Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus Wisconsin on October 24, 2025 , Win , 84, to, 83


March 15, 2005 | Men's Basketball
NCAA FIRST & SECOND ROUNDS
Making its 10th NCAA Tournament appearance under 11th-year head coach Kelvin Sampson and 23rd in school history, Oklahoma (24-7 overall, 12-4 Big 12 Conference) enters Thursday's game against Niagara (20-9 overall, 13-5 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) as the Austin Regional's No. 3 seed.
The contest, which will be played at the McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz., will start at 11:45 a.m. CST. The Sooners are ranked 16th in this week's ESPN/USA Today poll and 17th in the AP version. Niagara is the region's No. 14 seed and is unranked.
Should it advance to second-round play, Oklahoma will face the winner of the Utah (No. 6 seed) versus UTEP (No. 11 seed) affair Saturday at either 12:10 or 2:40 p.m. CST. The Utes sport a 27-5 record while the Miners are 27-7. Also in Tucson will be four members of the Albuquerque Regional. They are No. 3 seed Gonzaga, No. 6 seed Texas Tech, No. 11 seed UCLA and No. 14 seed Winthrop.
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All of OU's NCAA Tournament games will air live on the Sooner Basketball Radio Network (flagship KOKC 1520 AM in Oklahoma City) with Bob Barry, Sr. (play-by-play) and Mike Houck (analyst) calling the action. Thursday's and Saturday's games will be televised regionally by CBS (KWTV Channel 9 in OKC). Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) and Dan Bonner (analyst) will announce, while Craig Silver will produce.
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TOP RESERVES (Stats averages)
G 1 Lawrence McKenzie (6-2, 175, So., 9.5 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1.3 apg)
G 2 Jaison Williams (6-3, 181, Sr., 7.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.4 apg)
F 32 Johnnie Gilbert (6-8, 228, Sr., 3.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 0.5 apg)
C 30 Longar Longar (6-11, 215, Fr., 3.2 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 0.4 apg)
OKLAHOMA UPDATE
Big 12 regular season co-champion (with Kansas) and conference tournament No. 1 seed Oklahoma saw its seven-game winning streak snapped by Texas Tech in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals on Saturday, 69-63. The Sooners, who shot .499 from the field, .473 from 3-point range and .745 from the free throw line during their previous seven games, posted respective marks of .379, .364 and .579 against the Red Raiders. OU's field goal performance was its worst in nearly two months. The loss came exactly one week after winning at Texas Tech by 20 points. Texas Tech guards Ronald Ross (28) and Jarrius Jackson (22) combined to score 50 points. Junior guard Terrell Everett registered 15 points, seven boards, four assists and two steals for the Sooners while sophomore backcourt mate Lawrence McKenzie netted 10 points. On the inside, junior forwards Kevin Bookout and Taj Gray combined for 20 points and 19 boards. Gray, who had eight points and a team-high 11 rebounds, was held to 3-for-11 shooting (he entered the game ranked second in the Big 12 in field goal percentage). Oklahoma was attempting to advance to the Big 12 Tournament title game for the fifth time in six years. The Sooners fell to 19-3 when leading at halftime (they were up 29-26) and to 19-4 when outrebounding opponents.
BIG 12 TOURNAMENT LEFTOVERS
No. 1 seed Oklahoma beat No. 8 seed Missouri (83-79) before falling to No. 4 seed Texas Tech (69-63).
The Sooners advanced to the Big 12 Tournament semifinals for the fifth time in the last six years and the seventh time in the event's nine years.
Missouri and Texas Tech combined to go 57-for-69 from the free throw line (.826). Missouri was 33-for-36 (.917) while Texas Tech was 24-for-33 (.727). Oklahoma shot 17 fewer free throws.
Guard Terrell Everett averaged 16.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.0 steals.
Five Sooners averaged double figures in scoring: Everett, Taj Gray (11.5), Kevin Bookout (11.0), Lawrence McKenzie (10.5) and Drew Lavender (10.0).
