Oklahoma vs. Texas Tech Preview

GAME INFORMATION
Oklahoma (17-3 overall, 6-1 Big 12) hosts Texas Tech (13-5, 5-2) on Saturday at 8 p.m. CST in Norman. 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 Channel 34/Cox Cable 13 in OKC) with Dave Armstrong (play-by-play) and Reid Gettys (analyst) announcing.

Game Notes in PDF

TICKET INFORMATION
Reserved seats for Saturday's game are sold out. A limited number of restricted admission tickets will go on sale Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at Lloyd Noble Center's north and east ticket windows for $20. Restricted admission tickets are good for unused seat in the upper level of the arena 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.

PROJECTED TEXAS TECH STARTERS (Stats averages)
F 21 Devonne Giles (6-8, 225, Sr., 12.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.1 apg)
F 44 Darryl Dora (6-9, 235, So., 5.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.9 apg)
G 3 Martin Zeno (6-5, 190, Fr., 13.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.3 apg)
G 22 Jarrius Jackson (6-1, 185, So., 14.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 3.7 apg)
G 24 Ronald Ross (6-2, 185, Sr., 16.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.1 apg)

PROJECTED OKLAHOMA STARTERS (Stats averages)
F 21 Taj Gray (6-9, 235, Jr., 15.5 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 1.6 apg)
F 34 Kevin Bookout (6-8, 259, Jr., 13.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 0.6 apg)
G 2 Jaison Williams (6-3, 181, Sr., 8.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.6 apg)
G 3 Drew Lavender (5-7, 153, So., 9.5 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 3.8 apg)
G 20 Terrell Everett (6-4, 185, Jr., 11.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 5.2 apg)

OKLAHOMA UPDATE
The Sooners, who had their 10-game winning streak snapped at Iowa State on Saturday, rebounded for a home win over Texas A&M on Wednesday. The 69-65 victory was not without tense moments, though, as the Aggies raced to a 25-9 lead and led by four with less than seven minutes left. In the end, junior Taj Gray and Terrell Everett were too much to handle as they combined for 44 points. Gray scored a game-high 24 points on 8-of-9 field goal shooting and added 13 rebounds and three blocked shots. It was his Big 12-leading ninth double-double of the year. Everett was 7-for-7 from the free throw line and finished with a career-high 20 points and six assists. Sophomore Drew Lavender added 13 points, three assists and three steals. His 3-pointer with 5:36 remaining put OU up for good. Junior Kevin Bookout averaged 18.5 points and 9.8 rebounds per Big 12 game entering the night, but was held to one point and two rebounds. The Sooners shot .357 from the field in the first half before countering with a .609 second-half effort to finish at .471. Texas A&M, which was an identical 24-for-51 from the field, outrebounded OU 38-31 but had three more turnovers. The win was Oklahoma's 14th straight at Lloyd Noble Center and kept the Sooners alone in second place in the Big 12 race behind 7-0 Kansas.

TEXAS A&M LEFTOVERS
The Sooners' 16-point first-half deficit (25-9) marked their largest in a game this year in either half.
Taj Gray's 24 points came two weeks after not scoring against Texas A&M in College Station.
Terrell Everett's 7-for-7 free throw performance makes him 28 for his last 30 at the stripe (.933).
Kevin Bookout did not make a field goal for just the third time of his career (he was 0-for-2).
Lawrence McKenzie was held without a 3-pointer for only the third time this season. His four steals, though, were a career high.
Kelvin Sampson tied former Kansas coach Roy Williams for most Big 12 regular season victories (94).
OU won its 12th straight against Texas A&M and improved to 23-1 all-time against the Aggies (11-0 in Norman).

ABOUT TEXAS TECH
Texas Tech stands in fourth place in the Big 12 with a 5-2 record and is 13-5 overall. The Red Raiders, who have won five of their last six games and eight of their last 10, are coming off a 97-90 home win over Colorado on Wednesday. Tech is 10-1 at home, 3-2 on the road and 0-2 at neutral sites. It is shooting .484 from the field to rank third in the Big 12 and leads the league with its .426 3-point and .775 free throw marks.

