OU Meets Texas Monday in Austin

GAME INFORMATION
In a tie for second place in the Big 12, Oklahoma (21-6 overall, 10-4 Big 12) goes for a regular season sweep of Texas (19-8, 8-6) when it travels to Austin on Monday for an 8 p.m. CST game at the Erwin Center.

The game, the last of the season at home for the Longhorns, 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 (Cox Cable 29 in OKC) with Ron Franklin (play-by-play), Fran Fraschilla (analyst) and Stacey Dales-Schuman (sideline reporter) announcing.

OU Radio Affiliates | Live Audio | Live Stats | Game Notes (PDF)

PROJECTED OKLAHOMA STARTERS (Stats averages)
F 21 Taj Gray (6-9, 235, Jr., 15.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 1.5 apg)
F 34 Kevin Bookout (6-8, 259, Jr., 11.8 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 0.6 apg)
G 3 Drew Lavender (5-7, 153, So., 9.8 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 3.6 apg)
G 4 David Godbold (6-5, 212, Fr., 4.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.0 apg)
G 20 Terrell Everett (6-4, 185, Jr., 12.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 5.0 apg)

TEXAS PROJECTED STARTERS (Stats averages)
F 3 Dion Dowell (6-6, 195, Fr., 2.5 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 0.3 apg)
F 22 Brad Buckman (6-8, 235, Jr., 12.3 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 1.1 apg)
C 21 Jason Klotz (6-9, 245, Sr., 10.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.0 apg)
G 1 Daniel Gibson (6-2, 190, Fr., 14.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 4.0 apg)
G 13 Sydmill Harris (6-4, 200, Sr., 6.7 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 0.7 apg)

OKLAHOMA UPDATE
The Sooners shot a school-record .661 from the field and watched seniors Johnnie Gilbert and Jaison Williams close out their home careers in impressive fashion in a 103-60 win over Baylor on Saturday. OU, which made 12 of its first 13 shots in both halves, reached 10 wins in league play for the seventh time in the last eight years. One game after matching a career high with 12 points against Kansas, Gilbert scored 13 points and pulled down seven boards versus Baylor. Williams matched a career high with five 3-pointers on nine attempts and finished with 15 points, a career-high 10 assists and a career-high four steals. It marked his first career double-double. Taj Gray didn't start for the first time this year but still supplied a team-high 16 points while David Godbold had 14 and Terrell Everett 11. Gray was a perfect 6-for-6 from the field and 4-for-4 from the foul line. The Sooners, who tied season highs with 11 3-pointers and a .579 3-point field goal percentage, also set a season high with their .875 free throw performance (14-for-16). Oklahoma won for the 22nd straight time against Baylor and improved to 20-0 against the Bears under Kelvin Sampson. OU is now 9-2 on Senior Days under the head coach.

BAYLOR LEFTOVERS
OU made its first 10 field goal attempts of the game (three of them 3-pointers) and its first seven of the second half. Its first miss of the game didn't occur until the 9:45 mark (a Lawrence McKenzie 3-point attempt).
The Sooners outrebounded Baylor 34-17 and didn't allow the Bears their first board until 5:09 remained in the first half.
OU's 103 points were its most in Big 12 play since six seasons ago (102-75 against Texas A&M in 1999).
Oklahoma's bench was 17-for-19 from the field (.895) and outscored Baylor's bench 45-15.
The Sooners' 28 assists were their most in nine seasons (they had 35 at Colorado in 1996).
Jaison Williams' double-double was the first by an OU guard this year.
The 43-point loss was Baylor's worst since dropping a 49-point decision at Oklahoma two years ago.
OU finished the year 14-1 at home and is now 147-21 (.875) at Lloyd Noble Center in 11 years under Kelvin Sampson. It has won 65 of its last 70 (.929).

ABOUT TEXAS
Texas, a 63-51 victor over Missouri on Saturday in Austin, has won four of its last five games and stands in fifth place in the Big 12 with an 8-6 record. The Longhorns are 19-8 overall and 14-1 at home. Their only defeat at the Erwin Center came at the hands of Iowa State in overtime, 92-80, on Feb. 5. Texas is shooting .465 from the field (ranks sixth in Big 12), .398 from 3-point range (ranks third) and .698 from the free throw line (ranks fourth).

Freshman Daniel Gibson has started all 27 games for UT and is averaging 14.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.8 steals per outing. Gibson has made 67 3-pointers on the year and is shooting .411 from beyond the arc. Junior forward Brad Buckman, a 26-game starter, is averaging 12.3 points, a team-high 8.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. In Big 12 play he is averaging a double-double with 12.4 points and 10.3 rebounds. Senior guard Kenny Taylor averages 10.8 points and 2.8 assists per game and has made 53 treys (he's shooting .356 from long range). Taylor is coming off a game-high 20 point effort against Missouri. Jason Klotz, a senior center, is averaging 10.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.