SOONERS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Oklahoma, which owns a 31-22 NCAA Tournament record, is making its 23rd tourney appearance and is 10-9 under Kelvin Sampson. The Sooners had lost five straight first-round games prior to their Sweet 16 showing in 1999 but are 10-5 over their last five tournaments. The 1939, 1947, 1988 and 2002 squads advanced to the national semifinals with the '47 and '88 teams losing in the championship game. Below is a year-by-year look at OU's NCAA Tournament appearances, seeds and records.
1939 - no seed...1-1
1943 - no seed...1-1
1947 - no seed...3-1
1979 - No. 5...1-1
1983 - No. 7...1-1
1984 - No. 2...0-1
1985 - No. 1...3-1
1986 - No. 4...1-1
1987 - No. 6...2-1
1988 - No. 1...5-1
1989 - No. 1...2-1
1990 - No. 1...1-1
1992 - No. 4...0-1
1995 - No. 4...0-1
1996 - No. 10...0-1
1997 - No. 11...0-1
1998 - No. 10...0-1
1999 - No. 13...2-1
2000 - No. 3...1-1
2001 - No. 4...0-1
2002 - No. 2...4-1
2003 - No. 1...3-1
2005 - No. 3
TUCSON A FAMILIAR PLACE
oklahoma owns a 3-2 record in NCAA Tourney games in Tucson. In 1987, No. 6 seed OU advanced to the Sweet 16 after beating Tulsa (64-59) and Pittsburgh (96-93) at the McKale Center. In 1997, the 11th-seeded Sooners lost to Stanford in the first round (80-67). In 2000 as a No. 3 seed, Oklahoma beat Winthrop (74-50) before falling to Purdue (66-62).
The Sooners have played one regular season game in Tucson. They lost 78-74 to Arizona during the 1989-90 campaign.
MORE NCAA TOURNEY NOTES
This marks Oklahoma's 10th NCAA Tournament appearance in Kelvin Sampson's 11 years as head coach (OU's lone non-appearance was last year when it finished the regular season 19-10). Sampson coached Washington State to an NCAA Tourney berth in 1994 and is making his 11th appearance in the last 12 seasons.
OU is making its second appearance as a No. 3 seed (it went 1-1 as a No. 3 seed in 2000 also in Tucson).
The Sooners have earned no worse than a No. 4 seed in their last five NCAA Tournaments. They were a No. 3 seed in 2000, a No. 4 in 2001, a No. 2 in 2002 and a No. 1 in 2003.
OU is 7-2 over its last two NCAA Tournaments. It advanced to the Final Four in 2002 (lost to Indiana) and to the Elite Eight in 2003 (lost to eventual national champion Syracuse).
Johnnie Gilbert, Kevin Bookout and Jaison Williams are the only Sooners who have participated in NCAA Tournament play. Gilbert played in the 2001 and 2003 events while Bookout played as a freshman in 2003. Williams played in the 2002 NCAA Tournament as a freshman for Xavier. Xavier beat Hawaii in the first round before falling to Oklahoma in the second round. Williams had three points against the Sooners.
NIAGARA SERIES HISTORY
Thursday's game will mark the first ever meeting between Oklahoma and Niagara in men's basketball.
OKLAHOMA VERSUS UTAH AND UTEP
The Sooners won their only game against Utah, a 69-68 contest played Dec. 14, 1979, in the Golden Gate Classic in San Francisco. Aaron Curry led OU with 18 points while Tom Chambers scored 20 for the Utes.
Oklahoma owns a 2-0 series lead against UTEP. The Sooners posted a 76-58 win on Dec. 2, 1959, and followed with a 70-58 victory on Dec. 1, 1960. Both games were played in Norman (UTEP went by the name of Texas Western).
NOTING OU AND THE NCAA TOURNEY FIELD
The Sooners played 12 games this year against eight 2005 NCAA Tournament teams and posted a 7-5 record.
