Sooners Host Colorado at 3 p.m.

GAME INFORMATION
Victorious in its last four games and in eight of its last nine, Oklahoma (10-2) opens Big 12 play by hosting Colorado (8-3) on Saturday at 3 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 regionally televised by ESPN Plus (KOCB Ch. 34/Cox Cable 11 in OKC) with Dave Armstrong (play-by-play) and Paul Splittorff (analyst) announcing.

Game Notes in PDF | Tickets

TICKET AVAILABILITY
Upper-level reserved seats for Saturday's game are still available for $20 and $25 online at SoonerSports.com and at the OU Athletics Ticket Office. Lloyd Noble Center's north and east ticket windows will open at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

Tickets also remain for Monday's 8 p.m. game against reigning national champion Connecticut. The Athletics Ticket Office numbers are (405) 325-2424 and (800) 456-4668.

PROJECTED COLORADO STARTERS (Stats averages)
F 15 Chris Copeland (6-8, 240, Jr., 13.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.2 apg)
C 30 Lamont Arrington (6-11, 215, Jr., 3.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 0.5 apg)
G 5 Jayson Obazuaye (6-2, 190, Jr., 10.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.1 apg)
G 21 Marcus Hall (6-1, 175, So., 12.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 3.5 apg)
G 23 Richard Roby (6-6, 190, Fr., 14.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.3 apg)

PROJECTED OKLAHOMA STARTERS (Stats averages)
F 21 Taj Gray (6-9, 235, Jr., 14.7 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.6 apg)
F 34 Kevin Bookout (6-8, 259, Jr., 11.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 0.7 apg)
G 2 Jaison Williams (6-3, 181, Sr., 10.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.7 apg)
G 3 Drew Lavender (5-7, 153, So., 8.5 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 3.7 apg)
G 20 Terrell Everett (6-4, 185, Jr., 13.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 4.4 apg)

OKLAHOMA UPDATE
The Sooners are coming off a pair of lopsided home wins (they won by a combined 99 points), the most recent a 94-54 triumph over Texas-Pan American on Sunday, Jan. 2. OU shot .500 from the field against the Broncs, outboarded them 40-33 and forced 23 turnovers while committing a season-low six. Taj Gray handled things in the paint with his 21 points and 12 rebounds while Lawrence McKenzie did the damage from the outside as he finished with four 3-pointers and a season-high 18 points. Terrell Everett scored in double figures for the 11th straight game and ended the day with 12 points, seven boards, five assists, two steals and no turnovers. Freshman center Longar Longar netted 11 points and added five rebounds and three blocks against UTPA after posting 27 points and seven boards the previous game against Florida A&M in his lone career start.

Gray ranks 11th in the Big 12 in scoring (14.7 ppg), third in rebounding (8.2 rpg), sixth in blocked shots (1.5 bpg), fifth in field goal percentage (.542) and third in offensive rebounds (3.3 per game). Everett ranks fifth in assists (4.4 apg) and third in steals (2.3 spg) while McKenzie ranks second in 3-point field goal percentage (.500) and fourth in treys per game (2.4).

TEXAS-PAN AMERICAN LEFTOVERS
Kevin Bookout, who missed the Dec. 30 game against Florida A&M with an ulnar nerve contusion in his right elbow, returned to action and contributed seven points and five rebounds in 21 minutes.
The game marked the eighth this year that Oklahoma shot at least .500 from the field. The Sooners shot .500 or better just three times all of last season.
Lawrence McKenzie was 4-for-8 from 3-point range and is 18-for-35 (.514) from beyond the arc over the last seven games. He ranks second in the Big 12 with his .500 season mark.
Jaison Williams went 0-for-8 from 3-point range after going 7-for-11 over the previous two games (.636).
All three walk-ons (Aaron Foster, Michael Ott and Kellen Sampson) made a 3-point field goal. Foster's trey marked his first career points.
Oklahoma improved to 57-4 in its last 61 home games (.933).

OVER THE LAST TWO GAMES...
Oklahoma has shot .554 from the field and won by a combined 99 points.
Longar Longar has gone 13-for-17 from the field and averaged 19.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.5 steals in 28.5 minutes a game.
Taj Gray has averaged 19.5 points and 10.0 boards.
Lawrence McKenzie has gone 6-for-12 from 3-point range and has averaged 13.0 points.
Terrell Everett has gone 11-for-11 from the free throw line.
The Sooners have outrebounded their foes by an average of 12.5 a game.
Oklahoma has forced 48 turnovers while committing 23.
OU has recorded halves of 50, 54, 48 and 46 points (chronological order).

ABOUT COLORADO
Colorado enters Saturday's game with an 8-3 record and has won six of its last seven after a 2-2 start. The Buffaloes rebounded from an 80-48 loss at Utah on Dec. 30 with a 75-69 win at Richmond on Tuesday. CU is 6-0 at home and 2-3 on the road. In their other road contests, the Buffs won at Cal (63-60) and lost at Michigan (69-60) and Oregon State (98-87). Colorado is outscoring its opponents 73.6-71.5 and is shooting .468 from the field, .370 from 3-point territory and .629 from the free throw line.

