NIT Preview: Oklahoma vs. LSU

GAME INFORMATION
Oklahoma (19-10 overall, 8-8 Big 12) will host LSU (18-10, 8-8 SEC) in a first-round National Invitation Tournament contest on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. at Lloyd Noble Center. OU finished seventh in the Big 12 this season while LSU tied for second in the SEC's Western Division.

If the Sooners win they will face the winner of Tuesday's Missouri-at-Michigan game (date and site to be determined). Comprised of 32 teams, the NIT will hold its semifinals and final on March 30 and April 1 at New York City's Madison Square Garden.

All of OU's NIT 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 Wednesday contest will be televised by ESPN (Cox Cable 29 in Oklahoma City) with Mark Jones (play-by-play) and Fran Fraschilla (analyst) announcing.

TICKETS AVAILABLE
Tickets are still available at the OU Athletics Ticket Office. Reserved seats cost $10 for adults and $5 for high school students and younger. OU student tickets also cost $5. The ticket office phone number is (800) 456-4668.

Order Tickets Online | OU Athletics Ticket Office

OKLAHOMA PROJECTED STARTERS
F 32 Johnnie Gilbert (6-8, 235, Jr., 5.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 0.7 apg)
C 44 Larry Turner (6-11, 235, Fr., 3.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 0.4 apg)
G 3   Drew Lavender (5-7, 155, Fr., 11.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.8 apg)
G 5   Jason Detrick (6-6, 215, Sr., 11.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.4 apg)
G 1   Lawrence McKenzie (6-2, 170, Fr., 8.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.3 apg)

OFF THE BENCH
G 2 Jaison Williams (6-3, 185, Jr., 6.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.7 apg)
G 15 De'Angelo Alexander (6-5, 215, So., 10.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.4 apg)
F 22 Brandon Foust (6-6, 205, Fr., 3.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 0.3 apg)

OKLAHOMA UPDATE
The Sooners missed out on the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 10 years but now own the nation's longest current postseason streak (23 seasons) by virtue of their NIT bid. OU has won three of its last four games and nearly knocked off then-No. 11 Texas in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals last Friday. Oklahoma led by 12 with seven minutes left before falling 66-63. The Sooners beat Nebraska the previous day in first-round action, 63-59, after trailing by 13 at the break.

Lone senior Jason Detrick scored in double figures in both Big 12 Tournament games (16 vs. Nebraska and 10 vs. Texas) and has reached double digits in eight of the last nine games. The wing leads the team in scoring with his 11.6 points per outing on the season and has made 10 three-pointers over the last seven games (he has made 19 treys on the year). Detrick played a terrific defensive game against Texas the last time out as he drew four charging fouls.

Point guard Drew Lavender scored 16 of his game-high 19 points against Nebraska after halftime and now averages 11.5 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 (3.8 apg), steals (1.8 spg), treys (1.8 makes per game), three-point field goal percentage (.382) and minutes (31.2 mpg). Lavender has made at least one trey in 26 of 29 games and has made 23 over the last nine (2.6 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. Coming off the bench, sophomore guard De'Angelo Alexander scored a team-high 15 points versus Texas last week and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds against Nebraska. He ranks third on the team with his 10.0 points per game and is the squad's leading rebounder among available players (4.9 rpg). He is shooting .375 from three-point range (he is 22-for-52 over the last 14 games for a .423 figure). Guard Lawrence McKenzie has had an extremely productive freshman campaign and has made 43 treys this year (average of 1.5 per game). McKenzie, who has scored in double figures 11 times, averages 8.1 points per game (he averaged 9.7 in conference play).

Another guard, junior Jaison Williams has elevated his play lately. Williams had a 16-point game at Colorado Feb. 25 and a 12-point, seven-rebound effort against Texas A&M March 3. Coming off the bench each game this year, he now averages 6.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He is shooting a team-high .889 from the free throw line and has made 36 three-pointers.