Oklahoma faced No. 1 seeds Duke and Washington during the non-conference season (lost to Washington by five and fell to Duke by 11 after leading by 12 early in the second half). It also beat No. 2 seed Connecticut and No. 8 seed Minnesota in non-conference action.
OU went 5-3 against Big 12 teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament. It was 1-1 against No. 2 seed Oklahoma State, 1-0 against No. 3 seed Kansas, 1-2 versus No. 6 seed Texas Tech and 2-0 against No. 8 seed Texas.
Duke is the only Austin Regional squad that Oklahoma faced during the regular season.
OKLAHOMA THIS CENTURY
Since the start of the 1999-2000 season, OU has amassed a 155-44 record (.779), good for the nation's fifth most wins during the span ...
1. Duke: 177-31 (.851)
2. Kansas: 160-44 (.784)
3. Illinois: 158-42 (.790)
4. Gonzaga: 157-36 (.813)
5. Oklahoma: 155-44 (.779)
6. Arizona: 154-45 (.774)
6. Syracuse: 154-47 (.766)
8. Kentucky: 153-44 (.777)
9. Utah State: 152-40 (.792)
10. Cincinnati: 151-44 (.774)
SOONERS BOAST NATION'S LONGEST POSTSEASON STREAK
Oklahoma has made 24 consecutive postseason appearances (19 NCAA and five NIT), good for the longest 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.
AN NCAA TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND WIN WOULD...
Be Oklahoma's third straight opening-round victory in the Big Dance and would improve OU to 5-5 in the first round under head coach Kelvin Sampson. Sampson would move to 11-9 at OU in the NCAA Tournament.
Improve OU's NCAA Tournament record to 8-2 since the start of the 2002 event.
Be Oklahoma's eighth win in its last nine games this season.
Up OU's all-time record in the McKale Center to 4-3 and its NCAA Tournament mark inside the building to 4-2.
AN NCAA TOURNAMENT SECOND ROUND WIN WOULD...
Advance the Sooners to the Sweet 16 for the third time in their last three NCAA Tournaments. It would mark the program's fourth Sweet 16 appearance under Kelvin Sampson.
Mark the ninth time that Oklahoma has won at least two games in an NCAA Tournament.
SOONERS 7-1 IN LAST EIGHT GAMES
Kelvin Sampson's Sooners fell in overtime Feb. 12 at Missouri but didn't lose again until March 12 in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals to Texas Tech. OU reeled off seven consecutive wins during the stretch. Following are notes from Oklahoma's last eight games...
Over its previous eight contests, Oklahoma is shooting .455 from 3-point range and .728 from the free throw line. Prior to the stretch, its respective season figures were .361 and .667.
Oklahoma's guards have excelled during the team's last eight games, accounting for 64 percent of the squad's points. Over the team's first 23 contests, the guards produced 55 percent of its points.
Junior guard Terrell Everett has been a statistical wonder over the last eight outings, averaging 15.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.8 steals. He is shooting .526 from the field, .500 (10-for-20) from 3-point range and .838 (31-for-37) from the free throw line during the stretch. Everett has scored 37 more points than any of his teammates during the span.
OU's bench has produced 215 points over the last eight games (an average of 26.9 points) while opponent reserves have combined for 72 points (an average of 9.0).
Freshman David Godbold has started each of the last eight contests after not starting the previous 18. He is averaging 7.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists in those eight games.
Jaison Williams (.571) and Everett (.500) are shooting a combined .537 from 3-point range (22-for-41) over the last eight games. Williams is 12-for-21 during the stretch.
Senior Johnnie Gilbert has provided a big boost off the bench over the last eight outings. The senior forward is averaging 6.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists while shooting .513 from the field. Those numbers compare favorably to his season averages of 3.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 0.5 assists.
The Sooners have outrebounded their last eight foes by an average of 35.4 to 29.5 (+5.9).
EIGHT STRAIGHT 20-WIN SEASONS
With the victory over Kansas on Feb. 21, 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).
