Oklahoma Hosts Florida A&M Thursday

GAME INFORMATION
Winner of two straight and six of its last seven, Oklahoma (8-2) plays host to Florida A&M (2-6) on Thursday at 7 p.m. CST at Lloyd Noble Center. 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 by the Sooner Sports Network (KAUT Channel 43/Cox Cable 13 in OKC) with Bob Carpenter (play-by-play) and Charlie Spoonhour (analyst) announcing.

Game Notes in PDF

TICKET AVAILABILITY
Upper-level reserved seats for Thursday's game are still available for $15 and $20 at the OU Athletics Ticket Office (800-456-4668) and online at SoonerSports.com. Lloyd Noble Center's north and east ticket windows will open at 5 p.m. on Thursday.

PROJECTED FLORIDA A&M STARTERS (Stats averages)
F 4 Darius Glover (6-5, 230, Jr., 7.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 0.6 apg)
F 30 Michael Harper (6-9, 220, Sr., 5.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 0.5 apg)
C 44 Glen Elliott (6-9, 260, Jr., 7.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 0.6 apg)
G 11 Tony Tate (5-11, 185, Jr., 17.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.0 apg)
G 21 Jonathan Kelly (6-6, 210, Jr., 9.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 0.9 apg)

PROJECTED OKLAHOMA STARTERS (Stats averages)
F 21 Taj Gray (6-9, 235, Jr., 13.7 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 1.6 apg)
F 34 Kevin Bookout (6-8, 259, Jr., 12.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 0.8 apg)
G 2 Jaison Williams (6-3, 181, Sr., 10.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.4 apg)
G 3 Drew Lavender (5-7, 153, So., 8.8 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 3.8 apg)
G 20 Terrell Everett (6-4, 185, Jr., 13.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 4.4 apg)

OKLAHOMA UPDATE
The Sooners, ranked 28th in this week's ESPN/USA Today coaches poll and 30th in the AP version, are coming off a narrow 70-64 victory over Tulsa on Tuesday in the All-College Classic in Oklahoma City. OU squandered a 14-point second-half lead as TU, playing its first game under interim head coach Alvin “Pooh” Williamson, took a 60-59 lead with 3:04 remaining. Lawrence McKenzie responded with a 3-pointer and Kevin Bookout followed with a pair of buckets on consecutive trips to help OU go back up by four. Senior guard Jaison Williams iced the game by making all four of his free throw attempts in the final 30 seconds. Williams finished with a career-high 21 points with the help of five 3-pointers on eight attempts. Terrell Everett, who played point guard for much of the game in place of an injured Drew Lavender, had 15 points, five assists and an OU-season-high five steals. McKenzie was 3-for-5 from beyond the 3-point arc and scored a season-high 13 points while Bookout posted his first double-double of the year with 10 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. Taj Gray added 10 points as OU won its 12th straight All-College game. Lavender, who fractured in his right index finger on Dec. 26, played 16 minutes and was 0-for-6 from the field and did not score.

TULSA LEFTOVERS
Junior forward Kevin Bookout was 5-for-8 from the field and has shot .500 or better in all 10 games.
Lawrence McKenzie was 3-for-5 from 3-point range and is 12-for-23 (.522) from beyond the arc over the last five games. He ranks second in the Big 12 with his .500 season mark.
Jaison Williams made his first five 3-point attempts of the game and finished with a career-high 21 points. Williams scored 16 points against Tulsa last year, one off his 2002-03 season high.
OU's 9-for-18 3-point effort was its best of the year by percentage (.500).
The Sooners improved to 5-0 all-time at the Ford Center and upped their All-College record to 49-11.
Oklahoma improved to 7-0 this year when outrebounding its opponent (33-28 edge vs. Tulsa).
Oklahoma registered 10 steals and has hit double digits in the category in five straight games.

ABOUT FLORIDA A&M
A member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Florida A&M heads to Norman with a 2-6 record. The Rattlers lost their first four games but have bounced back to win two of their last four. Thursday's game is their last of nine road contests to open the season. FAMU has lost to Michigan State, Illinois, Florida International, Florida, Hampton and Mississippi State. Its wins have come against Norfolk State and Southern. The Rattlers are averaging 65.1 points a contest while surrendering 82.6 a game. They are shooting .392 from the field, .300 from 3-point range and .642 from the free throw line.

Junior guard Tony Tate is averaging a team-high 17.0 points a game and leads the squad with his 4.3 assists and 2.0 steals a contest. Tate has made a team-high 14 treys and has led the Rattlers in scoring in six of their eight games. He scored 31 against Southern. Another junior guard, Jonathan Kelly averages 9.5 points and 4.5 rebounds a game. He is followed in the scoring department by junior forward Darius Glover (7.1 ppg) and junior center Glen Elliott (7.0 ppg). Elliott also averages a team-high 5.1 rebounds a game.

Mike Gillespie, Sr., is in his fifth season as Florida A&M's head coach and owns a 43-54 (.443) record there. He's in his seventh season as a collegiate head coach and is 69-84 (.451). After a 1-10 start last year, Gillespie guided FAMU to 14 wins in its final 21 games last year. The Rattlers won the MEAC Tournament title and defeated Lehigh by 15 in the NCAA Tournament play-in game. They lost to Kentucky in the first round, 96-76.