Rick Barnes is in his seventh year as Texas' head coach and owns a 160-66 (.708) record there. He is 362-200 (.644) in his 18th season as a collegiate head coach.

SERIES WITH THE LONGHORNS
Oklahoma owns a 43-21 all-time record against Texas and is 15-11 in games played in Austin. The Sooners, who have won 25 of the last 34 meetings, snapped a five-game losing streak to the Longhorns on Jan. 22 in Norman. Kelvin Sampson is 16-8 against Texas as OU's head coach and is 5-4 versus UT in Austin.

In the first meeting this year, a 65-61 OU victory in Norman, Kevin Bookout recorded a double-double 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 on the season at the time. 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. Daniel Gibson paced Texas with 18 points while Jason Klotz scored 14.

A WIN OVER TEXAS WOULD...
Draw the Sooners to within a half game of first place in the Big 12.
Give Oklahoma a regular season sweep of the Longhorns for the first time since 2002. It would be the fourth regular season sweep of Texas in nine years of the Big 12. An OU win would also mark a fourth straight season sweep in the series (the Sooners swept in 2001 and 2002 while Texas did it in 2003 and 2004).
Improve Oklahoma's record against the Longhorns to 17-8 under Kelvin Sampson (6-4 in Austin).
Give OU 11 wins in Big 12 play for the seventh time in the last eight years (it was 8-8 last season).

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
With the victory over Kansas last Monday, Kelvin Sampson has now coached Oklahoma to eight consecutive 20-win seasons. Entering the 2004-05 campaign, only eight other coaches had 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).
During its four-game winning streak, Oklahoma is shooting .544 from the field, .485 from 3-point range and .723 from the free throw line. Prior to the streak its respective season figures were .483, .361 and .667.
Oklahoma's guards have excelled during the team's four-game winning streak, accounting for 65 percent of OU's points. They tallied 50 points against Nebraska, 54 at Kansas State, 48 versus Kansas and 59 against Baylor. On the season, OU's guards account for 57 percent of the squad's scoring.
Drew Lavender started the first 53 games of his career but has come off the bench in three of the last four. In those three games as a reserve, Lavender has averaged 14.7 points, 2.3 assists and 2.3 steals while shooting .615 from the field (16-for-26). He had 10 points and a career-high-tying five steals Feb. 16 versus Nebraska (all five steals came in the first half) and registered 29 points on 6-for-9 3-point shooting Feb. 19 at Kansas State. He made a buzzer-beating left-handed runner off the glass to give OU a one-point win against the Wildcats.
OU's bench has produced 131 points during its four-game winning streak (an average of 33 points) while the benches of Nebraska (20), Kansas State (2), Kansas (7) and Baylor (15) have combined for 44 (an average of 11.0).
Freshman David Godbold has started each of the last four contests (he now has five career starts) is averaging 10.5 points in those four outings. In five starts this year Godbold is averaging 11.2 points. Eight of his nine 3-pointers have come as a starter. Over the last three games he is averaging 12.7 points.
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 eight games since, Everett has scored in double figures each outing and is averaging 14.9 points while shooting .577 from the field (45-for-78).
Senior Johnnie Gilbert has provided a big boost off the bench of late. Over the last four games, the senior forward is averaging 8.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 blocked shots while shooting .609 from the field (14-for-23). Those numbers compare favorably to his season averages of 3.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 0.6 blocks. He is shooting .530 from the field on the year.
Lawrence McKenzie snapped a three-game 1-for-11 streak from 3-point range by going 2-for-5 against Kansas last Monday and went 2-for-4 Saturday against Baylor. Prior to the Missouri game on Feb. 12, he was shooting .455 from beyond the arc. McKenzie now owns a .426 3-point mark to lead the league.
During Oklahoma's current four-game winning streak, Taj Gray is averaging 10.3 points and 3.0 rebounds while Kevin Bookout is averaging 6.8 points and 5.0 boards (both well below their season averages).
OU's win against No. 8 Kansas last Monday was its fourth against a top-25 team this year. It also beat Connecticut (then No. 12), Texas (No. 15) and Oklahoma State (No. 9). The Soonrs are 4-3 against top-25 teams.

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 Feb. 16 and now has 98 following Saturday's triumph against Baylor. Sampson is 98-44 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 114-49) and holds the mark for most overall wins by a conference coach since the Big 12 was formed. He is 215-76 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 98-44 league record for a .690 winning percentage. Only Kansas (116-25; .823) owns a better mark than OU. Texas ranks third at 97-45 (.683), while Oklahoma State ranks fourth at 94-47 (.667) and Missouri fifth at 76-66 (.535). Including Big 12 Tournament games, OU owns a 113-49 record (.698), second best in the conference behind Kansas (131-29; .819). The Sooners are 16-5 in the Big 12 Tournament and have won three of the eight titles.

