Sooners Play at A&M Tonight at 8 PM

GAME INFORMATION
Winner of seven straight and 11 of its last 12, Oklahoma (13-2, 2-0) plays at Texas A&M (12-2, 1-2) on Tuesday at 8 p.m. CST at Reed Arena in College Station, Texas. The Sooners were ranked No. 25 in both major polls last week while the Aggies were unranked. Tuesday's 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 regionally televised by ESPN Plus with Doug Bell (play-by-play) and Reid Gettys (analyst) announcing.

Game Notes in PDF

WATCHING GAME IN OKLAHOMA
Cox Communications announced it will air the OU at Texas A&M game on channel 71 in Oklahoma City-Norman and channel 78 in Tulsa. The game will air live beginning at 8 p.m.

Oklahoma City & Norman - Cox Channel 71 | Tulsa - Channel 78

PROJECTED OKLAHOMA STARTERS (Stats averages)
F 21 Taj Gray (6-9, 235, Jr., 15.4 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 1.4 apg)
F 34 Kevin Bookout (6-8, 259, Jr., 13.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 0.6 apg)
G 2 Jaison Williams (6-3, 181, Sr., 8.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.7 apg)
G 3 Drew Lavender (5-7, 153, So., 8.8 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 3.9 apg)
G 20 Terrell Everett (6-4, 185, Jr., 12.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 4.8 apg)

PROJECTED TEXAS A&M STARTERS (Stats averages)
F 21 Antoine Wright (6-7, 210, Jr., 17.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.1 apg)
F 30 Joseph Jones (6-9, 260, Fr., 12.5 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 0.9 apg)
G 1 Acie Law (6-3, 185, So., 13.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 5.4 apg)
G 10 Chris Walker (6-5, 210, Jr., 4.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.2 apg)
G 22 Dominique Kirk (6-3, 180, Fr., 8.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.9 apg)

OKLAHOMA UPDATE
Point guard Drew Lavender scored a season-high 20 points and forward Kevin Bookout had 19 points and 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the year (second in Big 12 play) as the Sooners won at Baylor 65-61 Saturday. OU shot .533 from the field the 10th time this year it posted a .500 figure or better and outrebounded the Bears 32-25 as it won its seventh straight contest and improved to 2-0 in league play. Lavender was 3-for-5 from 3-point range and hit a clutch trey with 45 seconds left to give OU a 62-58 lead. His two free throws with nine seconds remaining were the final points of the game. Bookout, a junior who leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage (.648), scored 14 of his points in the first half. He has shot below .500 from the field in just one game this season. Fellow junior forward Taj Gray contributed 13 points, eight boards and three blocked shots. Terrell Everett (six points) was held under double digits in scoring for the first time since the season's first game but racked up eight assists for the Sooners as they improved to 26-5 all-time versus Baylor and won their 21st straight against the Bears.

In addition to leading the Big 12 in field goal percentage, Bookout ranks second in the league (conference games) in scoring and first in rebounding with his 23.0 and 10.5 respective averages. Gray ranks eighth (all games) in scoring (15.4 ppg), second in rebounding (8.5 rpg), second in blocks (1.8 bpg), fourth in field goal percentage (.554) and second in offensive rebounds a game (3.3). Everett ranks third in assists (4.8 apg) and third in steals (2.2 spg) while Lawrence McKenzie ranks second in 3-point percentage (.467) and third in treys a game (2.5).

BAYLOR LEFTOVERS
Kelvin Sampson improved to 19-0 against Baylor as OU's head coach and to 10-0 versus BU in Waco.
Drew Lavender missed just his second free throw of the season. He was 5-for-6 in the game and is now 27-for-29 (.931) on the year.
Terrell Everett's missed free throw snapped his string of 15 straight makes. His eight assists were the most by a Sooner this season.
Taj Gray registered his fourth game of three or more blocked shots this season.
Lawrence McKenzie was 0-for-5 from 3-point range, marking the first time this season he did not make a trey. He came into the game averaging 3.0 treys over the previous nine games.
The Sooners made fewer 3-pointers (five) than their opponent (seven) for the first time this season.

ABOUT TEXAS A&M
Texas A&M, picked to finish 11th in the Big 12 by league media and coaches, enters Tuesday's game with a 12-2 record and a 1-2 conference mark. The Aggies began the season 10-0 but have lost two of their last three. They are 11-0 at home and 1-2 on the road. Their lone league victory was a 74-63 outcome against then-No. 10 Texas last Wednesday in College Station. A&M is coming off a 70-56 road loss to Texas Tech on Saturday and also fell at Kansas, 65-60, on Jan. 5.

Junior forward Antoine Wright leads the Aggies (and ranks fourth in the Big 12) in scoring with his 17.1 points a game and ranks second on the squad with his 6.3 boards per contest. He has made a team-high 27 3-pointers on the year and is shooting .489 from the field. Sophomore guard Acie Law averages 13.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 5.4 assists a game. His assist average ranks second in the conference. Freshman forward Joseph Jones is shooting .644 from the field and averages 12.5 points and a team-high 7.9 rebounds a game. He also attempts a team-high 5.4 free throws an outing. Another freshman, guard Dominique Kirk, has started all 14 games and averages 8.7 points, 2.9 assists and 1.1 treys per game.