Freshman guard Richard Roby leads a balanced CU scoring attack with his 14.7 points per contest and ranks second in rebounding (5.7 rpg) and assists (2.3 apg). He ranks second among Big 12 freshman in scoring (Baylor's Aaron Bruce averages 17.0 points). Junior forward Chris Copeland averages 13.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks a game. He is shooting .563 from the field and has made a team-high 21 3-pointers on 41 attempts for a .512 figure. Sophomore guard Marcus Hall contributes 12.9 points and a team-high 3.5 assists a game. He has made 17 treys on the year and is shooting .436 from beyond the arc. Junior backcourt mate Jason Obazuaye is averaging 10.2 points a game while junior center Julius Ashby averages 9.9 points and a team-high 7.3 rebounds. Ashby hails from Trinidad and Tobago.

Ricardo Patton is in his 10th year as a Division I head coach, all at Colorado. He owns a 151-117 (.563) record.

SERIES WITH COLORADO
Oklahoma leads the series with Colorado, 83-46, and holds a commanding 43-12 advantage in Norman. The Sooners have won 15 of the last 17 in the series and 41 of the last 45. At Lloyd Noble Center, OU is 26-1 against the Buffaloes and has won 20 straight. OU is 38-1 at home against CU since 1969 with the lone defeat coming by one point, 60-59, in 1980. Kelvin Sampson is 13-2 against Colorado as OU's head coach and is 8-0 at home.

Last year in Boulder, CU pulled out a 94-87 overtime win despite 35 points from OU's Jason Detrick. The Sooners trailed by 17 midway through the second half and by 11 with five minutes left in regulation before riding the hot hands of Detrick and Jaison Williams to a 75-74 lead with 25 seconds remaining. Jason Obazuaye's free throw with two seconds left forced overtime, though, where the Buffs outscored OU 17-10. The Sooners, who started three freshmen (Drew Lavender, Lawrence McKenzie and Larry Turner) for the first time ever under Sampson, made 13 3-pointers, a Coors Events Center record for a conference game. Detrick scored 11 points in the final four minutes of regulation and added eight in overtime. His 35 points were the most by an OU player in six seasons and the fourth most during the Sampson era. Williams canned four 3-pointers and finished with 16 points off the bench. David Harrison led six Buffs in double figures with 21 points.

SOONERS IN LEAGUE OPENERS
Oklahoma is 8-2 in conference openers under Kelvin Sampson and is 6-2 in Big 12 openers. Sampson has coached OU to an 8-2 record in conference home openers. The Sooners have played Colorado three previous times in league openers under Sampson and won all three games.

OU'S FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE MUCH IMPROVED
After shooting better than .500 from the field in six of its first seven games, Oklahoma failed to reach the mark in its next three contests. But OU responded with 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, and a .500 performance Jan. 2 versus Texas-Pan American. The Sooners now own a .485 season mark and have shot .500 or better in eight of 12 games. OU shot .408 from the field last year its worst mark in 40 seasons and shot .500 or better just three times all season.

3-POINT DISPARITY
The Sooners have made 82 3-pointers this season (an average of 6.8 a game) and are shooting .394 from beyond the arc. Opponents, by comparison, have canned just 33 treys (2.8 a game) and are shooting .246 from long range. Lawrence McKenzie is averaging 2.4 3-point makes a game and ranks second in the Big 12 Conference with his .500 season percentage. Jaison Williams, who had a five 3-point field goal performance against Tulsa on Dec. 28, averages 2.0 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 10.3 steals a game. The Sooners have logged 10 or more thefts in six of the last seven games and are averaging 11.6 during the stretch. Junior guard Terrell Everett is averaging 2.3 steals on the year to rank third in the Big 12 and has 15 over the last four outings (3.8 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 (14.7 ppg), rebounding (8.2 rpg) and blocked shots (1.5 bpg) in 26.5 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 five games of 11 or more rebounds and has registered double-doubles in four of the last six games.

Everett, a 6-4, 185-pound left-handed guard, has been steady all season at the wing and point guard spots. He is averaging 13.3 points (ranks second on team), 4.3 rebounds (ranks third) and a team-high 4.4 assists a game. Everett has scored in double figures in each of the last 11 games and is averaging 14.2 over the last 10. 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 stout .643 from the field this season (54-for-84) a figure which would lead the Big 12 Conference if he had enough field goal makes (he's one shy of qualifying). The 6-8, 259-pounder has shot .500 or better in all 11 of his games this year. He made nine of his 10 field goal attempts against then-No. 22 Washington on Nov. 26. Bookout was also 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 546 of the squad's 942 points, or 58 percent this season. Junior forwards Taj Gray (14.7 ppg) and Kevin Bookout (11.7 ppg) are the main reasons OU's frontcourt production has increased from 32 percent of the team's points last year to 42 percent this year. Gray and Bookout rank first and third 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 (.246). Over the last nine games, opponents are shooting .232 from beyond the arc (23-for-99). No opponent has made more than five 3-pointers against OU this year. Conversely, the Sooners have made at least five treys in 11 of 12 games.