Senior guard Ronald Ross leads a balanced Texas Tech scoring attack. Ross averages 16.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and a Big 12-high 2.4 steals a game. He is also shooting .560 from the field to rank fourth in the conference and .525 from beyond the arc. Sophomore guard Jarrius Jackson averages 14.4 points and 3.7 assists while another guard, freshman Martin Zeno, averages 13.7 points, 4.1 boards and 3.3 assists. He has attempted a team-high 89 free throws and is shooting .798 from the charity stripe. Sophomore forward Devonne Giles contributes 12.6 points a contest, as well as team highs in rebounds (6.6) and blocked shots (2.1).

Bob Knight is in his fourth year as Texas Tech's head coach where he owns an 81-38 (.681) record. He is in his 39th season overall and owns a 845-327 (.721) career mark.

SERIES WITH TEXAS TECH
Oklahoma owns a 21-13 all-time record against Texas Tech and has won four of the series' last five meetings. It is 13-4 all-time in games played in Norman. Under Kelvin Sampson, the Sooners are 12-6 against the Red Raiders and are 6-3 at Lloyd Noble Center. Texas Tech coach Bob Knight is 2-5 against OU (0-3 in Norman).

LAST YEAR VERSUS THE RED RAIDERS
OU and Texas Tech split their two games last year with the home team winning each time. In Lubbock on Jan. 19, the Red Raiders shot .500 from the field while holding the Sooners to a .328 figure in a 67-47 victory. It was Oklahoma's fourth straight defeat and marked the program's first 0-3 conference start since 1981. Jason Detrick was the only Sooner in double figures (11 points) and Kevin Bookout was held scoreless in 13 minutes of play. It was Bookout's final game of the season as he underwent shoulder surgery a couple of weeks later. Andre Emmett led four Red Raiders in double figures with 21 points.

Oklahoma bounced back for a 63-48 win in Norman on Feb. 11. The Sooners led by 15 in the first half, watched Tech close to within one in the second and then rallied to get the final margin back to 15. Lawrence McKenzie scored a team-high 15 points and OU's freshmen netted 32 of the team's 63 points. Drew Lavender and De'Angelo Alexander scored 11 each, while the Red Raiders were held 11 points below their previous season scoring low. OU had 15 steals and forced a season-high 22 Tech turnovers.

A WIN OVER TEXAS TECH WOULD...
Be OU's fifth win in the last six games against the Red Raiders and improve OU's record in the series to 22-13 overall and 14-4 in Norman. Kelvin Sampson would move to 13-6 against Tech.
Improve OU's league record to 7-1, giving the Sooners their best conference start since the 1988-89 squad began 11-1 in the Big Eight.
Extend OU's home winning streak to 15 games and give them 63 victories in their last 67 games in Norman.

GRAY NAMED BIG 12 ROOKIE OF THE WEEK...AGAIN
Taj Gray was named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Rookie of the Week for the fourth time this year on Monday. Gray averaged 21.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 3.0 blocks and 1.5 steals against Oklahoma State and Iowa State. He had 22 points, eight rebounds and a career-high five assists in the 67-57 win over OSU and posted 21 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks in the 74-66 loss at Iowa State. Former Texas A&M guard Clifton Cook holds the league record with five Big 12 Rookie-of-the-Week honors in 1998-99. Gray also won the award on Nov. 22, Dec. 13 and Jan. 17.

SAMPSON CLIMBING BIG 12 LADDER
Kelvin Sampson tied former Kansas head coach Roy Williams for most Big 12 regular season victories (94) when OU beat Texas A&M on Wednesday. Sampson is 94-41 in league play since the formation of the Big 12 in 1996-97. The OU head coach already held the Big 12 record for most combined regular season and conference tournament wins (he is 110-46). Sampson also holds the record for most overall wins by a league coach since the Big 12 was formed. He is 211-73 since the start of the 1996-97 season.

SEVERAL SOONERS AMONG LEAGUE'S STATISTICAL LEADERS
Taj Gray ranks 10th in the Big 12 in scoring (15.5 ppg), second in rebounding (8.6 rpg), second in field goal percentage (.572), first in blocked shots (2.2 bpg) and second in offensive rebounds a game (3.3). He also leads the league in double-doubles with nine. Kevin Bookout ranks 11th in rebounding (7.1 rpg) and first in field goal percentage (.632). Terrell Everett ranks second in assists (5.2 apg) and sixth in steals (1.9 spg) while Lawrence McKenzie leads the league in 3-point field goal percentage (.456) and ranks third in 3-pointers per game (2.5).