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 100 following a 74-54 triumph at Texas Tech in the regular season finale. Sampson is 100-44 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 117-50) and holds the mark for most overall wins by a conference coach since the Big 12 was formed (he is 218-77).
SOONERS HAVE WON 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 100-44 regular season league record for a .694 winning percentage. Only Kansas (118-26; .819) owns a better mark than Oklahoma. Texas ranks third at 98-46 (.681), while Oklahoma State ranks fourth at 95-49 (.660) and Missouri fifth at 77-67 (.535). Including Big 12 Tournament games, OU owns a 117-50 record (.701), second best in the conference behind Kansas (134-31; .812). The Sooners are 17-6 in the Big 12 Tournament and have won three of the last five titles.
TALK ABOUT IMPROVEMENT
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 31 games. Oklahoma turned in a school-record .661 field goal performance against Baylor Feb. 26 and is now shooting .483 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.
SOONERS ON POSITIVE END OF 3-POINT DISPARITY
Oklahoma has made 209 3-pointers this season (an average of 6.7 a game) and is shooting .384 from beyond the arc. Opponents, by comparison, have canned just 114 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 71 3-pointers (2.4 a game) and ranks second in the Big 12 Conference with his .441 season percentage. Jaison Williams, Drew Lavender and Terrell Everett have made 49, 44 and 25 treys this year, respectively.
EVERETT A JACK OF ALL TRADES
Labeled recently by head coach Kelvin Sampson as OU's most valuable player this year, junior college transfer Terrell Everett has been steady at the wing and point guard spots all season. The 6-4, 185-pound lefty has started 30 of 31 games (he came off bench on Senior Day) and is averaging 12.6 points (ranks second on team), 4.7 rebounds (ranks third) and a team-high 5.1 assists a game. He turned in an 18-point, seven-assist effort against Missouri in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals and finished the regular season with a 14-point, 10-rebound, eight-assist and two-steal game at Texas Tech. Everett has led OU (or tied for the team lead) in assists in 20 of the last 25 games and ranked second in the Big 12 (league games) with 5.4 assists a game. Everett has scored in double figures a team-high 26 times this year (including the last 12 contests) and has scored at least 14 points in six of the last eight outings. He is shooting .803 from the foul line on the year (he shot .864 in Big 12 play) and had a string of 21 straight makes snapped Feb. 21 against Kansas.
BOOKOUT, GRAY RANK 1-2 IN BIG 12 IN FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE
Field goal attempts by junior forwards Kevin Bookout and Taj Gray find the bottom of the net more often than they don't. Oklahoma's leader in field goal percentage his first two seasons, Bookout is shooting a stout .598 from the field this season to lead the Big 12. Newcomer Gray, meanwhile, ranks second in the league with his .564 season mark. The 6-8, 259-pound Bookout has shot .500 or better in 24 of his 30 games this year. Gray, who was 6-for-8 against Missouri last Friday in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals, is shooting .583 over the last 15 games (81-for-139).
LONG DISTANCE DIALER
Sophomore guard Lawrence McKenzie, who ranks second in the Big 12 in 3-point percentage (.441), has made at least two treys in 22 of his 30 games and at least three in 15 contests. The Minneapolis, Minn., native has drained 71 treys on the year (26 more than he made last season) and ranks fifth in the league in 3-pointers made per game (2.4). Last year, McKenzie shot .321 from beyond the arc.
GRAY COOLS AS SOONERS HEAT UP
After a statistically torrid stretch from late January to mid February, Big 12 Newcomer of the Year Taj Gray has cooled somewhat. 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, however. In eight games since seven of them wins he is averaging 10.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 0.9 blocks. 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, fourth 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).
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 1,339 of the squad's 2,338 points, or 57 percent this season. Junior forwards Taj Gray (14.5 ppg) and Kevin Bookout (11.7 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 1.9 blocks an outing to lead the Big 12 (he averaged a Big 12-high 2.2 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 4.2 blocks a contest as a team to rank third in the league. Senior Johnnie Gilbert has 19 blocks on the year while freshman Longar Longar has 17 and Kevin Bookout 13. Gilbert ranks fourth on OU's career list with 130 rejections.
