OU Plays Nebraska in First Round of Big 12 Tournament

Oklahoma (18-9 overall, 8-8 Big 12) is the No. 7 seed in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament to be played at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, and will take on No. 10 seed Nebraska (16-11, 6-10) on Thursday at 6 p.m. Oklahoma State, Texas, Kansas, Colorado and Texas Tech are the top five seeds, respectively, and earned first-round byes.

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If OU wins on Thursday, it will play a quarterfinal contest on Friday at 6 p.m. against Texas (21-6, 12-4). Saturday's semifinal games are set for 1 and 3:20 p.m., while Sunday's championship game will start at 2 p.m. CST.

All of OU's Big 12 Tournament games 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. OU's Thursday contest will be televised by ESPN Plus (KOCB 34/Cox Cable 11 in Oklahoma City). Games on Friday and Saturday will also be televised by ESPN Plus while Sunday's title game will be shown nationally by ESPN.

OKLAHOMA PROJECTED STARTERS
F 32 Johnnie Gilbert (6-8, 265, Jr., 4.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 0.6 apg)
C 21 Jabahri Brown (6-10, 220, Sr., 7.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.6 apg)
G 3 Drew Lavender (5-7, 155, Fr., 11.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 3.8 apg)
G 5 Jason Detrick (6-6, 215, Sr., 11.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.4 apg)
G 15 De'Angelo Alexander (6-5, 215, So., 10.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.4 apg)

OKLAHOMA RESERVES
G 1 Lawrence McKenzie (6-2, 170, Fr., 8.4 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.4 apg)
G 2 Jaison Williams (6-3, 185, Jr., 6.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.8 apg)
F 22 Brandon Foust (6-6, 205, Fr., 2.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 0.3 apg)

OKLAHOMA UPDATE
The Sooners beat Texas A&M and Baylor last week to finish 8-8 in conference play. Oklahoma, going for its fourth consecutive league tourney title, failed to earn a first-round bye for the first time since the Big 12's first season in 1996-97 (OU was a No. 5 seed that year). The Sooners rank second in the league by giving up just 62.1 points a game and lead the Big 12 with their 8.9 steals per contest. OU also paces the Big 12 in turnover margin by averaging 4.6 fewer miscues than its foes.

Last Friday, head coach Kelvin Sampson announced that senior center Jabahri Brown will miss the remainder of OU's games this year, including the postseason, due to a violation of team rules. Said Sampson, “Jabahri has been a valuable member of our program the last three years and was an integral part of our Final Four and Elite Eight teams. He will remain on scholarship and is scheduled to graduate in May. We will do everything we can as a staff to ensure that he continues to move forward and earn his degree. Our commitment to the core values of our program guides us in our support of Jabahri in this way, but also requires that we must move forward on the court without him.”

Without Brown, the Sooners beat Texas A&M, 86-60, and Baylor, 46-41, at home last week. Point guard Drew Lavender averaged 12.0 points, 3.0 treys, 6.0 assists and 3.0 steals in the two games and now averages 11.3 points per outing on the year to rank second on the squad. The 5-7 Big 12 All-Freshman Team member leads OU in assists (3.9 apg), steals (1.7 spg), treys (1.7 makes per game), three-point field goal percentage (.384) and minutes (30.9 mpg). Lavender has made at least one trey in 24 of 27 games and has made 19 over the last seven (2.7 average). The Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year scored 31 points against Texas A&M Feb. 14, the most by an OU true freshman in 20 years. Against A&M in Norman, sophomore De'Angelo Alexander scored 15 of his game-high 17 points after halftime and paced OU in scoring for the sixth time this season. Alexander ranks third on the team with his 9.9 points and is the squad's leading rebounder among available players (4.8 rpg). He is shooting .379 from three-point range (he is 19-for-43 over the last 12 games for a .442 figure).

Fellow guard Jason Detrick, who scored a career-high 35 points at Colorado on Feb. 25 (the most by a Sooner in six seasons), averages a team-high 11.4 points per game and has reached double figures in six of the last seven outings (averaging 14.4 during the stretch). The Big 12 All-Underrated Team honoree made all 15 of his three-pointers on the year in conference play. Guard Lawrence McKenzie has had an extremely productive freshman campaign and has made 41 treys this year (average of 1.6 per game). McKenzie, who has scored in double figures 11 times, averages 8.4 points per game (9.7 in conference play).