On the inside, the Sooners are down to three players as Kevin Bookout underwent season-ending shoulder surgery on Feb. 5 and Jabahri Brown was removed from the roster on March 5 for a violation of team rules. Bookout averaged 7.6 points and a team-high 5.5 rebounds a game while Brown averaged 7.1 points and 5.1 boards in his 25 starts. Junior forward Johnnie Gilbert has started in 14 of OU's 15 games since Bookout's departure and averages 5.0 points, 4.0 boards and a team-high 1.5 rejections per game. Gilbert scored a career-high 12 points (all in the first half) versus Texas A&M on March 3. Redshirt freshman center Larry Turner is also seeing more playing time (he's started five of the last six games) and is averaging 4.0 points and 3.5 rebounds over the last 16 contests. Turner is also averaging 2.0 blocked shots in his last 10 games. True freshman Brandon Foust, a 6-6 forward, is averaging 12.8 minutes per game on the year but has seen considerably more time recently. In 24.3 minutes a game over the last six outings, Foust is averaging 6.3 points and 4.0 rebounds. He had a career-high 11 points and added five boards in the last game versus Texas.

OU EXTENDS POSTSEASON STREAK TO 23 YEARS
With this season's NIT bid, Oklahoma is making its 23rd consecutive postseason appearance (18 NCAA and five NIT), now the longest streak among Division I programs. Indiana held the longest postseason streak (26 years) until this season. The last time OU did not compete in the postseason was in 1980-81.

SOONERS' NCAA STREAK SNAPPED
Oklahoma's nine-year NCAA Tournament streak finally came to a halt this season. The Sooners had qualified for the NCAA Tournament in each of Kelvin Sampson's nine previous years in Norman. Only seven other schools had made the “Big Dance” each of the past nine seasons (Arizona, Cincinnati, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland and Stanford). Sampson had made 10 straight appearances as his final Washington State squad made the NCAA field in 1994. That string ranked fourth among current coaches. Only Arizona's Lute Olson (19 straight), North Carolina's Roy Williams (14) and Cincinnati's Bob Huggins (12) had taken teams to more consecutive NCAA Tournaments entering this season.

LOOKING FOR SEVENTH STRAIGHT 20-WIN SEASON
Oklahoma has compiled six consecutive 20-win seasons and a victory Wednesday over LSU would make it seven straight. It would mark OU's 22nd 20-win season in school history and the eighth under 10th-year head coach Kelvin Sampson.

OKLAHOMA IN THE NIT
This marks Oklahoma's seventh postseason NIT appearance. The Sooners own a 9-6 NIT record with previous showings in 1970, 1971, 1982, 1991, 1993 and 1994. OU advanced to the semifinals in 1982 and lost in the 1991 championship game.

POSTSEASON NIT APPEARANCES
1970
Oklahoma 74, Louisville 73
LSU 97, Oklahoma 94

1971
Hawaii 87, Oklahoma 86 (2OT)

1982
Oklahoma 81, Oral Roberts 73
Oklahoma 80, UC Irvine 77
Oklahoma 91, Dayton 82
Bradley 84, Oklahoma 68

1991
Oklahoma 111, Tulsa 86
Oklahoma 89, Cincinnati 81 (OT)
Oklahoma 83, Providence 74
Oklahoma 88, Colorado 78
Stanford 78, Oklahoma 72

1993
Oklahoma 88, Michigan State 86
Minnesota 86, Oklahoma 72

1994
Vanderbilt 77, Oklahoma 67

ABOUT LSU
LSU enters NIT play with 18-10 overall and 8-8 Southeastern Conference records. The Tigers won 12 of their first 13 games of the year but have gone 6-9 since and are 1-6 in their last seven. Ranked as high as 24th in the AP poll this season (Feb. 16), LSU lost its SEC Tournament quarterfinals game to South Carolina, 85-64, in Atlanta.

The Tigers were led most of the season by 6-9, 245-pound senior forward Jaime Lloreda. The Panama native averaged team highs in points (16.9) and rebounds (11.6) in his 22 games before leaving the team March 1 due to leg injuries. The first-team All-SEC selection has not played in the team's last six games. Freshman forward Brandon Bass started all 28 games and was named the SEC Freshman of the Year. He averages 12.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks while shooting .509 from the field. Over the past four games he is averaging 14.0 points and 7.8 boards. Sophomore guard Darrel Mitchell averages 11.9 points, 2.2 assists and 1.7 steals per outing and leads the squad with his 65 three-point makes and .422 three-point percentage. Mitchell has scored in double digits in eight of the last 10 games and is averaging 14.4 over those 10. Junior guard Antonio Hudson provides 10.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists per contest and has made 39 treys on the year.

LSU is shooting .444 from the field, .336 from beyond the arc and .652 from the foul line. Opponents have shot .414 from the floor and .352 from beyond the arc. The Tigers outrebound their foes by 3.4 boards a game.

