Men's Hoops Opens Season Saturday

GAME INFORMATION
Ranked No. 6 in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls and picked to finish second in the Big 12 by the league's coaches, Oklahoma opens its 12th regular season under Kelvin Sampson on Saturday when it hosts Samford (1-1) at 4 p.m. CST at Lloyd Noble Center. Saturday's contest will air on the Sooner Radio Network (flagship KOKC 1520 AM in Oklahoma City) with Ed Murray (play-by-play) and Mike Houck (analyst) announcing. The game will be televised by the Sooner Sports Network (KAUT 43/Cox Cable 16 in OKC and KWBT 19/Cox Cable 12 in Tulsa) with Bob Carpenter (play-by-play) and Charlie Spoonhour (analyst) calling the action. It will also be available for viewing on the “O-Zone” section of SoonerSports.com (a subscription is required).

TICKET AVAILABILITY
Upper-level reserved seats for Saturday's game are still available for $15 and $20 at the OU Athletics Ticket Office (800-456-4668) and online here at SoonerSports.com. Lloyd Noble Center's north and east ticket windows will open at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.

"Family Packs," which include a ticket, a hot dog, a soft drink and a T-shirt for $10, are also available. "Family Packs" must be purchased prior to Saturday and a minimum of four tickets must be purchased.

SOONER TAILGATE SATURDAY
The OU Athletics Department will host an OU-Texas Tech football game watch party Saturday afternoon at Lloyd Noble Center prior to the men's basketball game. The “Sooner Saturday Tailgate,” in the arena's west parking lot, will feature a large, heated tent equipped with big-screen plasma televisions. Inflatable games will be available for kids and hot dogs and cokes will be sold for just $1 each. The tailgate party begins at 10:45 a.m. and admission is free.

Also, the first 1,000 fans through the doors to Saturday's basketball game will receive a free schedule magnet.

Ticket Info. | Game Notes PDF | Schedule | Walker Q&A

SAMFORD PROJECTED STARTERS
(Regular season averages)
F 4 J. Robert Merritt (6-6, 220, Sr., 10.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.0 apg)
C 40 Travis Peterson (6-10, 220, So., 11.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.5 apg)
G 5 Joe Ross Merritt (6-4, 200, So., 6.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 2.0 apg)
G 25 Jerry Smith (6-2, 185, Jr., 3.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 0.0 apg)
G 34 Randall Gulina (6-1, 200, Jr., 3.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.0 apg)

OU PROJECTED STARTERS
(Exhibition averages)
F 21 Taj Gray (6-9, 238, Sr., 23.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 0.5 apg)
F 24 Nate Carter (6-6, 220, Jr., 15.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 0.0 apg)
F 34 Kevin Bookout (6-8, 270, Sr., 12.5 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 0.5 apg)
G 1 Chris Walker (6-3, 188, Jr., 1.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 3.0 apg)
G 3 Terrell Everett (6-4, 188, Sr., 10.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 5.0 apg)

OKLAHOMA UPDATE
After beating Division II opponents Northeastern (Okla.) State and UNC Pembroke by respective scores of 70-35 and 118-62 in exhibition play, the Sooners will try for their 11th season-opening victory under 12th-year head coach Kelvin Sampson on Saturday. OU shot .527 from the field over the two games while holding opposing players to a .321 combined mark. The Sooners outscored their opponents by an average of 94.0-48.5 and outrebounded them 52.0-26.0. Sampson's crew also forced an average of 25.5 turnovers.

Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year Taj Gray paced Oklahoma with his 23.0 points per game and .750 field goal shooting. Gray also averaged 9.0 rebounds and was 10-for-12 from the free throw line (.833). Against Northeastern State he scored the game's first 11 points. When Gray left the game for good, NSU had just four more points than his 26. Fellow senior forward Kevin Bookout averaged 12.5 points and a team-high 11.5 rebounds. Included was a 13-point, 16-rebound effort against NSU. A third senior, guard Terrell Everett, scored 10 points in both contests and averaged 3.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 3.0 steals. He shot .571 from the field.

Junior guard Michael Neal, the Big 12 Co-Preseason Newcomer of the Year, rebounded from a 1-for-9 field goal performance against Northeastern State to produce a game-high 21 points against UNC Pembroke. He was 6-for-12 from the field and nailed four treys on eight attempts. Neal came off the bench both games. Another junior guard, Chris Walker made two starts at point guard and averaged 3.0 assists and 4.0 steals. Sophomore guard David Godbold, who started OU's final 10 games last season, averaged 5.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in exhibition play

Longar Longar, a 6-11 sophomore center, averaged 10.5 points and 8.0 rebounds while going 7-for-10 from both the field and the foul line. Against UNC Pembroke, Longar netted 17 points and pulled down a game-high 13 boards (eight offensive). Nate Carter, a junior transfer from UC Riverside, missed the NSU game with a foot injury but tallied 15 points and six rebounds in 25 minutes against the Braves.