Billy Gillispie is in his first year as Texas A&M's head coach and in his third season as a college head coach. He guided UTEP to a 30-32 record over the last two years and now owns a 42-34 (.553) career record.

SERIES WITH TEXAS A&M
Oklahoma owns a 21-1 all-time record against Texas A&M and has won the series' last 10 meetings. It is 8-1 all-time in games played in College Station. Under Kelvin Sampson, the Sooners are 16-1 against the Aggies and are 7-1 in College Station. Texas A&M's lone win against OU came on Feb. 24, 1999 (74-72).

Last year, OU posted a 78-72 victory in College Station on Feb. 14 and followed with an 86-60 win in Norman on March 3. In the first meeting, Drew Lavender made six 3-pointers and had a career-high 31 points, seven assists and three steals. The 31 points were the most by an OU true freshman in 20 years (a span of 662 games). Lavender also factored heavily in the rematch in Norman as he made four more treys and finished with 14 points, eight assists and five steals. Four teammates joined him in double figures in scoring. The Sooners bolted to a 21-2 lead and shot .588 for the game, their best mark of the season.

BACK IN THE RANKINGS
The Sooners were back in the national rankings last week at No. 25 in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls. OU did not appear in the previous 15 AP top-25 polls after appearing in 46 straight during the 2001-02, 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons. Of those 46 consecutive weeks as a member of the AP's top 25, OU was ranked in the top 10 for 34 of them.

OU HAS WON NEARLY 70 PERCENT OF ITS BIG 12 GAMES
Dating back to the start of Big 12 Conference play during the 1996-97 season, Oklahoma has posted a 90-40 league record for a .692 winning percentage. Only Kansas (109-22; .832) and Texas (91-40; .695) own better marks than OU. Oklahoma State is fourth at 87-44 (.664) and Missouri is fifth at 71-60 (.542). Including Big 12 Tournament games, OU owns a 106-45 record (.702), second best in the conference behind Kansas (124-27; .821). The Sooners are 16-5 in the Big 12 Tournament and have won three of the eight tourney titles.

LONG DISTANCE DIALER
Sophomore guard Lawrence McKenzie, who ranks second in the Big 12 in 3-point percentage (.467), has come up big from beyond the arc this season. McKenzie has made at least four treys in three of the last four games (he is coming off an 0-for-5 performance against Baylor). The Minneapolis, Minn., native has made at least two 3-pointers in 11 of his 14 games and at least three treys in seven games. He ranks third in the league in 3-pointers made per game (2.5). Last year, McKenzie made 45 3-pointers and registered a .321 mark from beyond the arc.

OU'S FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE MUCH IMPROVED
The Sooners have shot .500 or better from the field in four of the last five games and have done so in 10 of 15 games on the year. Last season, OU shot .408 from the field its worst mark in 40 years and shot .500 or better just three times. Among OU's performances this year was a .613 effort against Florida A&M on Dec. 30, its third best mark under 11th-year head coach Kelvin Sampson and best in 234 games. The Sooners are shooting .489 on the season to rank third in the Big 12.

SOONERS ON POSITIVE END OF 3-POINT DISPARITY
The Sooners have made 102 3-pointers this season (an average of 6.8 a game) and are shooting .383 from beyond the arc. Opponents, by comparison, have canned just 49 treys (3.3 a game) and are shooting .275 from long range. Oklahoma has made more 3-pointers than its opponent in 13 of 15 games (OU and Duke both made four treys on Dec. 18 while Baylor made seven to OU's five on Jan. 15). Lawrence McKenzie is averaging 2.5 3-point makes a game and ranks second in the Big 12 Conference with his .467 season percentage. Jaison Williams, who had a five 3-point field goal performance against Tulsa on Dec. 28, averages 1.7 treys per outing.

WHY DON'T WE STEAL AWAY
OU recorded a season-high 16 steals against Florida A&M on Dec. 30 and now ranks second in the Big 12 with its 9.6 steals a game (Baylor averages 9.7). The Sooners have recorded more steals than their opponents in 10 of the last 11 games. Junior guard Terrell Everett is averaging 2.2 steals on the year to rank third in the Big 12 and has 20 over the last seven outings (2.9 average).

JUCO TRANSFERS SUPPLYING IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Junior college transfers Taj Gray and Terrell Everett have quickly become two of OU's top producers this season. Gray, a 6-9, 235-pounder, leads OU in scoring (15.4 ppg), rebounding (8.5 rpg) and blocked shots (1.8 bpg) in 27.9 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 seven games of 10 or more rebounds and has registered double-doubles in six of the last nine games. He is tied for the Big 12 lead with seven double-doubles on the year.

