OU vs. Texas in Norman at 2:45 on CBS

GAME INFORMATION
Winner of eight straight and 12 of its last 13, No. 18/21 Oklahoma (14-2 overall, 3-0 Big 12) hosts No. 15/11 Texas (14-3, 3-1) on Saturday at 2:45 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 nationally televised by CBS with Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) and Clark Kellogg (analyst) announcing.

TICKET AVAILABILITY
Reserved seats for Saturday's game are sold out. A limited number of restricted admission tickets will go on sale Saturday at 1:15 p.m. at Lloyd Noble Center's north and east ticket windows for $20. Restricted admission tickets are good for unused seat in the upper level of the arena after tip-off. Should a ticket holder with that seat location arrive at the game, the restricted admission ticket holder will be asked to vacate the seat.

Game Notes in PDF

PROJECTED TEXAS STARTERS (Stats averages)
F 22 Brad Buckman (6-8, 235, Jr., 11.0 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.0 apg)
C 21 Jason Klotz (6-9, 245, Sr., 9.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 0.7 apg)
G 1 Daniel Gibson (6-2, 190, Fr., 12.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 4.2 apg)
G 10 Kenny Taylor (6-2, 190, Sr., 10.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.8 apg)
G 13 Sydmill Harris (6-4, 200, Sr., 6.7 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 0.8 apg)

PROJECTED OKLAHOMA STARTERS (Stats averages)
F 21 Taj Gray (6-9, 235, Jr., 14.4 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 1.5 apg)
F 34 Kevin Bookout (6-8, 259, Jr., 13.2 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 0.6 apg)
G 2 Jaison Williams (6-3, 181, Sr., 8.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.7 apg)
G 3 Drew Lavender (5-7, 153, So., 9.7 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 3.7 apg)
G 20 Terrell Everett (6-4, 185, Jr., 12.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 4.9 apg)

OKLAHOMA UPDATE
Taj Gray, Oklahoma's leading scorer on the year, didn't register a single point at Texas A&M on Tuesday but it didn't matter as the Sooners' guards propelled the team to a 70-56 win over the AP's 28th-ranked Aggies. The win was OU's 11th straight against Texas A&M and snapped the Aggies' 11-game home winning streak. Sophomore point guard Drew Lavender netted a season-high 23 points (his second consecutive season-high performance) and logged three steals while backcourt mates Terrell Everett and Lawrence McKenzie scored 12 points each. Everett added six rebounds and a game-high six assists while McKenzie was 4-of-6 from 3-point range off the bench. Starting guard Jaison Williams added a couple of treys (one was part of a four-point play) and had seven points. OU's guards combined for 56 of the team's 70 points. Kevin Bookout contributed 12 points and seven rebounds while Johnnie Gilbert added four points and four boards in 20 valuable minutes off the bench. Gray played just 18 minutes due to foul trouble and, although he did not score, registered eight rebounds, four blocked shots and three assists. The Sooners shot .532 for the game and .529 from 3-point range (9-for-17). They have shot .500 or better from the field in 11 of 16 games this year and have posted a .500 or better mark from beyond the 3-point arc in four of the last seven outings.

Bookout leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage (.644) and ranks fourth in conference games in scoring (19.3 ppg) and third in rebounding (9.3 rpg). Gray ranks 11th (all games) in scoring (14.4 ppg), second in rebounding (8.4 rpg), second in blocks (1.9 bpg), fifth in field goal percentage (.547) 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 McKenzie leads the league in 3-point percentage (.467) and ranks third in treys per game (2.5).

TEXAS A&M LEFTOVERS
OU improved to 22-1 all-time against the Aggies.
The Sooners shot .532 from the field against a team that entered the game leading the nation in field goal percentage defense (.352). OU also outrebounded the Aggies 31-25 (A&M entered the contest leading the Big 12 in rebounding margin (+9.4).
With three 3-pointers, Drew Lavender has made 13 treys in three career games against the Aggies (nine in two games in College Station). He is averaging 22.7 points in those three contests.
Terrell Everett was 4-for-4 from the free throw line and has made 19 of his last 20 foul shots. With six handouts, he led OU in assists for the ninth time in the last 10 games.
Taj Gray registered his fourth game of four blocked shots this season.
Lawrence McKenzie rebounded from an 0-for-5 3-point performance against Baylor by going 4-for-6 against A&M. He has made at least four treys in four of the last five games.

ABOUT TEXAS
Ranked No. 15 in the AP poll and 11th in the ESPN/USA Today version, Texas has won seven of its last eight games and is 3-1 in Big 12 play. The Longhorns, who are 14-3 overall, are 10-0 at home, 2-2 in true road games and 2-1 at neutral sites. In league action, they have beaten Baylor (79-60 at home), Nebraska (63-53 on road) and most recently Oklahoma State (75-61 at home on Monday). Their conference loss came at Texas A&M (74-63 on Jan. 12). Texas is outscoring opponents by 16.1 points a game and outrebounding foes by 8.7 a contest. It is shooting .479 from the field, .409 from 3-point range and .684 from the free throw line.