In Big 12 games, Gray ranks 13th in scoring (15.9 ppg), first in rebounding (9.1 rpg), second in field goal percentage (.634), first in blocked shots (3.0 bpg) and third in offensive rebounds (3.3) Bookout ranks ninth in scoring (16.0 ppg), third in rebounding (8.7 rpg), first in field goal percentage (.645) and second in offensive rebounds (3.6). Everett ranks second in assists (6.2 apg) and fourth in assist-turnover ratio (2.4).

OU HAS WON 70 PERCENT OF ITS BIG 12 GAMES
Dating back to the start of Big 12 Conference play during the 1996-97 season, Oklahoma has posted a 94-41 league record for a .696 winning percentage. Only Kansas (113-22; .837) owns a better mark than OU. Texas ranks third at 93-42 (.689), Oklahoma State is fourth at 90-46 (.662) and Missouri is fifth at 72-64 (.529). Including Big 12 Tournament games, OU owns a 110-46 record (.705), second best in the conference behind Kansas (128-27; .826). The Sooners are 16-5 in the Big 12 Tournament and have won three of the eight tourney titles.

OU'S FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED
The Sooners have shot .500 or better from the field in six of the last 10 games and have done so in 12 of 20 games on the year. Last season, OU shot .408 from the field its worst mark in 40 years and posted a .500-or-better figure just three times. 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 .482 on the season to rank fourth in the Big 12.

LONG DISTANCE DIALER
Sophomore guard Lawrence McKenzie, who leads the Big 12 in 3-point percentage (.456), has made at least three 3-pointers in six of the last nine games and at least four treys in five of the last nine. The Minneapolis, Minn., native, who has drained 47 treys on the year (two more than he made last season), has made at least two 3-pointers in 14 of his 19 games and at least three in 10 contests. He ranks third in the league in 3-pointers made per game (2.5). Last year, McKenzie shot .321 from beyond the arc.

OU ON POSITIVE END OF 3-POINT DISPARITY
Oklahoma has made 131 3-pointers this season (an average of 6.6 a game) and is shooting .361 from beyond the arc. Opponents, by comparison, have canned just 61 treys (3.1 a game) and are shooting .261 from long range. Only two opponents (Baylor and Oklahoma State) have made more treys than OU in a game this year. Lawrence McKenzie is making 2.5 threes a game and leads the Big 12 Conference with his .456 season percentage. Jaison Williams, Drew Lavender and Terrell Everett have made 33, 25 and 15 treys this year, respectively.

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 9.0 steals a game. The Sooners have recorded more steals than their opponents in 13 of the last 16 games.

GRAY, EVERETT SUPPLY 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 (15.5 ppg), rebounding (8.6 rpg) and blocked shots (2.2 bpg). The unanimous Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year has won four Big 12 Rookie-of-the-Week honors (he is the reigning honoree) and leads the Big 12 lead with nine double-doubles this year.

Everett, a 6-4, 185-pound left-handed guard, has been steady at the wing and point guard spots. He is averaging 11.7 points (ranks third on team), 4.5 rebounds (ranks third) and a team-high 5.2 assists a game, and is shooting .341 from beyond the 3-point arc. Everett has led OU (or tied for the team lead) in assists in 12 of the last 14 games. He is averaging 6.6 assists over the last seven outings and ranks second in the Big 12 (league games) with 6.2 assists a game.

BOOKOUT, GRAY RANK 1-2 IN FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE
Oklahoma's leader in field goal percentage his first two seasons, junior forward Kevin Bookout is shooting a remarkable .639 from the field this season (108-for-169) to lead the Big 12 Conference. Junior newcomer Taj Gray, meanwhile, ranks second in the league with his .572 season mark. The 6-8, 259-pound Bookout has shot .500 or better in 17 of his 19 games this year and owns a .645 mark in conference play. Last week's 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. He also made nine of his 10 field goal attempts against Washington on Nov. 26, was 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. Gray is coming off an 8-for-9 performance against Texas A&M and is shooting .667 over the last three games (26-for-39).