SERIES WITH FLORIDA A&M
Oklahoma and Florida A&M have met on one previous occasion and the Sooners came away with their second-largest margin of victory ever (81 points) when they posted a 146-65 victory on Jan. 27, 1993, in Norman. Jeff Webster led seven Sooners in double figures with 32 points and was followed by Angelo Hamilton's 26, Bryatt Vann's 20, Terry Evans' 17, Bryan Sallier's 16, Ken Conley's 15 and Ryan Minor's 11. Billy Tubbs' team shot .566 from the field and doubled up the Rattlers on the boards, 56-28.

OKLAHOMA FINALLY COOLING FROM THE FIELD
After shooting better than .500 from the field in six of its first seven games, Oklahoma has failed to reach the mark in its last three contests. The Sooners were shooting .514 for the season entering the Dec. 18 Duke game but have shot .368 since and now own a .469 season figure. OU shot .408 from the field last year its worst mark in 40 seasons and shot .500 or better just three times all season.

3-POINT DISPARITY
The Sooners have made 66 3-pointers this season (an average of 6.6 a game) and are shooting .393 from beyond the arc. Opponents, by comparison, have canned just 29 treys (2.9 a game) and are shooting .264 from long range. Lawrence McKenzie is averaging 2.2 3-point makes a game and ranks second in the Big 12 Conference with his .500 season percentage. Jaison Williams is coming off a five 3-point field goal performance against Tulsa and also averages 2.2 treys per outing.

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 (13.7 ppg), rebounding (7.8 rpg) and blocked shots (1.6 bpg) in 26.2 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 has registered double-doubles in three of the last four 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 13.0 points (ranks second on team), 4.1 rebounds (ranks third) and a team-high 4.4 assists a game. Everett has scored in double figures in each of the last nine games and is averaging 14.0 over the last eight. He was named Big 12 Rookie of the Week following his three-game performance at the Great Alaska Shootout.

BOOKOUT LEADS BIG 12 IN FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE
Oklahoma's leader in field goal percentage his first two seasons, junior forward Kevin Bookout is shooting a stout .650 from the field this season (52-for-80) to lead the Big 12Conference (for perspective, Baylor's Aaron Bruce ranks second with a .593 mark). The 6-8, 259-pounder has showcased a reliable mid-range jumper and has shot .500 or better in all 10 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 and posted a .516 mark last year in 13 games.

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 438 of the squad's 744 points, or 59 percent this season. Junior forwards Taj Gray (13.7 ppg) and Kevin Bookout (12.2 ppg) are the main reasons OU's frontcourt production has increased from 32 percent of the team's points last year to 41 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 (.264). Over the last seven games, opponents are shooting .253 from beyond the arc (19-for-75). 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.

BETTER TO GIVE THAN RECEIVE
The Sooners have registered 159 assists through 10 contests for an average of 15.9 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.

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 15.6 offensive miscues a game compared to 13.1 per contest last season. However, Oklahoma has committed fewer turnovers than eight of its 10 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 41 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.

HOME IS WHERE THE “W” IS
Lloyd Noble Center has always been extremely kind to the Sooners. Oklahoma, which has won seven straight inside LNC, has gone 137-20 (.872) inside the building during Kelvin Sampson's 10-plus years as head coach. Over the past three-plus seasons, OU is 49-4 (.925) at Lloyd Noble (it finished 14-3 last year, 15-1 in 2002-03 and 16-0 in 2001-02). Oklahoma is 373-63 (.856) inside Lloyd Noble since it opened for the 1975-76 campaign and has won 55 of its last 59. OU's 37-game home winning streak (started Jan. 20, 2001, and ended March 8, 2003) was OU's longest since winning 51 in a row in the late 1980s and early 1990s and was the nation's longest streak at the time. It also stands as the longest home streak in Big 12 history.

TOUGH SLATE
Oklahoma will play four games this year against teams in the current AP poll's top six and will play eight games against teams in the top 15. OU has already faced No. 6 Duke and No. 13 Washington. It will play once against No. 2 Kansas and No. 11 Connecticut, and twice each against No. 3 Oklahoma State and No. 15 Texas.

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 10 games this year. The Sooners shot .408 last year but own a .469 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 10 games this year leads the Big 12 with his .650 season field goal percentage.
OU's starting frontcourt of Bookout (.650) and Taj Gray (.527) is shooting a combined .584 from the field.
Junior guard Terrell Everett has scored in double figures in the last nine games and is averaging 14.0 points over the last eight outings.
Lawrence McKenzie has made multiple 3-point field goals in seven of his nine games this year, including each of the last five. He is 12-for-23 over the last five contests.
Oklahoma has been outrebounded by an average of 6.0 boards in its losses to Washington and Duke. In its eight 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 30 minutes combined in his six 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.
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 10 games this season it is averaging 3.5 a contest.
Six Sooners are averaging at least 8.8 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.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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