OU to Meet Jayhawks on Big Monday

GAME INFORMATION
No. 21/22 Oklahoma (19-6 overall, 8-4 Big 12) hosts No. 2/2 Kansas (20-3, 10-2) on Monday at 8 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 ESPN/ESPNHD (Cox Cable 29/714 in OKC) with Ron Franklin (play-by-play), Fran Fraschilla (analyst) and Stacey Dales-Schuman (courtside reporter) 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 seats in the upper level 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.

Live Stats | Game Notes (PDF)

LLOYD NOBLE CENTER WHITEOUT
The OU Athletics Department is encouraging all Sooners fans to wear white to Monday's 8 p.m. home game against Kansas. To help in the effort, Hudiburg, Carl's Jr. and USA Screenprinting will supply every person in Lloyd Noble Center's lower seating bowl with a white OU t-shirt to sport during the game. More...

PROJECTED KANSAS STARTERS (Stats averages)
F 23 Wayne Simien (6-9, 255, Sr., 18.7 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 1.4 apg)
C 24 Sasha Kaun (6-11, 235, Fr., 3.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 0.8 apg)
G 11 Aaron Miles (6-1, 175, Sr., 8.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 7.5 apg)
G 15 J.R. Giddens (6-5, 200, So., 10.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.3 apg)
G 5 Keith Langford (6-4, 215, Sr., 15.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.0 apg)

PROJECTED OKLAHOMA STARTERS (Stats averages)
F 21 Taj Gray (6-9, 235, Jr., 15.3 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 1.5 apg)
F 34 Kevin Bookout (6-8, 259, Jr., 12.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 0.6 apg)
G 1 Lawrence McKenzie (6-2, 175, So., 9.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1.3 apg)
G 4 David Godbold (6-5, 212, Fr., 3.4 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 0.8 apg)
G 20 Terrell Everett (6-4, 185, Jr., 12.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 5.0 apg)

OKLAHOMA UPDATE
In the most dramatic finish to a game during the 11-year Kelvin Sampson era, 5-7 sophomore Drew Lavender gave the Sooners a 69-68 win at Kansas State on Saturday when his five-foot, left-handed runner high off the glass in traffic dropped as time expired. Officials reviewed the play for several minutes on the courtside monitor before counting the basket. Lavender, who finished with a game-high 29 points on 11-for-15 shooting, went the length of the court after K-State's Clent Stewart made a free throw with 4.5 seconds left to give the Wildcats a 68-67 lead. Coupled with Texas Tech's loss at Oklahoma State, OU's victory moved the Sooners into a tie for third place in the Big 12 with the Red Raiders at 8-4 (two games behind 10-2 Kansas and Oklahoma State). Lavender came off the bench for the second straight game and made a career-high-tying six 3-pointers on nine attempts and posted his second highest point total as a Sooner. Seventeen of his 29 points came in the second half. Junior guard Terrell Everett had 16 points and six assists for OU while junior forward Taj Gray added 11 points and six boards. David Godbold made three treys and scored nine points. Oklahoma, which trailed by 13 at the break and by 16 early in the second, was 7-for-11 from 3-point range after halftime. It finished 11-for-19 from beyond the arc for the game. The 11 treys and .579 3-point percentage both marked OU season highs.

Gilbert Has Seen, Hurt It All | Everett Honored

KANSAS STATE LEFTOVERS
Drew Lavender's 29 points were his second most as a Sooner (he netted 31 last year at Texas A&M).
Oklahoma trailed by 16 (44-28) 19 seconds into the second half. The Sooners outscored the Wildcats 27-10 over the next 10:19 to take a 55-54 lead. The game marked the biggest second-half comeback victory for OU under Kelvin Sampson.
The Sooners were victorious despite committing eight more turnovers (13-5), getting outrebounded (35-34; K-State had 17 offensive boards) and receiving only two points from Kevin Bookout.
OU shot .375 in the first half but .615 after. K-State posted .452 and .324 respective figures.
The Sooners shot .500 from field and have shot .500 or better 15 times in 25 games this year.
OU's bench outscored Kansas State's 31-2.
Oklahoma won for the third straight time at K-State. The three victories have been by a combined four points (the previous two meetings went to overtime).