Another guard, junior Jaison Williams has been hot lately with a 16-point game at Colorado Feb. 25 and a 12-point, seven-rebound effort against Texas A&M last Wednesday. Coming off the bench each game this year, he now averages 6.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He is shooting a team-high .897 from the free throw line and now has 35 three-point makes after tallying four in two games last week.

On the inside, the Sooners have struggled generating offense since Kevin Bookout's season-ending surgery on Feb. 5. Bookout averaged 7.6 points and a team-high 5.5 boards on a sore and weak right shoulder over his 13 outings. Junior forward Johnnie Gilbert has started in 12 of OU's 13 games since Bookout's departure and averages 5.1 points, 4.0 boards and a team-high 1.6 rejections per game. Gilbert scored a career-high 12 points (all in the first half) versus Texas A&M two games ago. Redshirt freshman center Larry Turner is also seeing more playing time (he's started three of the last four games) and is averaging 4.1 points and 3.4 rebounds over the last 14 contests. True freshman Brandon Foust, a 6-6 forward, is averaging 11.5 minutes per game on the year but has seen considerably more time recently. In 22.0 minutes per game over the last four outings, Foust is averaging 5.3 points and 3.5 rebounds.

OU IN THE CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
The Sooners are 38-20 (.655) in conference postseason action (15-4 in six seasons of the Big 12 format). Oklahoma has participated in 12 tournament championship games, including five of the last six, and has won seven crowns. OU's title last year was its third in a row. The Sooners also earned titles in 1979, 1985, 1988 and 1990. Head coach Kelvin Sampson is 16-6 in nine previous tournament appearances (15-4 in Big 12) and has guided five squads to championship games (1998, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003). For more information on Oklahoma's Big Eight/Big 12 Tournament history, consult pages 155-157 of the media guide.

REMEMBERING THE 2003 BIG 12 TOURNEY
OU won its third straight Big 12 Tournament and Hollis Price took home his second straight league tourney MVP trophy after averaging 19.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.0 steals. Point guard Quannas White averaged 13.3 points and 4.3 assists while going 10-for-14 from three-point range (.714).
The No. 3 seeded Sooners beat No. 6 seed Colorado (74-59), No. 7 seed Texas Tech (67-60 in OT) and No. 5 seed Missouri (49-47).
Oklahoma sizzled from beyond the arc by shooting .426 (opponents shot .194), but struggled at the foul line (.578).
Take away Price's 10-for-10 effort at the free throw line and OU was 16-for-35 (.457).
The Sooners averaged 38.3 points in first-half action but just 21.3 in second-half play.
OU won its seventh, eighth and ninth straight Big 12 Tournament games. The Sooners have shot a collective .392 (197-for-503) from the field in those nine victories but has held their opponents to .377 (174-for-462) shooting.

THRICE IS NICE
OU has won its last nine Big 12 Tournament games to capture the past three league tourney titles. Kelvin Sampson's Sooners have won with defense, holding those last nine foes to a combined .377 field goal figure and limiting their three championship game opponents to an average of 49.0 points. Following are notes on OU's performance in the Big 12 Tournament...

Big 12 Tournament Title Games
1997 Kansas 87, Missouri 60
1998 Kansas 72, Oklahoma 58
1999 Kansas 53, Oklahoma State 37
2000 Iowa State 70, Oklahoma 50
2001 Oklahoma 54, Texas 45
2002 Oklahoma 64, Kansas 55
2003 Oklahoma 49, Missouri 47

Big 12 Tournament Championships
3 Oklahoma
3 Kansas
1 Iowa State

Big 12 Tournament Championship Game Appearances
5 Oklahoma
4 Kansas
2 Missouri
1 Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Texas

Big 12 Tournament Records
1. Oklahoma: 15-4 (.789)
2. Kansas: 14-4 (.778)
3. Missouri: 10-7 (.588)
4. Texas: 7-7 (.500)
5. Oklahoma State: 6-7 (.462)
6. Iowa State: 5-6 (.455)
7. Kansas State: 5-7 (.417)
Texas Tech: 5-7 (.417)
9. Baylor: 4-7 (.364)
Colorado: 4-7 (.364)
11. Nebraska: 2-7 (.222)
12. Texas A&M: 0-7 (.000)

OU the Last Three Seasons
2001 Beat Missouri 67-65, Beat Kansas 62-57, Beat Texas 54-45
2002 Beat Kansas State 63-52, Beat Texas 67-51, Beat Kansas 64-55
2003 Beat Colorado 74-59, Beat Texas Tech 67-60 (OT), Beat Missouri 49-47

SERIES WITH NEBRASKA
Oklahoma has beaten Nebraska five straight times and leads the all-time series, 100-78. The teams have never met in the Big 12 Tournament, but the Huskers posted a 3-2 mark against OU in Big Eight Tournament play. Nebraska holds a 14-6 advantage at neutral sites. Kelvin Sampson is 9-3 versus the Huskers as OU's head coach.