Sophomore forward P.J. Tucker leads UT in scoring and rebounding with his 13.7 and 8.0 respective averages but was declared academically ineligible for the rest of the season on Thursday. Freshman Daniel Gibson is averaging 12.9 points and team highs in assists (4.2) and steals (1.8) per contest. He has made 38 3-pointers for an average of 2.2 a game and is coming off a 27-point, 10-rebound effort against OSU. Junior forward Brad Buckman scores 11.0 points and pulls down 6.4 boards an outing while also averaging 1.7 blocks. Senior guard Kenny Taylor averages 10.8 points and 2.8 assists and has canned 36 treys.

Rick Barnes is in his seventh year as Texas' head coach and owns a 155-61 (.718) record in Austin. He is in his 18th season overall and owns a 357-195 (.647) career mark.

SERIES WITH TEXAS
Oklahoma owns a 42-21 all-time record against Texas and is 19-7 in games played in Norman. The Longhorns have taken the series' last five games (including the last two at Lloyd Noble Center) after OU won the previous eight in a row. Kelvin Sampson is 15-8 against UT as OU's head coach and is 6-3 versus the 'Horns in Norman.

Texas swept three games last year, winning 66-37 in Austin, 68-63 in Norman and 66-63 in Dallas in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals. In the 2002-03 regular season finale, Texas snapped OU's Big 12 record 37-game home winning streak with a 76-71 victory.

AN OU WIN OVER TEXAS WOULD...
Mark the Sooners' ninth straight victory and 13th in the last 14 games (they haven't lost in more than a month).
Snap UT's five-game series winning streak and up OU's all-time record against the Longhorns to 43-21.
Extend OU's home winning streak to 12 games.
Give Kelvin Sampson 249 victories as the Sooners' head coach.
Improve Sampson's record against the Longhorns to 16-8 and 7-3 at Lloyd Noble Center.
Give the Sooners a 4-0 Big 12 Conference record, their best league start since beginning 4-0 in 1998-99 (OU has never started 5-0 in Big 12 play).

PLAYING AHEAD
Over the last six games, the Sooners have trailed their opponents for a combined one minute and 11 seconds all in the first half at Texas A&M on Tuesday out of 240 minutes. Over the last 12 games (dating back to Dec. 1), OU has trailed its opponents for just a combined 23 minutes and 50 seconds out of 480 minutes. On the season, the Sooners have trailed for a combined 89 minutes and 20 seconds out of 640 minutes. Below is look at how many minutes the Sooners have trailed in each outing this year...

J18...Texas A&M...1:11
J15...Baylor...NT
J10...Connecticut...NT
J8....Colorado...NT
J2....Texas-Pan American...NT
D30...Florida A&M...NT
D28...Tulsa...5:08
D23...Southwest Missouri State...NT
D18...Duke...13:51
D11...Northern Colorado...2:59
D8....Purdue...NT
D1....Coppin State...0:41
N27...Minnesota...8:12
N26...Washington...34:08
N25...High Point...3:21
N20...Cal State Northridge...19:49

NT never trailed

OU HAS WON 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 91-40 league record for a .695 winning percentage. Only Kansas (110-22; .833) and Texas (92-40; .697) own better marks than OU. Oklahoma State is fourth at 87-45 (.659) and Missouri is fifth at 71-61 (.538). Including Big 12 Tournament games, OU owns a 107-45 record (.704), second best in the conference behind Kansas (125-27; .822). The Sooners are 16-5 in the Big 12 Tournament and have won three of the eight tourney titles.

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 and moved up to the No. 18 and 21 slots this week. Prior to last week, 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'S FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED
The Sooners have shot .500 or better from the field in five of the last six games and have done so in 11 of 16 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 .491 on the season to rank third in the Big 12.

LONG DISTANCE DIALER
Sophomore guard Lawrence McKenzie, who leads the Big 12 in 3-point percentage (.481), has made at least four treys in four of the last five games. The Minneapolis, Minn., native, who has drained 39 treys on the year, has made at least two 3-pointers in 12 of his 15 games and at least three in eight games. He ranks third in the league in 3-pointers made per game (2.6). Last year, McKenzie made 45 treys and shot .321 from beyond the arc.

SOONERS ON POSITIVE END OF 3-POINT DISPARITY
The Sooners have made 111 3-pointers this season (an average of 6.9 a game) and are shooting .392 from beyond the arc. Opponents, by comparison, have canned just 52 treys (3.3 a game) and are shooting .274 from long range. Oklahoma has made more 3-pointers than its opponent in 14 of 16 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 2.6 3-point makes a game and ranks second in the Big 12 Conference with his .481 season percentage. Jaison Williams, who had a five 3-point field goal performance against Tulsa on Dec. 28, averages 1.8 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 leads the Big 12 with its 9.6 steals a game. The Sooners have recorded more steals than their opponents in 10 of the last 12 games. Junior guard Terrell Everett is averaging 2.2 steals on the year to rank third in the Big 12 and has 22 over the last eight outings (2.8 average).