ABOUT KANSAS
The Jayhawks, who entered last week with a 20-1 record and a No. 2 national ranking, have lost their last two games. Kansas fell in double overtime last Monday at Texas Tech (80-79) before dropping a home overtime contest to Iowa State on Saturday (63-61). KU's only other loss this season was at Villanova (83-62) on Jan. 22. Bill Self's squad won its first 14 games and was victorious in six straight after the Villanova loss. Kansas is outscoring and outrebounding its opponents by 12.5 points and 3.9 boards a game. It is shooting .470 from the field (ranks fifth in the Big 12), .376 from 3-point range (ranks sixth) and .667 from the free throw line (ranks 10th).

Senior forward Wayne Simien, one of the nation's top frontcourt players, leads KU in scoring with his 18.7 points per game and paces the Big 12 in rebounding with 11.0 boards per contest. He is shooting .535 from the field and has produced a league-high 12 double-doubles despite missing four games because of injury. Fellow senior Keith Langford scores 15.3 points an outing and adds 4.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists from one of the guard positions. Sophomore wing J.R. Giddens, an Oklahoma City (John Marshall HS) product, contributes 10.7 points and 4.0 rebounds. Giddens has made a team-high 53 3-pointers and is shooting .356 from behind the arc. Senior point guard Aaron Miles is averaging 8.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and a Big 12-high 7.5 assists per game. He has made 30 treys and is shooting .508 from long range. Freshman center Sasha Kaun made his first career start Saturday and had seven points, seven rebounds and three blocks in 23 minutes. He is averaging 3.1 points and 2.8 boards per contest.

Self is in his second year as Kansas' head coach and owns a 44-12 (.786) record there. He is in his 12th year as a college head coach and owns a 251-117 (.682) career mark.

SERIES WITH THE JAYHAWKS
Kansas, the only Big 12 program with an all-time winning record against Oklahoma, leads the series with the Sooners, 129-63. The Jayhawks are 43-39 in Norman but OU leads 14-11 at Lloyd Noble Center. Kelvin Sampson is 5-10 against Kansas and 3-3 in Norman. The Sooners have won three of the series' last five games.

KU won its 26th straight Big 12 home game in last year's meeting, 79-58. The Sooners trailed by five at halftime (36-31) but had difficulty stopping Wayne Simien and Keith Langford as the pair scored 26 and 22 points, respectively. Lawrence McKenzie led OU with 15 points with the help of three 3-pointers while Jason Detrick added 10. The Jayhawks posted a 39-25 rebounding advantage and shot .534 from the field. The Sooners shot .404.

LAST MEETING IN NORMAN
The last time OU and Kansas met in Norman, the No. 5 Sooners posted a 77-70 win over the No. 6 Jayhawks on Feb. 23, 2003. Oklahoma raced to a 21-point halftime lead and went up by as many as 32 (59-27 at the 16:07 mark of the second half). KU rallied to draw within 12 points (66-54 with 6:19 remaining) and got as close as five (73-68 with 22 seconds left). Seniors Hollis Price and Quannas White each netted 19 points and combined to shoot .625 (15-for-24) from the field and .778 (7-for-9) from 3-point range. White made his first seven field goal tries, was 4-for-4 from beyond the arc and had no turnovers in 35 minutes. Senior center Jozsef Szendrei played a career-high 21 minutes and tied a career high with 11 boards off the bench. He took the place of Jabahri Brown, who sustained a head injury early in the game. The Sooners shot .481 from the field and .563 from 3-point range while Kansas turned in .344 and .357 respective efforts. Kirk Hinrich led KU with 21 points while Wayne Simien added 17. Nick Collison had 15 points and 14 rebounds.

