OU Averages No. 5 Preseason National Ranking

NORMAN, Okla. If the preseason prognosticators prove prophetic, fans of the Oklahoma men's basketball team should be in for an enjoyable 2005-06 season. Seven national preseason print and online publications have Kelvin Sampson's Sooners ranked, on average, No. 5 in the country.

Internet site CBS.Sportsline.com ranks OU No. 2 behind Duke, which is No. 1 by six of the seven publications. The Sooners are ranked No. 4 by Blue Ribbon Yearbook and FoxSports.com, No. 5 by Athlon Sports, No. 6 by ESPN.com and Street & Smith's, and No. 8 by Lindy's.

Season Preview | Ticket Information

Oklahoma returns its top three scorers and rebounders from last year in seniors Kevin Bookout, Terrell Everett and Taj Gray. Bookout ranks second all-time at OU in field goal percentage (.578), Everett is the Big 12's leading returning assist man (5.0 apg) and Gray was a first-team All-Big 12 selection last year after leading the Sooners in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots.

The last time OU returned its top three scorers from the previous season was in 1986-87 when Darryl Kennedy, Tim McCalister and David Johnson were seniors.

A 25-8 performer last season and Big 12 co-champion with a 12-4 league record, Oklahoma also returns sophomores David Godbold (4.6 ppg), Longar Longar (2.9 ppg) and walk-ons Michael Ott and Kellen Sampson.

New to the roster are juniors Nate Carter, Michael Neal and Chris Walker, and freshmen Taylor Griffin and Austin Johnson. Carter practiced with the Sooners last year after transferring from UC Riverside where he was the 2003 Big West Freshman of the Year and a 2004 second-team all-league pick.

The Sooners open their 2005-06 schedule with home exhibition games Nov. 5 and 12 against Northeastern Oklahoma State and UNC Pembroke, respectively. The regular season begins with three consecutive home games, the first on Saturday, Nov. 19 against Samford at 3 p.m.

Fans interested in purchasing season tickets should call the OU Athletics Ticket Office at (800) 456-4668 or (405) 325-2424 or view ticket options online.

The Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today top-25 polls will be released in approximately one month.

CBS.Sportsline.com
1. Duke
2. Oklahoma
3. Louisville
4. Gonzaga
5. Connecticut
6. Arizona
7. Nevada
8. Memphis
9. Texas Tech
10. Villanova

Blue Ribbon Yearbook
1. Connecticut
2. Texas
3. Duke
4. Oklahoma
5. Louisville
6. Gonzaga
7. Michigan State
8. Arizona
9. Kentucky
10. Boston College

FOXSports.com
1. Duke
2. Villanova
3. Texas
4. Oklahoma
5. Connecticut
6. Michigan State
7. Memphis
8. Gonzaga
9. Kentucky
10. Louisville

Athlon Sports
1. Duke
2. Texas
3. Michigan State
4. Stanford
5. Oklahoma
6. Arizona
7. Villanova
8. Connecticut
9. Gonzaga
10. Louisville

ESPN.com
1. Duke
2. Texas
3. Villanova
4. Michigan State
5. Connecticut
6. Oklahoma
7. Arizona
8. Gonzaga
9. Louisville
10. Memphis

Street & Smith's
1. Duke
2. Connecticut
3. Kentucky
4. Villanova
5. Texas
6. Oklahoma
7. Gonzaga
8. Michigan State
9. Boston College
10. Louisville

Lindy's
1. Duke
2. Connecticut
3. Michigan State
4. Gonzaga
5. Texas
6. Villanova
7. Arizona
8. Oklahoma
9. Iowa
10. Alabama

Ticket Information
Season tickets are available for as low as $225. Limited seating locations are available for purchase online or by contacting the Ticket Office at 800-456-GoOU (4668). Some seat locations may require a donation to the Sooner Club. If you would like to inquire about donor seating, please contact the Sooner Club directly at 325-8000.

Single game tickets are available to the public through a single game sale prior to each season and throughout the season as supplies allow. All tickets are sold on a first come, first-served basis.

Mini-Season ticket packages including tickets for multiple games will be offered at a later date. Family Pack tickets that include a game ticket and a coupon redeemable for a hot dog, soda, and a t-shirt will also be made available for select games. Please check back for detailed information.

To purchase tickets, click here or contact the Ticket Office at 800-456-GoOU (4668). Tickets are also available at the Lloyd Noble Box Office on the day of the game as supplies permit beginning 1 hours prior to tipoff..

University of Oklahoma Athletics

OU Averages No. 5 Preseason National Ranking

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