In Big Eight Tournament action against Nebraska, Oklahoma won in 1990 (78-65) and 1992 (107-85). The Huskers posted victories in 1980 (75-68), 1991 (117-113 in double overtime) and 1994 (105-80). All five games were played in the first round.

Earlier this year, OU posted a 52-50 win in Lincoln on Feb. 1. It was a tale of two halves in which Oklahoma's fate looked favorable early and then bleak late. The end result was an exciting road victory that gave OU a three-game winning streak and evened its Big 12 record at 3-3. The Sooners sizzled from beyond the arc in the first half by knocking down 7-of-14 three-point attempts and took a 36-21 lead to halftime (they led by as many as 18) as they held the Huskers to .304 field goal shooting. Nebraska, which still trailed 44-30 at the 13:26 mark of the second half, held OU scoreless over a 10:18 span while scoring 15 points to take a 45-44 lead with 3:28 to play. A Lawrence McKenzie free throw stopped the bleeding and a three-pointer by the freshman gave the Sooners a 48-45 cushion with 2:13 left. Later, with OU ahead 50-48, McKenzie drove the lane and fed Jabahri Brown for a 17-foot baseline jumper with 11 seconds left that sealed the game. The Huskers added a basket with one second left to finish the scoring. McKenzie made three-pointers on OU's first three possessions of the game and finished with 18 points, one shy of his career high, and a career-high 10 rebounds for his first collegiate double-double. He was 5-for-8 from three-point range and added two assists. Brown scored 15 points, one short of his career best, and registered five boards, two assists, two blocks and two steals. Jake Muhleisen was the lone Husker in double digits with 11 points. Nebraska fell to 11-6 overall (10-2 at home) and 1-5 in Big 12 play.

A WIN OVER NEBRASKA WOULD...
Give the Sooners their 10th straight win in Big 12 Tournament play, dating back to a 70-58 defeat against Iowa State in the 2000 championship game.
Give Oklahoma 19 wins on the year, one victory away from its seventh straight 20-win campaign.
Give OU its sixth straight win against Nebraska and improve Kelvin Sampson's mark to 10-3 versus NU.

SATURDAY'S BAYLOR RECAP
Despite shooting .296 on the day and trailing by 10 with 13 minutes left in the game, Oklahoma posted a 46-41 home victory over Baylor on Senior Day on Saturday. The Sooners led 20-18 at halftime but fell behind 32-22 with 13:09 to go as the Bears opened the second half with a 14-2 run. A 9-0 OU answer over the next three minutes cut the margin to one and the Sooners eventually tied it at 33-33 with 8:37 left. Baylor quickly went back up by four, OU tied it and then BU went ahead by two again with three minutes on the clock. Jason Detrick, OU's lone senior who played in the game, made a key three-pointer with 2:49 remaining to put the Sooners up for good, 40-39. Oklahoma made just three of its first 10 free throw attempts of the game, but went 6-for-6 in the last 1:50 to seal the win. Drew Lavender scored all of his team-high 10 points in the first half and added four assists and three steals as the Sooners finished 8-8 in Big 12 play. Johnnie Gilbert, Lawrence McKenzie and Jaison Williams all had seven points while De'Angelo Alexander pulled down a team-high eight boards. Oklahoma was just 5-for-27 from beyond the arc (.185) and went 2-for-13 in the second half (.154). Baylor shot .500 from the field and got 10 points apiece from Harvey Thomas and Terrance Thomas. OU outboarded Baylor 36-24 for its largest rebounding margin since Dec. 20 against Jackson State. The game was the last of the year for Baylor.