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 834 of the squad's 1,505 points, or 55 percent this season. Junior forwards Taj Gray (15.5 ppg) and Kevin Bookout (13.3 ppg) are the main reasons OU's frontcourt production has increased from 32 percent of the team's points last year to 45 percent this year. Gray and Bookout rank first and second 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 (.261). Only one opponent (Baylor) has made more than five 3-pointers against OU this year. Conversely, the Sooners have made at least five treys in 17 of 20 games.

BETTER TO GIVE THAN RECEIVE
The Sooners have registered 334 assists through 20 contests for an average of 16.7 a game. An assist has been credited on 60 percent of OU's field goals. Last year's team averaged 12.1 assists and 53 percent of its baskets were assisted. OU leads the Big 12 (league games) with its 17.1 assists per game.

NOT AFRAID OF REJECTION
Junior forward Taj Gray (6-9) has been intimidating in the paint with his shot-blocking ability. Gray has registered eight 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 3.0 blocks per conference game). The Sooners are averaging 4.3 blocks a contest as a team. Freshman Longar Longar has 15 blocked shots in his 16 games. Senior Johnnie Gilbert, who has 10 blocked shots this year, ranks fourth on OU's career list with 119.

PREACHING PROTECTION
Dating back to the start of the 2003-04 season, OU has committed more turnovers than its foe just nine times in its last 51 games (18 percent of its games).

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 120-12 (.909) when reaching 80 points. The Sooners have won 37 of their last 39 and 53 of their last 56 when scoring 80 or more.

TOUGH SLATE
Oklahoma will play four games this year against teams in this week's AP poll's top 13 and will play eight games against teams in the top 25. OU has already faced No. 4 Duke (lost), No. 10 Oklahoma State (won), No. 13 Washington (lost), No. 20 Texas (won) and No. 23 Connecticut (won). It will play once against No. 6 Kansas and once more each against Oklahoma State and Texas.

NEBRASKA GAME TIME CHANGED
Because ESPN2 has picked up OU's Feb. 16 game against Nebraska, the contest will now start at 8 p.m. CST. The game will be blacked out in Oklahoma on ESPN2 and air on the Sooner Sports Network.

OKLAHOMA TIP INS
Seven of OU's last 10 regular season games are being televised by national networks.
OU's starting frontcourt of Kevin Bookout (.645) and Taj Gray (.634) is shooting a combined .639 from the field in Big 12 play. They rank first and second, respectively, in the league in field goal percentage (all games).
Terrell Everett had averaged 6.0 points over the five games prior to Wednesday's career-high 20-point outburst against Texas A&M.
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 while Everett has garnered the rookie honor once.
Oklahoma has outrebounded its opponent in 14 of 20 games this year and is 13-1 in those contests.
In Big 12 games, OU leads the league in scoring defense (60.9 ppg), assists (17.1 apg), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.41) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.261), and second in rebounding margin (+4.0).
Only Baylor and Oklahoma State have made more 3-pointers than OU in its 20 games this year. OU leads the Big 12 by giving up just 3.1 treys per game (the next lowest figure is 5.4 surrendered per contest by OSU).
Lawrence McKenzie has made at least three 3-pointers in six of the last nine games and at least four treys in five of the last nine. He has made multiple 3-pointers in 14 of his 19 games this year, including 12 of the last 15.
The Sooners have made 70 more 3-pointers than their opponents this season (average of 3.5 a game).
Everett has led the team in assists in 12 of the last 14 games. He is averaging 5.2 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 28 of his last 30 free throw attempts (.933) 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 12 of its 20 games this year. The Sooners shot .408 last year but own a .482 mark this season.
Bookout went 13-for-14 from the field against Colorado Jan. 8 (Big 12's best field goal percentage game this season) and has shot .500 or better in 17 of his 19 games (he leads the Big 12 with a .632 season figure). His 9-for-10 shooting performance against Washington ranks as the league's second best this year in terms of field goal percentage.
Freshman center Longar Longar is 21-for-26 from the field this season (.808). His first six field goals were dunks and he has 12 slams on the year.
OU has won 62 of its last 66 home games (.939).

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 94-41 (.696) regular season Big 12 Conference record.
OU has recorded a 144-20 (.878) record at Lloyd Noble Center and has won 62 of its last 66 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