SOONERS AT HOME
Oklahoma is 12-1 at home this year with its lone defeat coming to Texas Tech (88-81) on Feb. 5. The loss snapped OU's 14-game home winning streak, but the Sooners responded with an 83-60 home victory over Nebraska on Feb. 16 and have now won 63 of their last 68 in Norman (.926). Taj Gray has been extremely productive at Lloyd Noble Center this year, averaging 18.3 points and 9.8 rebounds while shooting .591 from the field. OU is shooting .479 from the field at home but just .323 from behind the arc. It is holding opponents to .410 and .253 respective figures.

A WIN OVER KANSAS WOULD...
Give the Sooners their fourth win against the Jayhawks in their last six meetings.
Improve Kelvin Sampson's record against the Jayhawks to 6-10 overall and 4-3 at Lloyd Noble Center.
Be the Sooners' fourth win against a ranked opponent this year. OU has already beaten Connecticut (then No. 12), Texas (then No. 15) and Oklahoma State (then No. 9).
Give Sampson's Sooners their eighth straight 20-win season. Only eight other coaches have also posted 20 victories each of the last seven years. Lute Olson (14 straight 20-win seasons entering this year), Tubby Smith (11), Mike Krzyzewski (8), Skip Prosser (8), Gary Williams (8), Jim Boeheim (7), Jim Calhoun (7) and Eddie Sutton (7) have done it.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
Drew Lavender started the first 53 games of his career but has come off the bench the last two. He is averaging 19.5 points, 2.0 assists and 2.5 steals in those two outings. He had 10 points and a career-high-tying five steals last Wednesday versus Nebraska (all five steals came in the first half) and registered 29 points on 6-for-9 3-point shooting Saturday at Kansas State. OU won both games.
Terrell Everett scored in double figures in 13 of OU's first 14 games and then failed to reach double digits in four of the next five. In six games since, he has scored in double figures each outing and is averaging 14.8 points while shooting .574 from the field (35-for-61).
The OU bench has supplied 68 points over the last two games (37 vs. Nebraska and 31 vs. Kansas State).
Senior Johnnie Gilbert has provided a big boost off the bench down low of late. The senior had six points, three boards and two blocks in 17 minutes against Nebraska and pulled down a game-high eight rebounds while also contributing two points, two assists and a block in 17 minutes at Kansas State.
Lawrence McKenzie is 1-for-11 from 3-point range over the last three games and dropped from first to second in Big 12 3-point percentage (.424). Prior to the Missouri game on Feb. 12, McKenzie was shooting .455.
Freshman David Godbold has made his second and third career starts the last two games and averaged 6.5 points in those two contests. In three starts this year he is averaging 9.0 points. Seven of his eight 3-pointers have come as a starter. He made three treys Saturday against Kansas State and had nine points.

GRAY, BOOKOUT EARN NABC HONORS
Oklahoma junior forwards Taj Gray and Kevin Bookout have been named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District 12 Team. Gray, from Wichita, Kan., is a first-team member while Bookout, from Stroud, Okla., is a second-team selection. Joining Gray on the first team are Iowa State's Curtis Stinson, Kansas' Wayne Simien and Oklahoma State's Joey Graham and John Lucas. With Bookout on the second team are Iowa's Jeff Horner, KU's Keith Langford and Aaron Miles, and Kansas State's Jeremiah Massey.

SAMPSON ATOP BIG 12 LADDER
Kelvin Sampson passed former Kansas head coach Roy Williams for most Big 12 regular season victories with OU's 83-60 win over Nebraska last Wednesday and now has 96 following Saturday's triumph at Kansas State. Sampson is 96-44 in conference play since the formation of the Big 12 in 1996-97. The OU head coach also holds the Big 12 record for most combined regular season and conference tournament wins (he is 112-49) and holds the mark for most overall wins by a conference coach since the Big 12 was formed. He is 213-76 since the start of the 1996-97 season.

SOONERS HAVE WON NEARLY 70 PERCENT OF THEIR BIG 12 GAMES
Dating back to the start of Big 12 Conference play during the 1996-97 season, Oklahoma has posted a 96-44 league record for a .686 winning percentage. Only Kansas (116-24; .829) owns a better mark than OU. Texas is tied with OU at 96-44, while Oklahoma State ranks fourth at 94-46 (.671) and Missouri is sixth at 75-65 (.536). Including Big 12 Tournament games, OU owns a 111-49 record (.694), second best in the conference behind Kansas (131-28; .824). The Sooners are 16-5 in the Big 12 Tournament and have won three of the eight titles.