YOUNG GUNS
The Sooners boast a pair of talented freshmen in forward Taylor Griffin and guard Austin Johnson. Griffin, at 6-7 and 232 pounds, averaged 10.0 points, 4.0 boards, 1.5 blocks and 1.5 steals in 16.5 minutes per exhibition game. In 18 minutes off the bench against UNC Pembroke, last year's Gatorade Oklahoma Player of the Year contributed 14 points, six rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Johnson scored two points in 14 minutes against Northeastern State before leaving the contest with a second-degree ankle sprain. He did not play versus UNC Pembroke and is questionable for the season opener against Samford. Johnson was a two-time first-team All-State selection in Texas and finished his career with 2,602 points.

ABOUT SAMFORD
Entering Saturday's game with a 1-1 record, Samford participated in the Guardians of the Game Classic Tuesday and Wednesday in Austin, Texas. The Bulldogs downed Sacramento State, 83-66, before falling to second-ranked Texas, 77-33. Samford was 15-13 overall last year and 10-6 (fourth place) in the Ohio Valley Conference.

A pair of Oklahoma City products who played at Bishop McGuinness High School are among Samford's top three scorers. Brothers J. Robert and Joe Ross Merritt average 10.5 and 6.5 points per game, respectively, to rank second and third on the team. J. Robert, a senior forward, also averages a team-high 6.0 rebounds while Joe Ross, a sophomore guard, has tallied four assists through two outings. Sophomore center Travis Peterson is averaging a team-high 11.5 points per game to go along with 5.0 boards, 3.5 assists and 2.0 blocks. The 6-10, 220-pounder is 7-for-9 from 3-point range. Sophomore guard Curtis West has contributed 6.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. Ryan Woolsey, a sophomore forward, hails from Valliant, Okla., and has two points and a rebound in 23 minutes of action.

Samford owns a two-game .301 field goal percentage, a .255 3-point mark and a .625 free throw figure. Opponents own respective marks of .415, .333 and .634. The Bulldogs outrebounded Sacramento State by one (36-35) but were outboarded by Texas by 39 (54-15).

Jimmy Tillette is in his ninth year as a collegiate head coach, all at Samford, and owns a 130-103 (.558) record.

OPENING STATEMENT
Last year's 82-72 victory over Cal State Northridge improved Oklahoma to 10-1 in season openers under Kelvin Sampson (OU's lone loss came to Alabama, 68-62, in 2002-03 in New York City) and to 11-0 in home openers. The Sooners have won 18 of their last 20 season-opening games with the only other loss during the span coming to Massachusetts (84-83) on Nov. 28, 1993. Oklahoma has won 25 of its last 26 home openers.

RECRUITING HAUL
Kelvin Sampson announced the signing of five prep players on Nov. 9, a recruiting class that ranks as the nation's fourth best by Rivals.com and fifth best by Scout.com. Joining the Sooners as freshmen in 2006-07 will be Keith Clark (Oklahoma City/Putnam City HS), Tony Crocker (San Antonio, Texas/The Patterson School [N.C.], Damion James (Nacogdoches, Texas/Nacodoches HS), Jeremy Mayfield (Irving, Texas/Gulf Shores Academy [Houston]) and Scottie Reynolds (Herndon, Va./Herndon HS).

“This is as good a class as we've had since I've been here,” said Sampson, who is in his 12th year at OU. “Sure, all five players are rated high, but just as important is the fact that they're high-character kids. They love to play basketball and they're fun to be around. Our staff is very, very happy with this class.”

Keith Clark (F, 6-8, 220, Oklahoma City, Okla.)
Ranked No. 43 in nation by Hoopmasters

Tony Crocker (G, 6-5, 180, San Antonio, Texas)
Ranked No. 6 post grad prep by Scout.com

Damion James (F, 6-8, 225, Nacogdoches, Texas)
Ranked No. 16 in nation by Rivals.com

Jeremy Mayfield (F/C, 6-10, 234, Irving, Texas)
Ranked No. 4 post grad prep by Scout.com

Scottie Reynolds (G, 6-0, 170, Herndon, Va.)
Ranked No. 31 in nation by Scout.com

PRESEASON PUB
A consensus top-10 pick among preseason print and online publications, Oklahoma is ranked No. 6 in the preseason ESPN/USA Today and AP Polls. It is OU's second highest ranking in the season-opening polls under 12th-year head coach Kelvin Sampson (the Sooners were No. 3 in the 2002-03 versions). OU's No. 6 preseason AP ranking is the fourth highest in the history of the program. The Sooners were No. 3 in the 2002-03 preseason poll and No. 5 in the 1984-85 and 1988-89 versions.