Head coach John Brady is 120-91 in his seventh year at LSU and owns a 209-168 career record in his 13th season (he also coached at Samford for six seasons).

SERIES WITH LSU
Oklahoma is 1-2 against LSU all-time and is 0-1 in postseason NIT play. The Tigers posted a 97-94 NIT win in the second round in Norman in 1970 as Pete Maravich scored 37 points (the second most against OU in postseason play). The Sooners notched a 94-85 win on Jan. 12, 1987, in Oklahoma City behind 29 points from Tim McCalister. LSU countered with a an 84-77 triumph in New Orleans a year later. Jose Vargas netted 30 points for the Tigers as they handed OU its first loss of the year in 15 games. It was one of just four defeats for the Sooners the entire season as they advanced to the NCAA title game (lost to Kansas, 83-79).

A WIN OVER LSU WOULD...
Give Oklahoma 20 victories on the year for its seventh straight 20-win season.
Improve OU's postseason NIT record to 10-6 and its first-round mark to 5-2.
Even the overall series with LSU at two victories apiece.

BIG 12 TOURNEY RECAP
Oklahoma saw its three-year Big 12 Tournament reign come to an end in Dallas last weekend as it beat Nebraska in first-round action before losing to Texas in quarterfinals play. After shooting only .250 from the field in the first half against the No. 10 seed Huskers on Thursday, seventh-seeded Oklahoma turned in a .552 effort in the second and overcame a 13-point halftime deficit to win its record-tying 10th straight Big 12 Tournament game, 63-59. The Huskers led by as many as 15 in the first 20 minutes and were up 35-22 at the break before the Sooners scored the first seven points of the second half to trail by just six. Oklahoma took its first lead one it would not relinquish at the 12:07 mark, 41-40, on a follow dunk by Larry Turner. The Sooners pushed their advantage to 11 (59-48) with 4:58 to go and held on for the four-point triumph. Drew Lavender scored 16 of his game-high 19 points in the second half and Jason Detrick added 16 on the night to improve OU's record to 19-9 overall. Corey Simms paced Nebraska with 14 points as the Huskers fell to 16-12. The Sooners committed only six turnovers on the night (one more than their season low) and had just two after halftime. OU turned in a solid defensive effort in the second half by limiting Nebraska to .280 field goal shooting and a 0-for-6 three-point effort.

Against No. 2 seed Texas, a team they had lost to twice during the regular season, the Sooners led by nine at halftime and by 12 points with seven minutes remaining before losing 66-63. With OU ahead 63-61, De'Angelo Alexander misfired on a three-pointer with 44 seconds left as the shot clock neared expiration. Brandon Mouton hit a driving shot in the lane for Texas and was fouled with 26 seconds left. The free throw put Texas ahead for good as Lavender lost control of the ball while making a move in the paint with six seconds left. Mouton hit two more free throws and Lavender's running three at the buzzer was off the mark. Alexander scored a team-high 15 points while Brandon Foust added a career-high 11 and Detrick 10. The Sooners shot .520 in the first half but only .231 after intermission. Texas shot .512 for the game and outrebounded Oklahoma 39-28. The Longhorns went on to beat Kansas in the semifinals and lost to Okahoma State in the title game.

BIG 12 TOURNAMENT LEFTOVERS
Drew Lavender's 19 points against Nebraska were the most by an OU freshman in a Big 12 Tourney game.
After averaging 2.7 and 2.3 rebounds during the regular season, freshman forward Brandon Foust averaged 8.5 points and 5.0 boards in OU's two Big 12 Tournament games.
Nebraska (25) and Texas (34) combined for 59 free throw attempts while OU got to the line for 39 tries.
With Lawrence McKenzie and Larry Turner fouled out, the Sooners finished the Texas game with just six available players. Brandon Foust, Johnnie Gilbert and Jaison Williams finished with four fouls each.

RIM RATTLERS
Oklahoma is down to eight available players on its roster. Four are freshmen and one is a sophomore.
OU's loss to Texas in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals snapped a record-tying 10-game winning streak in the event. The Sooners had won the last three Big 12 Tourney titles and hadn't lost since the 2000 championship game.
Over the last seven games, OU's guards have scored 361 of the team's 466 points (77 percent).
Oklahoma is averaging just 9.6 turnovers over its last eight games.
The Sooners lead the Big 12 in turnover margin, averaging 4.7 fewer turnovers per game than their opponents. OU has committed more turnovers than its foe just four times in 29 games.
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).
Oklahoma fell out of the AP top-25 poll five 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 20 games, but two in the last four.
True freshmen have led OU in scoring in 14 of 29 games. Drew Lavender has done it nine times and Lawrence McKenzie five times.
Oklahoma has made at least one three-point basket in 254 straight games dating back to the 1996-97 season.
Nine different players have scored at least 10 points in a game this season while a 10th, Larry Turner, has tallied nine twice. Seven players have scored at least 15 points in a game.