OU'S FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED
Last season, OU shot .408 from the field its worst mark in 40 years and posted a .500-or-better figure just three times. This season, the Sooners have shot .500 or better from the field in nine of the last 14 games and have done so in 15 of 25 games overall. 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 .485 on the season to rank third in the Big 12. OU is on pace for its best season field goal mark since the 1988-89 team finished with a .491 figure.

GRAY ON A ROLL
Unanimous Preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year Taj Gray has exceeded expectations this year and has been especially hot of late. Over the last eight games, Gray is averaging 17.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.6 blocked shots while shooting .620 from the field. He has scored at least 20 points in four of those contests and had 19 in another. The junior forward ranks second in the Big 12 in double-doubles with 10 (the most in a season during the Kelvin Sampson era is 14 by Eduardo Najera during the 1999-2000 campaign). Gray ranks 11th in the league in scoring, second in rebounding, second in field goal percentage, first in blocked shots and first in offensive rebounds. Gray has been named Big 12 Rookie of the Week four times (the record is five by former Texas A&M guard Clifton Cook in 1998-99).

LONG DISTANCE DIALER
Sophomore guard Lawrence McKenzie, who ranks second in the Big 12 in 3-point percentage (.424), has made at least three 3-pointers in eight of the last 14 games and at least four treys in six of the last 14. The Minneapolis, Minn., native, who has drained 56 treys on the year (11 more than he made last season), has made at least two 3-pointers in 16 of his 24 games and at least three in 13 contests. He ranks fourth in the league in 3-pointers made per game (2.3). Last year, McKenzie shot .321 from beyond the arc.

OU ON POSITIVE END OF 3-POINT DISPARITY
Oklahoma has made 153 3-pointers this season (an average of 6.4 a game) and is shooting .362 from beyond the arc. Opponents, by comparison, have canned just 83 treys (3.5 a game) and are shooting .285 from long range. Only four opponents (Baylor, Oklahoma State twice and Nebraska) have made more treys than OU in a game this year. Lawrence McKenzie has made 56 3-pointers (2.4 a game) and ranks second in the Big 12 Conference with his .424 season percentage. Jaison Williams, Drew Lavender and Terrell Everett have made 39, 37 and 18 treys this year, respectively.

WHY DON'T WE STEAL AWAY
Oklahoma recorded a season-high 17 steals against Nebraska on Wednesday and now ranks second in the Big 12 with its 8.9 steals a game (Iowa State averages 9.3). The 17 thefts versus the Huskers were the most for OU against a conference opponent under 11th-year head coach Kelvin Sampson. Drew Lavender had five steals in 11 minutes of play in the first half of that game to match a single-game career high. The Sooners have recorded more steals than their opponents in 15 of the last 21 outings.

EVERETT HAS SUPPLIED HELPING HAND
Junior college transfer Terrell Everett has been steady at the wing and point guard spots this year. The 6-4, 185-pound lefty has started all 25 games and is averaging 12.1 points (ranks third on team), 4.2 rebounds (ranks third) and a team-high 5.0 assists a game. Everett has led OU (or tied for the team lead) in assists in 15 of the last 19 games. He is averaging 5.8 assists over the last 12 outings and ranks second in the Big 12 (league games) with 5.5 assists a game. Everett has scored in double figures 20 times this year and netted a career-high 20 points against Texas A&M Feb. 2, 18 on Wednesday versus Nebraska and 16 Saturday at Kansas State. He has made 36 of his last 38 free throw attempts (.947) dating back to Dec. 28.