Everett, a 6-4, 185-pound left-handed guard, has been steady all season at the wing and point guard spots. He is averaging 12.6 points (ranks third on team), 4.3 rebounds (ranks third) and a team-high 4.8 assists a game, and is shooting .424 from beyond the 3-point arc. Everett has scored in double figures in 13 of the last 14 games. 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 remarkable .648 from the field this season (81-for-125) to lead the Big 12 Conference (Baylor's Tommy Swanson ranks second in the league at .580). His field goal mark ranked fourth in last week's national statistics. The 6-8, 259-pound Bookout has shot .500 or better in 13 of his 14 games this year and owns a .733 mark in conference play. Bookout earned Big 12 Player of the Week honors on Jan. 10 after a 13-for-14 field goal performance against Colorado in which he scored 27 points. He also made nine of his 10 field goal attempts against then-No. 22 Washington on Nov. 26, was 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 651 of the squad's 1,169 points, or 56 percent this season. Junior forwards Taj Gray (15.4 ppg) and Kevin Bookout (13.3 ppg) are the main reasons OU's frontcourt production has increased from 32 percent of the team's points last year to 44 percent this year. Gray and Bookout rank first and second 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 (.275). Only one opponent (Baylor) has made more than five 3-pointers against OU this year. Conversely, the Sooners have made at least five treys in 14 of 15 games.

BETTER TO GIVE THAN RECEIVE
The Sooners have registered 248 assists through 15 contests for an average of 16.5 a game. An assist has been credited on 58 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 four games of three-or-more rejections while Longar has blocked three shots on three occasions. Gray is averaging 1.8 swats an outing to rank second in the Big 12. Longar is averaging 1.2 blocks in 11.7 minutes a game to rank 11th in the league. The Sooners are averaging 4.3 blocks a contest as a team. Senior Johnnie Gilbert, who has six blocked shots this year, ranks fourth on OU's career list with 115.

TURNOVERS DOWN LATELY
Oklahoma has averaged 10.5 turnovers over the last four games, down significantly from the 15.7 miscues it averaged over its first 11 games. The Sooners are now averaging 14.3 turnovers per game on the year and have committed fewer turnovers than 12 of their 15 opponents. OU is forcing its foes into 18.3 turnovers a game, third 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 seven times in its last 46 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 120-12 (.909) when reaching 80 points. The Sooners have won 37 of their last 39 and 53 of their last 56 when scoring 80 or more.

TOUGH SLATE
Oklahoma will play four games this year against teams in the Jan. 10 AP poll's top six and will play eight games against teams in the top 14. OU has already faced No. 5 Duke, No. 12 Connecticut and No. 14 Washington. It will play once against No. 2 Kansas and twice each against No. 5 Oklahoma State and No. 10 Texas.

OKLAHOMA TIP INS
OU's two losses have come to teams who own a combined 28-2 record (Duke is 13-0 and Washington is 15-2).
Either Kevin Bookout or Taj Gray (or both) have registered 10 rebounds or more in each of the last eight games.
Oklahoma has made more 3-pointers than its opponent in 13 of its 15 games.
Lawrence McKenzie has made at least four 3-pointers in three of the last four games (four versus Texas-Pan American and Colorado, five versus Connecticut).
The Sooners have made 53 more 3-pointers than their opponents this season.
Junior guard Terrell Everett has led the team in assists in eight of the last nine games and in 10 games total. He has also scored in double figures in 13 of the last 14 games.
Everett has made 15 of his last 16 free throw attempts (.938) after starting the year 32-for-47 (.681).
OU shot .500 or better from the field three times all of last season, but has done it in 10 of its 15 games this year. The Sooners shot .408 last year but own a .489 mark this season.
Junior forward Kevin Bookout went 13-for-14 from the field against Colorado Jan. 8 (Big 12's best field goal percentage game this season) and has shot .500 or better in 13 of his 14 games (he leads the Big 12 with a .648 season figure). His 9-for-10 shooting performance against Washington ranks as the league's second best this year in terms of field goal percentage.
OU's starting frontcourt of Bookout (.648) and Taj Gray (.554) is shooting a combined .596 from the field.
McKenzie has made multiple 3-pointers in 11 of his 14 games this year, including nine of the last 10.
Oklahoma was outrebounded by an average of 6.0 boards in its losses to Washington and Duke. In its 13 wins, OU is outrebounding its foes by 6.1 a game.
Freshman guard David Godbold has scored 23 of his 38 points, grabbed 15 of his 27 rebounds and played 60 of his 124 minutes in two games this year versus Coppin State and Florida A&M.
Seventeen of Godbold's 27 rebounds (63 percent) have been offensive.
Freshman center Longar Longar is 21-for-26 from the field this season (.808). His first six field goals were dunks and he has 12 slams on the year.
Sophomore Drew Lavender, a .782 free throw shooter a year ago, is 27-for-29 (.931) this season.
OU averaged 2.3 dunks a game last year. Through 15 games this season it is averaging 3.7 a contest.
OU has won 59 of its last 63 home games (.937).

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 a 90-40 (.692) regular season Big 12 Conference record.
OU has recorded a 141-20 (.876) record at Lloyd Noble Center and has won 59 of its last 63 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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