BETTER TO GIVE THAN RECEIVE
The Sooners have registered 197 assists through 12 contests for an average of 16.4 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 two games of four rejections while Longar has blocked three shots on two occasions. Gray is averaging 1.5 swats an outing to rank sixth in the Big 12. Longar is averaging 1.4 blocks in 13.1 minutes a game to rank eighth in the league. The Sooners are averaging 4.3 blocks a contest as a team. Senior Johnnie Gilbert, who has five blocked shots this year, ranks fourth on OU's career list with 114.

TURNOVERS UP, BUT...
Partially because of OU's up-tempo style of play this season, the team's turnover average has increased by nearly two a game from last year. The Sooners are averaging 14.9 offensive miscues a game compared to 13.1 per contest last season. However, Oklahoma has committed fewer turnovers than 10 of its 12 opponents this year. OU is forcing its foes into 19.5 turnovers a game, second 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 six times in its last 43 games (14 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 119-12 (.908) when reaching 80 points. The Sooners have won 36 of their last 38 and 52 of their last 55 when scoring 80 or more.

HOME IS WHERE THE “W” IS
Lloyd Noble Center has always been extremely kind to the Sooners. Oklahoma, which has won nine straight inside LNC, has gone 139-20 (.874) inside the building during Kelvin Sampson's 10-plus years as head coach. Since the start of the 2001-02 season, OU is 51-4 (.927) at Lloyd Noble (it finished 14-3 last year, 15-1 in 2002-03 and 16-0 in 2001-02). Oklahoma is 375-63 (.856) inside Lloyd Noble since it opened for the 1975-76 campaign and has won 57 of its last 61. OU's 37-game home winning streak (started Jan. 20, 2001, and ended March 8, 2003) 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 home streak in Big 12 history.

TOUGH SLATE
Oklahoma will play four games this year against teams in the current AP poll's top seven and will play eight games against teams in the top 15. OU has already faced No. 5 Duke and No. 12 Washington. It will play once against No. 2 Kansas and No. 10 Connecticut, and twice each against No. 7 Oklahoma State and No. 15 Texas.

SAMPSON HONORED BY USA BASKETBALL
On Dec. 16, OU head coach Kelvin Sampson was named the USA Basketball 2004 Developmental Coach of the Year for guiding the USA World Championship for Young Men Qualifying Team to a 5-0 record and a gold medal last summer in Halifax, Nova Scotia. As recipient of the award, which was determined by the USA Basketball Executive Committee, Sampson has been nominated by USA Basketball for the U.S. Olympic Committee's Developmental Coach of the Year award, which will be announced by the USOC at a later date. Said Sampson, “It's wonderful to receive this honor, but the real honor is just to be asked to represent your country. The fact that they asked me to be the head coach of that team I was raised to say yes' to that.” Players on Sampson's USA squad included Chris Paul and Justin Gray (Wake Forest), Hassan Adams and Mustafa Shakur (Arizona), Sean May (North Carolina), P.J. Tucker (Texas), Charlie Villanueva (Connecticut), Curtis Withers (Charlotte) and Bracey Wright (Indiana).

OKLAHOMA TIP INS
The Sooners have made 49 more 3-pointers than their opponents this season.
Terrell Everett has made his last 12 free throw attempts 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 eight of its 12 games this year. The Sooners shot .408 last year but own a .485 mark this season.
Junior forward Kevin Bookout went 5-for-5 from the field against Cal State Northridge and 9-for-10 against Washington. He also went 6-for-6 in the second half at Purdue. Bookout has shot .500 or better from the field in all 11 of his games this year and sports a .643 season field goal percentage.
OU's starting frontcourt of Bookout (.643) and Taj Gray (.542) is shooting a combined .583 from the field.
Junior guard Terrell Everett has scored in double figures in each of the last 11 games.
Lawrence McKenzie has made multiple 3-point field goals in nine of his 11 games this year, including each of the last seven. He is 18-for-35 over the last seven contests.
Oklahoma has been outrebounded by an average of 6.0 boards in its losses to Washington and Duke. In its 10 wins, OU is outrebounding its foes by 6.2 a game.
Freshman guard David Godbold has scored 23 of his 34 points, grabbed 15 of his 23 rebounds and played 60 of his 108 minutes in two games this year versus Coppin State and Florida A&M.
Freshman center Longar Longar is 20-for-25 from the field this season (.800). His first six field goals were dunks and he has 11 slams on the year.
Drew Lavender, a .782 free throw shooter a year ago, is 22-for-23 (.957) this season.
A career .527 free throw shooter entering the year, Bookout is off to an 21-for-28 start this season (.750).
OU averaged 2.3 dunks a game last year. Through 12 games this season it is averaging 3.9 a contest.
Six Sooners are averaging at least 8.5 points a game.
OU has won 57 of its last 61 home games (.934).

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