONERS GOING FOR EIGHTH STRAIGHT 20-WIN SEASON
Oklahoma finished 20-11 last year to post its seventh consecutive 20-win campaign. The Sooners have won 175 games over the last seven seasons for an average of 25 per year. Over the last five seasons, OU is averaging 26 wins. The school record for consecutive 20-win seasons is 12 (1981-82 through 1992-93 under Billy Tubbs).

UNDER KELVIN SAMPSON...
OU has made 10 straight postseason showings (nine NCAA and one NIT).
OU has advanced to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 (1999), Final Four (2002) and Elite Eight (2003).
OU has posted an 88-40 (.688) regular season Big 12 Conference record.
OU has recorded a 137-20 (.873) record at Lloyd Noble Center and has won 55 of its last 59 home games.
OU has won at least 20 games each of the last seven years.
OU has averaged 26 victories over the past five seasons.
OU has won three of the past four Big 12 Tournaments and has made five title game appearances in the last seven events.

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