BAYLOR LEFTOVERS
Oklahoma's 46 points were its most in victory since a 40-39 home win over Air Force on Jan. 31, 1959 (a span of 1,344 games).
Twenty-two of OU's 36 rebounds were offensive. The 22 offensive boards were the team's second most of the season (it had 23 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Dec. 2).
The Sooners had just nine turnovers, marking their fourth single-digit turnover game in the last six.
Though he was removed from the roster by head coach Kelvin Sampson the day before for violating team rules, Jabahri Brown participated in postgame senior ceremonies with teammate Jason Detrick.

POSTSEASON BANQUET AWARDS
The following awards were presented Monday night at the team's annual banquet:
Student Athlete: Kellen Sampson
Leadership: Jason Detrick
Best Rebounder: De'Angelo Alexander
Best Defensive Player: Johnnie Gilbert
Roy Marler (Most Inspirational): Johnnie Gilbert
Tight White (Scout Team): Kellen Sampson
Most Improved: Larry Turner
Mr. Hustle: Jaison Williams
Outstanding Seniors: Jabahri Brown, Jason Detrick
Outstanding Player: Jason Detrick

RIM RATTLERS
With Kevin Bookout undergoing shoulder surgery Feb. 5 and head coach Kelvin Sampson announcing last Friday that Jabahri Brown will not play any more this year, OU is down to eight available players on its roster. Four are freshmen and one is a sophomore.
Only three of OU's available players have participated in the Big 12 Tournament. Johnnie Gilbert (6), De'Angelo Alexander (3) and Jason Detrick (3) have a combined 12 games of experience.
The Sooners have shot a collective .392 (197-for-503) from the field in their last nine Big 12 Tournament games (all victories) but have held their foes to .377 (174-for-462) shooting.
OU has won two games this year when scoring in the 40s (47-45 over Purdue on Dec. 11 and 46-41 over Baylor on March 6).
Over the last five games, Oklahoma's guards have scored 267 of the the team's 340 points (79 percent).
Oklahoma is averaging just 9.7 turnovers over its last six games.
The Sooners lead the Big 12 in turnover margin, averaging 4.6 fewer turnovers per game than their opponents. OU has committed more turnovers than its foe just four times in 27 games.
Oklahoma fell out of the AP top-25 poll four weeks ago for the first time since December 2001 (46 weeks). OU was ranked in the top 10 in 34 of the previous 45 polls.
OU has outrebounded just three opponents in its last 18 games, but did it in each of the last two against Texas A&M and Baylor.
True freshmen have led OU in scoring in 13 of 27 games. Drew Lavender has done it eight times and Lawrence McKenzie five times.
Oklahoma has made at least one three-point basket in 252 straight games dating back to the 1996-97 season.

GUARDS LEADING THE WAY
Despite the fact that Oklahoma lost three starting guards from last year's team, the Sooners' top four scorers this season are all members of the backcourt. Jason Detrick paces the squad with 11.4 points per game and is followed by Drew Lavender (11.3), De'Angelo Alexander (9.9) and Lawrence McKenzie (8.4). OU's guards have scored 1,248 of its 1,809 points, or 69 percent. Over the last five games, Sooner guards have scored 267 of the team's 340 points (79 percent).

YOUNG GUNS
Against Eastern Washington, Drew Lavender and Lawrence McKenzie became the third and fourth freshmen to start the first game of a season under 10th-year head coach Kelvin Sampson (the others were Kevin Bookout last year and guard Prince Fowler in 1994-95, Sampson's first OU campaign). Lavender and McKenzie finished second and third on the team in scoring in Big 12 play by averaging 10.6 and 9.7 points a game, respectively (Jason Detrick averaged 11.8). Lavender has scored in double figures a team-high 15 times while McKenzie has done it 10 times. Lavender has led the team in scoring on eight occasions while McKenzie has done it five times.

PREACHING PROTECTION
Oklahoma has done an excellent job taking care of the basketball over the last six games, averaging just 9.7 turnovers during the stretch. The Sooners recorded single-digit turnovers in four of those contests (nine versus Oklahoma State, a season-low five versus Texas, eight at Colorado and nine against Baylor). OU has committed more turnovers than its foes just four times in 27 games this season and leads the Big 12 in turnover margin (it averages 4.6 fewer turnovers per game than its opponents).