GUARDS LEADING THE WAY
Despite the fact that Oklahoma lost three starting guards from last year's team, the Sooners' top five scorers (among available players) are all members of the backcourt. Jason Detrick paces the squad with 11.6 points per game and is followed by Drew Lavender (11.5), De'Angelo Alexander (10.0), Lawrence McKenzie (8.1) and Jaison Williams (6.1). OU's guards have scored 1,342 of its 1,935 points, or 69 percent. Over the last seven games, Sooner guards have scored 361 of the team's 466 points (77 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-tying 16 times while McKenzie has done it 10 times. Lavender has led the team in scoring on nine occasions while McKenzie has done it five times.

PREACHING PROTECTION
Oklahoma has done an excellent job taking care of the basketball over the last eight games, averaging just 9.6 turnovers during the stretch. The Sooners recorded single-digit turnovers in five of those contests (nine versus Oklahoma State, a season-low five versus Texas, eight at Colorado, nine against Baylor and six versus Nebraska in the Big 12 Tournament). OU has committed more turnovers than its foes just four times in 29 games this season and leads the Big 12 in turnover margin (it averages 4.7 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 regular season games, marking just the second and third times in the last 18 regular season games they outboarded an opponent. In the Big 12 Tournament, OU got outrebounded by eight versus Nebraska and by 11 against Texas. On the year, opponents are grabbing 36.1 rebounds per game to OU's 34.2. 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 nine 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 11.5 points a game behind only Jason Detrick (11.6) and leads the team with his 3.8 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.8 treys per game. His .382 three-point percentage also paces the squad. The last Oklahoma freshman to average 11.5 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 36 three-pointers on the year (52 by Lavender, 43 by McKenzie, 39 by Alexander and 36 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 29 games, the Sooners have registered 146 blocked shots, an average of 5.0 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 1.5 blocks per game (total of 43) and has recorded at least two rejections in 10 of the last 15 outings (he had an OU-season-high four Feb. 29 at Kansas). Freshman center Larry Turner has 32 blocked shots in 28 games on the year for a 1.1 average 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 107 blocks while Brown ranks sixth with 104.

COMPARING WINS AND LOSSES
The Sooners' biggest downfalls in their 10 losses have been shooting and rebounding. Below is a statistical comparison between OU's 19 wins and its 10 defeats.

FG Percentage -- .435 in wins, .359 in losses
Opp. FG Percentage -- .386 in wins, .497 in losses
3FG Percentage -- .349 in wins, .314 in losses
Opp. 3FG Percentage -- .327 in wins, .413 in losses
Rebounding Margin -- +2.7 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 8.7 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 1.8 steals to pace the team and has recorded at least two in the past seven games and in nine of the last 10. He is averaging 3.3 steals over the past four outings.

HOME IS WHERE THE “W” IS
Lloyd Noble Center has always been extremely kind to the Sooners. Oklahoma, which posted a perfect 16-0 mark at home in 2001-02 and finished 15-1 last season, is 368-63 (.854) inside the building since it opened for the 1975-76 campaign. The Sooners are 132-20 (.868) at home under 10th-year head coach Kelvin Sampson and have won 50 of their last 54. OU had won 37 straight at home before losing to Texas in last year's regular season finale. The 37-game home winning streak 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 streak in Big 12 history (Kansas held the previous league record with 33 straight home wins).

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 three 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).

LOW LEADER
Jason Detrick leads the team with his 11.6 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.

SOONER MISCELLANY
Oklahoma is 17-4 over the last three postseasons (10-1 in Big 12 and 7-3 in NCAA Tournaments).
The Sooners have made nine NCAA Tournament appearances in the last 10 years and 18 in the last 22.
The Sooners have won at least 26 games each of the previous 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 .719 winning percentage is the best in OU history (Billy Tubbs ranks second at .716).

UNDER KELVIN SAMPSON...
OU has made 10 consecutive postseason appearances (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 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 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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