Bedlam Hoops Hits LNC Monday Night

GAME INFORMATION
Winner of nine straight and 13 of its last 14, Oklahoma (15-2 overall, 4-0 Big 12) hosts Oklahoma State (14-2, 4-1) on Monday at 8 p.m. CST at Lloyd Noble Center. The game, part of the Bedlam Series presented by Bank of Oklahoma and your Oklahoma Ford Dealers, 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 ESPN with Ron Franklin (play-by-play) and Fran Fraschilla (analyst) announcing.

TICKET INFORMATION
Reserved seats for Monday's game are sold out. A limited number of restricted admission tickets will go on sale Monday at 6:30 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 | The Bedlam Series

PROJECTED OKLAHOMA STATE STARTERS (Stats averages)
F 14 Joey Graham (6-7, 225, Sr., 19.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.9 apg)
F 23 Ivan McFarlin (6-8, 240, Sr., 12.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.4 apg)
F 32 David Monds (6-8, 243, So., 1.1 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 0.3 apg)
G 15 John Lucas (5-11, 165, Sr., 17.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 4.4 apg)
G 20 Daniel Bobik (6-5, 210, Sr., 6.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.7 apg)

PROJECTED OKLAHOMA STARTERS (Stats averages)
F 21 Taj Gray (6-9, 235, Jr., 14.3 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.5 apg)
F 34 Kevin Bookout (6-8, 259, Jr., 13.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 0.6 apg)
G 2 Jaison Williams (6-3, 181, Sr., 8.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.7 apg)
G 3 Drew Lavender (5-7, 153, So., 9.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 3.6 apg)
G 20 Terrell Everett (6-4, 185, Jr., 12.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 5.1 apg)

See how the Sooners stack up against OSU in the Bedlam Series presented by the Bank of Oklahoma and Your Oklahoma Ford Dealers!

OKLAHOMA UPDATE
With a 15-2 record, the Sooners have matched the 2001-02 Final Four team for the program's best 17-game start since the 1989-90 squad also began 15-2. At 4-0, Oklahoma is off to its best league start since 1998-99. OU is coming off a 64-60 home win against Texas on Saturday that broke a five-game series losing streak. Kevin Bookout recorded his fourth double-double of the year and third in Big 12 play with 18 points and 13 rebounds (eight offensive). Lawrence McKenzie supplied three 3-pointers and 15 points off the bench while Taj Gray and Drew Lavender had 12 and 11 points, respectively. Lavender's trey with 1:24 remaining gave OU a 62-57 lead and all but sealed the victory. Gray added five rebounds, three blocks and two steals before fouling out with 8:35 to go. Terrell Everett scored a season-low four points, but his nine assists were the most by a Sooner this season. Oklahoma overcame a season-low .214 3-point field goal shooting with a 42-33 rebounding advantage. More than half (22) of the Sooners' boards were offensive. OU has outrebounded seven of its last eight opponents (all four of its Big 12 foes) and is 13-0 this year when winning the rebounding battle. Texas led 32-27 at halftime, marking just the third time this season that the Sooners trailed at the break (they are 2-1 when down intermission).

Bookout is now averaging a double-double in conference play with his 19.0 scoring and 10.3 rebounding averages. He ranks third and second, respectively, in the league in the categories. On the season, Bookout is shooting a Big 12-best .630 from the field. Gray ranks 11th (all games) in scoring (14.3 ppg), second in rebounding (8.2 rpg), second in blocks (2.0 bpg), fifth in field goal percentage (.550) and second in offensive rebounds a game (3.3). Everett ranks third in assists (5.1 apg) and third in steals (2.1 spg) while McKenzie leads the league in 3-point percentage (.467) and ranks third in treys per game (2.6).

TEXAS LEFTOVERS
OU improved to 43-21 all-time against Texas.
The Sooners' .379 field goal performance was their third worst of the season, but their nine turnovers marked their second fewest of the year.
Oklahoma outrebounded Texas by nine (42-33). Last year, the Longhorns outboarded OU by an average of 13.7 over three games.
Kevin Bookout was 7-for-14 from the field and has shot .500 or better from the field in 15 of his 16 games.
Terrell Everett's career-high nine assists gave him 30 over his last four games (7.5 average). He has led OU in assists in 10 of the last 11 games.
Taj Gray blocked three shots and has registered at least three rejections in each of the last four games.
Lawrence McKenzie's three 3-pointers marked the ninth time this year he has made at least three treys in a game. He had 15 points and has come off the bench to supply double figures in points 10 times this year.
Drew Lavender made three treys for the third straight game. He is 11-for-22 over the last four outings.