WELCOME BACK
The Sooners return their top three scorers and rebounders from last season in seniors Taj Gray (14.6 points, 8.2 rebounds), Terrell Everett (12.5, 4.8) and Kevin Bookout (11.5, 6.6). The last time OU returned its top three scorers from the previous year was in 1986-87 when Darryl Kennedy (21.0 ppg), Tim McCalister (18.2) and David Johnson (14.3) all averaged double figures as juniors in 1985-86. Everett is also the Big 12's leading returning assists man (he averaged 5.0 per game) and ranked sixth last year in steals (1.7). Gray is the league's leading returner in blocked shots (1.8).

OU BOASTS NATION'S LONGEST POSTSEASON STREAK
Oklahoma has made 24 consecutive postseason appearances (19 NCAA and five NIT), good for the longest current streak among Division I programs. The last time OU did not compete in the postseason was in 1980-81. The Sooners have competed in the NCAA Tournament 10 times in the last 11 seasons.

EIGHT STRAIGHT 20-WIN SEASONS
With a 25-8 record on the year, Kelvin Sampson has now coached Oklahoma to eight consecutive 20-win seasons. Only seven other coaches have also posted 20 victories each of the last eight years: Lute Olson (15 straight seasons), Tubby Smith (12), Mike Krzyzewski (9), Skip Prosser (9), Jim Boeheim (8), Jim Calhoun (8) and Eddie Sutton (8).

BACK TO BACK?
Oklahoma, co-Big 12 champs last year with Kansas, will attempt to earn back-to-back regular season conference titles for the fourth time in school history. The Sooners won the 1928 Missouri Valley Conference crown and followed by claiming the 1929 Big Six title. Under head coach Billy Tubbs, OU won Big Eight championships in 1984, '85, '88 and '89.

VETERAN STAFF
Kelvin Sampson has compiled a staff that has a wealth of collegiate head coaching experience 68 years to be exact. Sampson has been a head coach for 22 seasons, while assistants Bob Hoffman and Ray McCallum have spent 17 and 11 years, respectively, guiding college programs. Jerry Green, the program's new director of basketball operations, returned to college basketball after four years of retirement. Green has 18 years of head coaching experience at UNC Asheville, Oregon and Tennessee.

BIG 12 KING
Kelvin Sampson has amassed 100 regular season Big 12 victories, most in league history. He is 100-44 (.695) in conference play since the formation of the Big 12 in 1996-97. Sampson also holds the Big 12 record for most combined regular season and conference tournament wins (he is 117-50) and holds the mark for most overall wins by a conference coach since the Big 12 was formed (he is 218-77).

HOME IS WHERE THE “W” IS
Lloyd Noble Center has been overly kind to the Sooners, as they have won 65 of their last 70 games in the building dating back to January 2001. Oklahoma posted a 14-1 home mark in 2004-05 and is now 147-21 (.875) at Lloyd Noble in Kelvin Sampson's 11 years as head coach. OU is 384-64 (.857) in the building since it opened prior to the 1975-76 campaign. The Sooners have posted home winning streaks of 51 games (1987-90) and 37 games (2001-03). The 37-game streak is a Big 12 Conference record.

LOOKING TO JOIN THE CLUB
Kevin Bookout (784 career points) and Taj Gray (481) have an excellent chance of increasing OU's 1,000-point club to 35 members. Bookout would have to average 6.5 points over a 33-game schedule (the number of games OU played last year) to reach 1,000 points while Gray would have to average 15.7 points.

NO SUMMER VACATION
Taj Gray's busy summer started as a Nike Camp counselor along with Terrell Everett, and concluded with a near-month-long stint with USA Basketball as a member of the U21 World Championship Team that went 7-1 in Argentina. Gray started in four contests and averaged 8.1 points and 3.6 rebounds in 14.9 minutes per game. He shot .538 from the field and .719 from the free throw line. The senior produced personal highs of 14 points and seven rebounds versus China and Puerto Rico, respectively. USA's overtime loss to Canada in the quarterfinals kept it from earning a medal.

Also in action over the summer was Longar Longar. The sophomore center participated in Pete Newell's Big Man Camp in Las Vegas, Nev.

UNDER KELVIN SAMPSON...
OU shared the 2005 Big 12 regular season title with Kansas (the Sooners won the only head-to-head meeting).
OU has made 11 straight postseason showings (10 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 100-44 (.694) regular season Big 12 Conference record.
OU has recorded a 147-21 (.875) record at Lloyd Noble Center and has won 65 of its last 70 home games.
OU has won at least 20 games each of the last eight years.
OU has averaged 26 victories over the past six seasons.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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