BOARDED UP
Normally considered an Oklahoma strength, rebounding has been anything but this season. The Sooners outrebounded Texas A&M and Baylor in the their last two games, marking just the second and third times in the last 18 games they have outboarded an opponent. OU got outrebounded by 5.0 boards per Big 12 contest. On the year, opponents are grabbing 35.8 rebounds per game to OU's 34.4. The last time the Sooners were outrebounded for an entire season was in 1993-94 (Billy Tubbs' final season at OU).

LOVING “LAV”
Preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year Drew Lavender has led OU in scoring eight times this season and has tallied at least 22 points on three occasions. Lavender became the first frosh and the shortest player to ever win Big 12 Player of the Week honors when he reeled in the award Dec. 16. He also garnered Big 12 Rookie of the Week honors Feb. 17. Lavender averages 11.3 points and leads the team with his 3.9 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.8 treys per game. His .384 three-point percentage also paces the squad. The last Oklahoma freshman to average 11.3 points per game for an entire season was Jeff Webster (18.3 ppg in 1990-91). Since Oklahoma assist statistics were first kept during the 1976-77 season, Terry Evans is the only freshman to average more assists for an entire campaign (4.4 in 1989-90).

SERVED ON A TREY
Oklahoma's three-point shooting has been a key factor in its Big 12 victories this year. OU made at least eight treys in seven of its eight league wins (it averaged 9.0 makes). Freshmen Lawrence McKenzie and Drew Lavender each made 18 treys in those eight games while sophomore De'Angelo Alexander had 14. Lavender totaled 10 treys in two wins against Texas A&M. Four Sooners have made at least 35 three-pointers on the year (48 by Lavender, 41 by McKenzie, 36 by Alexander and 35 by Jaison Williams).

MORE FROM THE LAND OF THREE
Sophomore De'Angelo Alexander became the fourth Sooner to make five three-pointers in a game this year when he went 5-for-7 against Iowa State on Feb. 4 (Drew Lavender since made six at Texas A&M). Jaison Williams was 5-for-9 against Texas-Pan American (Dec. 29), Drew Lavender was 5-for-8 at Connecticut (Jan. 11) and Lawrence McKenzie was 5-for-8 at Nebraska (Feb. 1). The last time four Sooners made at least five treys in a game in a season was in 1998-99 (Tim Heskett, Michael Johnson, Eric Martin and Eduardo Najera).

NOT AFRAID OF REJECTION
Through 27 games, the Sooners have registered 140 blocked shots, an average of 5.2 per contest (ranks third in Big 12). The school record for rejections per game is 5.8 (1988-89) and last year's squad averaged just 3.6. Junior Johnnie Gilbert leads Oklahoma and ranks seventh in the Big 12 with his 1.6 blocks per game (total of 42) and has recorded at least two rejections in 10 of the last 13 outings (he had an OU-season-high four Feb. 29 at Kansas). Freshman center Larry Turner has 27 blocked shots in 26 games on the year while senior center Jabahri Brown finished his season with 23 (sophomore forward Kevin Bookout recorded 13 in his 13 games). Gilbert ranks fifth on the school's career list with 106 blocks while Brown ranks sixth with 104.

COMPARING WINS AND LOSSES
The Sooners' biggest downfalls in their nine losses have been shooting and rebounding. Below is a statistical comparison between OU's 18 wins and its nine defeats.

FG Percentage -- .437 in wins, .358 in losses
Opp. FG Percentage -- .387 in wins, .496 in losses
3FG Percentage -- .347 in wins, .311 in losses
Opp. 3FG Percentage -- .329 in wins, .422 in losses
Rebounding Margin -- +3.4 in wins, -10.8 in losses

SOONERS LEAD BIG 12 IN STEALS
Oklahoma's defense has been sound this season (OU ranks second in the Big 12 by giving up just 62.1 points per game) and its ability to come up with steals has been a major reason. The Sooners lead the conference by averaging 8.9 steals per contest. OU has reached double digits in steals nine times this year and logged 26 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Dec. 2 (the most under 10th-year head coach Kelvin Sampson). Jason Detrick and Drew Lavender both recorded five steals in that game. On the season, Lavender averages 1.7 steals and is followed by Detrick (1.4) and Jaison Williams (1.4). De'Angelo Alexander and Lawrence McKenzie have both recorded 21 steals on the year.