HEATING IT UP
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 16 of their 27 games, including in 10 of the last 16 outings. Oklahoma is coming off a school-record .661 field goal performance against Baylor and is now shooting .491 on the season to rank second 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 COOLING DOWN
After a statistically torrid stretch from late January to mid February, unanimous Preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year Taj Gray has cooled. Gray registered six straight games of 14-or-more points (five games of 19 or more) and averaged 20.0 points, 10.7 rebounds and 3.0 blocked shots while shooting .635 from the field from Jan. 24 to Feb. 12. The Sooners lost four of those six games. In four games since all wins he is averaging 10.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 block. 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 14th in the league in scoring, third 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 leads the Big 12 in 3-point percentage (.426), has made at least two treys in 18 of his 26 games and at least three in 13 contests. The Minneapolis, Minn., native has drained 60 treys on the year (15 more than he made last season) and 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 180 3-pointers this season (an average of 6.7 a game) and is shooting .378 from beyond the arc. Opponents, by comparison, have canned just 99 treys (3.7 a game) and are shooting .291 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 60 3-pointers (2.3 a game) and leads the Big 12 Conference with his .426 season percentage. Jaison Williams, Drew Lavender and Terrell Everett have made 44, 39 and 20 treys this year, respectively.

WHY DON'T WE STEAL AWAY
Oklahoma recorded a season-high 17 steals against Nebraska on Feb. 16 and logged another 14 on Saturday against Baylor. OU now ranks second in the Big 12 with its 9.0 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 17 of the last 23 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 26 games (came off bench on Senior Day) and is averaging 12.3 points (ranks second on team), 4.3 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 16 of the last 21 games. He is averaging 5.6 assists over the last 14 outings and ranks second in the Big 12 (league games) with 5.3 assists a game. Everett has scored in double figures 22 times this year and netted a career-high 20 points against Texas A&M Feb. 2, 18 on Feb. 16 versus Nebraska, 16 on Feb. 19 at Kansas State and 19 last Monday versus Kansas. He is shooting .784 from the foul line on the year (.842 in Big 12 play) and had a string of 21 straight makes snapped against the Jayhawks.

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 .616 from the field this season to lead the Big 12 Conference and rank 12th nationally. Junior newcomer Taj Gray, meanwhile, ranks second in the league with his .580 season mark. The 6-8, 259-pound Bookout has shot .500 or better in 22 of his 26 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 is coming off a 6-for-6 performance against Baylor, is shooting .629 over the last 11 games (66-for-105).

SCORING MORE BALANCED 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 1,156 of the squad's 2,044 points, or 57 percent this season. Junior forwards Taj Gray (15.0 ppg) and Kevin Bookout (11.8 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 third on the squad in scoring.

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 2.1 swats an outing to lead the Big 12 (he is averaging a Big 12-high 2.4 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 4.5 blocks a contest as a team to rank third in the league rankings. Freshman Longar Longar has 17 blocks in his 22 games while Johnnie Gilbert has 16 and Kevin Bookout 13. Gilbert ranks fourth on OU's career list with 127 rejections.

GUARDS TIGHTEN DEFENSIVE SCREWS
OU'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 (.291). Only five opponents (Baylor twice, 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 23 of 27 games.

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 58 games. It has happened in the Sooners' last four losses, however. OU is 17-1 this year when committing the same number of or fewer turnovers than its opponent.

OKLAHOMA TIP INS
In Big 12 games, Oklahoma leads the league with its .494 field goal percentage.
The Sooners have won 39 of their last 42 and 55 of their last 59 when scoring 80 or more points.
OU's bench has produced more points than opponents' reserves in 11 of 14 league games this year and in 19 of 27 games overall.
OU's starting frontcourt of Taj Gray (.622) and Kevin Bookout (.612) is shooting a combined .617 from the field in Big 12 play. They rank first and second, respectively, in field goal percentage in league action.
Three Sooners have been honored a total of eight 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 twice (including this week's).
Oklahoma has outrebounded its opponent in 19 of 27 games this year and is 16-3 in those contests.
Only Baylor, Oklahoma State (twice) and Nebraska have made more 3-pointers than Oklahoma in head-to-head competition this year (27 games). OU leads the Big 12 by giving up just 3.7 treys per outing.
The Sooners have made 81 more 3-pointers than their opponents this season.
Everett has led the team in assists in 16 of the last 21 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.
Freshman center Longar Longar is 27-for-35 from the field this season (.800). His first six field goals were dunks and he has 16 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 98-44 (.690) 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 five seasons (entering this year).
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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