GRAY, EVERETT SUPPLY 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 (14.4 ppg), rebounding (8.4 rpg) and blocked shots (1.9 bpg) in 27.3 minutes a contest. The unanimous Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year is the reigning league rookie of the week and has already won three such 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 10 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), 4.4 rebounds (ranks third) and a team-high 4.9 assists a game, and is shooting .400 from beyond the 3-point arc. Everett has scored in double figures in 14 of the last 15 games and has led (or tied) for the team lead in assists in nine of the last 10 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 .644 from the field this season (85-for-132) to lead the Big 12 Conference (Baylor's Tommy Swanson ranks second in the league at .580). He entered the week with a .648 figure to rank seventh in the national statistics. The 6-8, 259-pound Bookout has shot .500 or better in 14 of his 15 games this year and owns a .703 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 SHOWCASING 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 705 of the squad's 1,239 points, or 57 percent this season. Junior forwards Taj Gray (14.4 ppg) and Kevin Bookout (13.2 ppg) are the main reasons OU's frontcourt production has increased from 32 percent of the team's points last year to 43 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 (.274). 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 15 of 16 games.

BETTER TO GIVE THAN RECEIVE
The Sooners have registered 264 assists through 16 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 five games of three-or-more rejections while Longar has blocked three shots on three occasions. Gray is averaging 1.9 swats an outing to rank second in the Big 12 and leads the league with his 3.0 blocks per conference game. Longar is averaging 1.1 blocks in 10.9 minutes a game to rank 11th in the league. The Sooners are averaging 4.4 blocks a contest as a team. Senior Johnnie Gilbert, who has seven blocked shots this year, ranks fourth on OU's career list with 116.

PREACHING PROTECTION
Dating back to the start of the 2003-04 season, Oklahoma has committed more turnovers than its opponent just eight times in its last 47 games (17 percent of its games).

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. 17 AP poll's top five and will play eight games against teams in the top 16. OU has already faced No. 4 Duke, No. 10 Washington and No. 16 Connecticut. It will play once against No. 2 Kansas and twice each against No. 5 Oklahoma State and No. 15 Texas.

OKLAHOMA TIP INS
OU's two losses have come to teams who own a combined 29-2 record through Wednesday (Duke is 14-0 and Washington is 15-2).
The Sooners haven't lost in 35 days (Dec. 18 versus Duke).
Oklahoma has outrebounded its opponent in 12 of 16 games this year and is 12-0 in those contests.
In Big 12 games, OU leads the league in scoring defense (56.7 ppg), scoring margin (+16.7), field goal percentage (.506) and rebounding margin (+8.7).
Oklahoma has made more 3-pointers than its opponent in 14 of its 16 games.
Lawrence McKenzie has made at least four 3-pointers in four of the last five games (five versus Connecticut).
McKenzie has made multiple 3-pointers in 12 of his 15 games this year, including 10 of the last 11.
The Sooners have made 59 more 3-pointers than their opponents this season (average of 3.7 a game).
Junior guard Terrell Everett has led the team in assists in nine of the last 10 games and in 11 games total. He has also scored in double figures in 14 of the last 15 games.
Everett has made 19 of his last 20 free throw attempts (.950) 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 11 of its 16 games this year. The Sooners shot .408 last year but own a .491 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 14 of his 15 games (he leads the Big 12 with a .644 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.
In conference games, Bookout leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage (.703), ranks third in rebounding (9.3 rpg) and fourth in scoring (19.3 ppg). He has two double-doubles in three league contests.
OU's starting frontcourt of Bookout (.644) and Taj Gray (.547) is shooting a combined .591 from the field.
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 29-for-31 (.935) this season.
OU has won 59 of its last 63 home games (.937).

OU HEAD COACH KELVIN SAMPSON
In his 22nd year as a collegiate head coach, Kelvin Sampson is in his 11th year at the Oklahoma helm. He has averaged 23.4 wins per season at OU, including 26.2 victories over the last five years. Sampson has led the Sooners to the NCAA Tournament nine of the last 10 seasons and directed OU to the Sweet 16 in 1999, the Final Four in 2002 and the Elite Eight in 2003.

Sampson began his head coaching career in 1980 at Montana Tech when he was hired as the program's interim head coach. He went 73-45 in four seasons and was inducted into the school's sports hall of fame six years ago. In 1988, Sampson was named head coach at Washington State and compiled an even 103-103 record over seven years, including two 20-win campaigns. Hired by Oklahoma on April 25, 1994, he has guided the Sooners to a 248-94 (.725) record and a 141-20 (.876) home mark. Five of his squads have played in the Big 12 Tournament championship game and three of the last four squads won tournament titles.

This past summer he coached the USA World Championship for Young Men Qualifying Team to a 5-0 record and a gold medal. Sampson was named the 1995 national coach of the year by the Associated Press, the USBWA and Basketball Times. He earned the same honor in 2003 from the NABC and CBS/Chevrolet.

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 91-40 (.695) 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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