BOOKOUT'S SURGERY A SUCCESS
Kevin Bookout underwent successful right shoulder surgery Feb. 5 in Oklahoma City. Team physicians Brock Schnebel and Don McGinnis performed the two-hour shoulder reconstruction that corrected instability in the joint. Bookout, a 6-8, 265-pound sophomore forward who earned Big 12 All-Freshman Team honors last year when he led the league in field goal percentage (.587), was in a sling until two weeks ago. According to team medical personnel, standard recovery time for surgery of this nature is three to five months. Bookout played in 13 games this season and averaged 7.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and shot .516 from the field (his final game was at Texas Tech on Jan. 19). Last year he averaged 9.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. The Stroud native also earned All-America honors in the shot put last June. Bookout, who will redshirt in track and field this year, will have two seasons of basketball eligibility remaining and three in track. He hurt the shoulder the first week of basketball practice (on Oct. 21).

FRESH FACES
Through 26 games, OU's rookie group of freshmen Brandon Foust, Drew Lavender, Lawrence McKenzie and junior Jaison Williams has accounted for 747 of OU's 1,809 points (41 percent), 195 of its 346 assists (56 percent) and 126 of its 181 three-pointers (70 percent). Redshirt freshman center Larry Turner has also seen action in 26 games (has started three of the last four) and scored a career-high nine points against both Prairie View A&M and Texas Tech. Five of OU's 10 roster players are freshmen (walk-on Kellen Sampson is the fifth).

LOW LEADER
Jason Detrick leads the team with his 11.4 points per game. The last time a Sooner averaged as few points as the team's season scoring leader was in 1960-61 when Warren Fouts averaged 11.1.

LIFT THE LID
The Sooners have struggled making shots this year and own a .410 overall season mark to rank last in the Big 12. The last OU team to shoot less than .410 for an entire season was the 1963-64 squad (it shot .398). Johnnie Gilbert (.524) and Kevin Bookout (.516) are the only Sooners with a field goal percentage at or above .500 this year. OU has shot .500 or better three times this year (versus A&M and Missouri and at Baylor).

SOONER MISCELLANY
Oklahoma is 16-3 over the last three postseasons (9-0 in Big 12 and 7-3 in NCAA Tournaments).
The Sooners have made nine straight NCAA Tournament appearances and 18 in the last 21 years.
The Sooners have won at least 26 games each of the last four seasons.
The Sooners' scoring defense mark of 60.0 points per game last year marked their lowest in 25 years. Opponents are scoring 62.1 points per game this season.
Oklahoma is 18-10 in overtime games under Sampson and has won 12 of its last 16. OU went 3-0 in overtime affairs last season and is 1-2 this year.
Sampson's .720 winning percentage is the best in OU history (Billy Tubbs ranks second at .716).

NINE STRAIGHT...AND COUNTING
Oklahoma has qualified for the NCAA Tournament in each of Kelvin Sampson's nine years in Norman. Only seven other schools have made the “Big Dance” each of the past nine seasons (Arizona, Cincinnati, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland and Stanford).

KELVIN'S SCHOOL OF DANCE
Last year's NCAA Tournament appearance marked Kelvin Sampson's 10th straight as a head coach (nine with Oklahoma and one with Washington State). That string ranks fourth among current coaches. Only Arizona's Lute Olson (19 straight), North Carolina's Roy Williams (14) and Cincinnati's Bob Huggins (12) have taken teams to more consecutive NCAA Tournaments. Kentucky's Tubby Smith and Maryland's Gary Williams have also been to 10 straight “Big Dances” while Stanford's Mike Montgomery has been to nine.

OU OWNS NATION'S SECOND-LONGEST POSTSEASON STREAK
Oklahoma has made 22 consecutive postseason appearances (18 NCAA and four NIT), the second-longest streak among Division I programs. Only Indiana owns a longer postseason streak. The last time OU did not compete in the postseason was in 1980-81.

SIX STRAIGHT 20-WIN SEASONS
The Sooners have compiled six straight seasons of at least 22 wins under head coach Kelvin Sampson. Last year marked the 21st 20-win season in school history and seventh under Sampson (this is his 10th year).

UNDER KELVIN SAMPSON...
OU has made nine consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
OU has advanced to the 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 132-20 (.868) record at Lloyd Noble Center and has won 50 of its last 54 home games.
OU has won at least 26 games each of the last four seasons and at least 22 games each of the last six years.
OU has won three straight Big 12 Tournaments and has made five title game appearances in the last six events.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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