BOOKOUT, GRAY RANK FIRST AND SECOND IN FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE
Oklahoma's leader in field goal percentage his first two seasons, junior forward Kevin Bookout is shooting a stout .613 from the field this season to lead the Big 12 Conference (he ranked seventh nationally last week). Junior newcomer Taj Gray, meanwhile, ranks second in the league with his .569 season mark. The 6-8, 259-pound Bookout has shot .500 or better in 20 of his 24 games this year. The Jan. 24 Big 12 Player of the Week has earned the honor twice this year the first time on Jan. 10 after a 13-for-14 field goal performance against Colorado in which he scored 27 points. It ranks as the third best field goal percentage performance in the country this year. Bookout also made nine of his 10 field goal attempts against Washington on Nov. 26. He shot .587 as a freshman to lead the Big 12 and posted a .516 mark last year in 13 games. Gray, who had an 8-for-9 performance against Texas A&M Feb. 2, is shooting .605 over the last eight games (52-for-86).

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 1,049 of the squad's 1,870 points, or 56 percent this season. Junior forwards Taj Gray (15.3 ppg) and Kevin Bookout (12.2 ppg) are the main reasons OU's frontcourt production has increased from 32 percent of the team's points last year to 44 percent this year. Gray and Bookout rank first and second on the squad in scoring.

GUARDS TIGHTEN DEFENSIVE SCREWS
Oklahoma's guards have done an admirable job of defending the 3-point line this season as the team leads the Big 12 in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.282). Only four opponents (Baylor, Oklahoma State twice and Nebraska) have made more than five 3-pointers against OU this year. Conversely, the Sooners have made at least five treys in 21 of 25 games.

NOT AFRAID OF REJECTION
Junior forward Taj Gray (6-9) has been intimidating in the paint with his shot-blocking ability. Gray has registered 10 games of three-or-more rejections and is averaging 2.2 swats an outing to lead the Big 12 (he is averaging a Big 12-high 2.8 blocks per conference game). No Oklahoma player has ever led the Big 12 Conference in blocked shots per game at the end of a season. The Sooners are averaging 4.6 blocks a contest as a team to tie for second in the league rankings. Freshman Longar Longar has 17 blocks in his 21 games while Johnnie Gilbert has 14 and Kevin Bookout 13. Gilbert ranks fourth on OU's career list with 125 rejections.

PREACHING PROTECTION
Dating back to the start of the 2003-04 season, OU has committed more turnovers than its foe just 13 times in its last 56 games. It has happened in the Sooners' last four losses, however. OU is 15-1 this year when committing the same number of or fewer turnovers than its opponent.

OKLAHOMA TIP INS
The Sooners have won 63 of their last 68 home games (.926).
Seven of OU's last 10 regular season games this year are being televised by national networks.
OU's starting frontcourt of Kevin Bookout (.602) and Taj Gray (.602) is shooting a combined .602 from the field in Big 12 play. They rank first and second, respectively, in the league in field goal percentage.
Three Sooners have been honored a total of seven times by the Big 12 Conference this season. Bookout has been named Big 12 Player of the Week twice. Gray has earned Big 12 Rookie-of-the-Week honors four times (the record is five) while Terrell Everett has garnered the rookie honor once.
Oklahoma has outrebounded its opponent in 17 of 25 games this year and is 14-3 in those contests.
Only Baylor, Oklahoma State (twice) and Nebraska have made more 3-pointers than Oklahoma in head-to-head competition this year (25 games). OU leads the Big 12 by giving up just 3.5 treys per outing (the next lowest figure is 5.3 surrendered a game by OSU).
The Sooners have made 77 more 3-pointers than their opponents this season.
Everett has led the team in assists in 15 of the last 19 games. He is averaging 5.0 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 36 of his last 38 free throw attempts (.947) 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 15 of its 25 games this year. The Sooners shot .408 last year but own a .485 mark this season to rank third in the league.
Bookout went 13-for-14 from the field against Colorado Jan. 8 (third best field goal percentage game in the nation this season) and has shot .500 or better in 20 of his 24 games.
Freshman center Longar Longar is 25-for-32 from the field this season (.781). His first six field goals were dunks and he has 14 slams on the year.

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 96-44 (.686) regular season Big 12 Conference record.
OU has recorded a 145-21 (.873) record at Lloyd Noble Center and has won 63 of its last 68 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

Related News

Related Videos

Sponsors