ABOUT OKLAHOMA STATE
Ranked No. 5 in both major polls last week, Oklahoma State began the year 9-0 and is 5-2 since. The Cowboys' losses were to Gonzaga (78-75 in Oklahoma City) and Texas (75-61 in Austin). Coming off an 82-53 win over Baylor, they are 9-0 at home, 4-1 on the road and 1-1 at neutral sites. OSU is shooting .507 from the field, .397 from beyond the arc and .757 from the free throw line.

Oklahoma State's top five scorers are seniors. Forward Joey Graham averages a league-leading 19.0 points a game and ranks second on the squad with his 7.0 rebounds an outing. He scored 24 points against Baylor on Saturday and is shooting .583 from the field, .571 from 3-point range and .854 from the free throw line. Point guard John Lucas averages 17.8 points and a team-high 4.4 assists a contest. He has made a team-high 45 3-pointers. Forward Ivan McFarlin averages 12.0 points and 7.1 rebounds while shooting .591 from the field. He averages 14.2 points and 8.8 boards in league play. Guards Stephen Graham and Daniel Bobik average 8.9 points and 4.4 boards, and 6.6 points and 3.7 assists, respectively.

Eddie Sutton is in his 15th year as Oklahoma State's head coach and owns a 339-130 (.723) record in Stillwater. He is in his 35th season overall and owns a 769-294 (.723) career mark.

SERIES WITH OKLAHOMA STATE
Oklahoma owns a 118-86 all-time record against Oklahoma State and is 72-26 in games played in Norman. Kelvin Sampson is 9-13 against OSU as OU's head coach and is 7-3 at Lloyd Noble Center. The Cowboys swept the season series last year, winning 77-56 in Stillwater and 65-52 in Norman. OSU shot .564 from the field on its home court in the league opener while holding OU to a .352 mark. Drew Lavender led OU with 15 points while Kevin Bookout had 11 rebounds (10 in the first half). In Norman, Jabahri Brown paced the Sooners with 16 points but the Sooners again struggled from the field and squandered a one-point halftime lead. OU shot .309 for the game while OSU turned in a .553 figure. It was OSU's first regular season sweep of OU since 1998.

AN OU WIN OVER OKLAHOMA STATE WOULD...

Mark the Sooners' 10th straight victory and 15th in the last 16 games (they haven't lost in 37 days).
Improve OU's all-time record against OSU to 119-86 (73-26 in Norman).
Extend OU's home winning streak to 13 games (it has won 60 of its last 64 at Lloyd Noble Center).
Give Kelvin Sampson 250 victories as the Sooners' head coach.
Improve Sampson's record against the Cowboys to 10-13 and 8-3 at Lloyd Noble Center.
Give the Sooners a 5-0 Big 12 record, their best league start since beginning 6-0 in the Big Eight in 1988-89.

SCHEDULE CHANGES
ESPN2 has picked up a pair of Oklahoma home games, affecting the date of one of those contests and the start time of the other. OU's matchup with Texas A&M originally scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 1, will now take place on Wednesday, Feb. 2, at 7 p.m. The Wednesday, Feb. 16, game against Nebraska will now start at 8 p.m. The Nebraska game will be blacked out in Oklahoma on ESPN2 and air on the Sooner Sports Network.

PLAYING AHEAD
Over the last seven games, the Sooners have trailed their opponents for a combined 22 minutes and 45 seconds out of 280 minutes. Over the last 13 games (dating back to Dec. 1), OU has trailed its opponents for just a combined 46 minutes and 35 seconds out of 520 minutes.

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 92-40 league record for a .697 winning percentage. Only Kansas (110-22; .833) owns a better mark than OU (Texas is tied with OU at 92-40). Oklahoma State is fourth at 88-45 (.662) and Missouri is fifth at 72-61 (.541). Including Big 12 Tournament games, OU owns a 108-45 record (.706), 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.

OU'S FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED
The Sooners have shot .500 or better from the field in five of the last seven games and have done so in 11 of 17 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 .484 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 (.467), has made at least three 3-pointers in five of the last six games and at least four treys in four of the last six. The Minneapolis, Minn., native, who has drained 42 treys on the year, has made at least two 3-pointers in 13 of his 16 games and at least three in nine contests. 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 117 3-pointers this season (an average of 6.9 a game) and are shooting .376 from beyond the arc. Opponents, by comparison, have canned just 54 treys (3.2 a game) and are shooting .267 from long range. Oklahoma has made more 3-pointers than its opponent in 15 of 17 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 leads the Big 12 Conference with his .467 season percentage. Jaison Williams and Drew Lavender have made 28 and 22 treys this year, respectively, while Terrell Everett has canned 14.

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 9.4 steals a game. The Sooners have recorded more steals than their opponents in 11 of the last 13 games. Junior guard Terrell Everett is averaging 2.1 steals on the year to rank third in the Big 12 and has 22 over the last nine outings (2.4 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 (14.3 ppg), rebounding (8.2 rpg) and blocked shots (2.0 bpg) in 27.2 minutes a contest. The unanimous Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year has won three Big 12 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 is tied with Kansas' Wayne Simien 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 12.1 points (ranks third on team), 4.5 rebounds (ranks third) and a team-high 5.1 assists a game, and is shooting .378 from beyond the 3-point arc. Everett has led OU (or tied for the team lead) in assists in 10 of the last 11 games. He is averaging 7.5 assists over the last four outings and leads the Big 12 (league games) with 6.8 assists a game. Everett 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 .630 from the field this season (92-for-146) to lead the Big 12 Conference. He entered last week with a .648 figure to rank seventh in the national statistics. The 6-8, 259-pound Bookout has shot .500 or better in 15 of his 16 games this year and owns a .647 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 737 of the squad's 1,303 points, or 57 percent this season. Junior forwards Taj Gray (14.3 ppg) and Kevin Bookout (13.5 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 (.267). 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 16 of 17 games.

BETTER TO GIVE THAN RECEIVE
The Sooners have registered 281 assists through 17 contests for an average of 16.5 a game. An assist has been credited on 59 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 six games of three-or-more rejections while Longar has blocked three shots on three occasions. Gray is averaging 2.0 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 1.0 blocks in 10.3 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 nine blocked shots this year, ranks fourth on OU's career list with 118.

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 48 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, No. 15 Texas and No. 16 Connecticut. It will play once against No. 2 Kansas and twice against No. 5 Oklahoma State and once more against Texas.

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).

OKLAHOMA TIP INS
OU's two losses have come to teams who own a combined 30-2 record through Saturday (Duke is 15-0 and Washington is 15-2).
The Sooners haven't lost in 37 days (Dec. 18 versus Duke).
Oklahoma has outrebounded its opponent in 13 of 17 games this year and is 13-0 in those contests.
In Big 12 games, OU leads the league in scoring defense (57.5 ppg), scoring margin (+13.5) and rebounding margin (+8.8), and ranks second in assists (16.8), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.4), blocked shots (4.5 bpg) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.286).
Oklahoma has made more 3-pointers than its opponent in 15 of its 17 games. OU leads the Big 12 by giving up just 3.2 treys per game (the next lowest figure is 4.9 surrendered per contest by Oklahoma State).
Lawrence McKenzie has made at least three 3-pointers in five of the last six games and at least four treys in four of the last six.
McKenzie has made multiple 3-pointers in 13 of his 16 games this year, including 11 of the last 12.
The Sooners have made 63 more 3-pointers than their opponents this season (average of 3.7 a game).
Junior Terrell Everett has led the team in assists in 10 of the last 11 games. He is averaging 5.1 assists per game on the year. Tyrone Foster (5.6 in 1995-96) is the last Sooner to average as many assists over a season.
Everett has made 19 of his last 21 free throw attempts (.905) 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 17 games this year. The Sooners shot .408 last year but own a .484 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 15 of his 16 games (he leads the Big 12 with a .630 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 ranks second in the Big 12 rebounding (10.3 rpg) and field goal percentage (.647), and ranks third in scoring (19.0 rpg). He has three double-doubles in four league contests.
OU's starting frontcourt of Bookout (.647) and Taj Gray (.594) is shooting a combined .627 from the field in Big 12 play.
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-32 (.906) this season.
OU has won 60 of its last 64 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 92-40 (.697) regular season Big 12 Conference record.
OU has recorded a 142-20 (.877) record at Lloyd Noble Center and has won 60 of its last 64 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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