WHY DON'T WE STEAL AWAY
Oklahoma recorded a season-high 17 steals against Nebraska on Feb. 16, logged 14 on Feb. 26 against Baylor, had 13 more Feb. 28 at Texas and added nine in the regular season finale at Texas Tech. OU now ranks second in the Big 12 with its 8.8 steals a game. The 17 thefts versus the Huskers were the most by the Sooners 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 19 of the last 26 outings.
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 27 of 31 games.
PREACHING PROTECTION
Dating back to the start of the 2003-04 season, Oklahoma has committed more turnovers than its foe just 15 times in its last 61 games. OU is 19-1 this year when committing fewer (or the same number of) turnovers than its opponent.
SAMPSON RECIPIENT OF USA BASKETBALL TROPHY
Kelvin Sampson was presented with a trophy prior to the Jan. 10 Connecticut game for being named the USA Basketball 2004 Developmental Coach of the Year, an honor announced on Dec. 16 for guiding the USA World Championship for Young Men Qualifying Team to a 5-0 record and a gold medal last summer in Halifax, Nova Scotia. As recipient of the award, which was determined by the USA Basketball Executive Committee, Sampson has been nominated by USA Basketball for the U.S. Olympic Committee's Developmental Coach of the Year award, which will be announced by the USOC at a later date. Said Sampson, “It's wonderful to receive this honor, but the real honor is just to be asked to represent your country. The fact that they asked me to be the head coach of that team I was raised to say yes' to that.” Players on Sampson's USA squad included Chris Paul and Justin Gray (Wake Forest), Hassan Adams and Mustafa Shakur (Arizona), Sean May (North Carolina), P.J. Tucker (Texas), Charlie Villanueva (Connecticut), Curtis Withers (Charlotte) and Bracey Wright (Indiana).
OKLAHOMA TIP INS
Oklahoma became the first school to win a Big 12 football championship and a regular season men's basketball title in the same academic year. Counting Big 12 Tournament titles, OU's football and men's basketball teams have earned league crowns in the same year three times (also in 2001 and 2002). No other Big 12 school has claimed a football league title the same year as a men's basketball regular season or tournament championship.
Over the last four games, Terrell Everett is averaging 14.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.5 steals.
Kevin Bookout was named a first-team Academic All-Big 12 selection on March 2.
Kelvin Sampson is one of 20 finalists for the Naismith national coach of the year award.
OU's win against No. 8 Kansas Feb. 21 was its fourth against a top-15 team this year. It also beat Connecticut (then No. 12), Texas (No. 15) and Oklahoma State (No. 9). The Sooners are 4-3 against top-25 teams.
OU's bench outscored opponents' reserves in 13 of 16 league games and has done it in 23 of 31 games overall.
OU's starting frontcourt of Taj Gray (.599) and Bookout (.594) shot a combined .597 from the field in Big 12 play. They rank first and second, respectively, in the league in field goal percentage.
Three Sooners were honored with weekly awards a total of nine times by the Big 12 Conference this season. Bookout was named Big 12 Player of the Week twice. Gray earned Big 12 Rookie-of-the-Week honors four times (the record is five) while Terrell Everett garnered the rookie honor three times (including last week).
Oklahoma has outrebounded its opponent in 23 of 31 games this year and is 19-4 in those contests.
Only Baylor, Oklahoma State (twice) and Nebraska have made more 3-pointers than Oklahoma in head-to-head competition this year (31 games). OU leads the Big 12 by giving up just 3.7 treys per outing.
The Sooners have made 95 more 3-pointers than their opponents this season.
Everett has led the team in assists in 20 of the last 25 games. He is averaging 5.1 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 29-for-36 from the field this season (.806). His first six field goals were dunks and he has 16 slams on the year.
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 (including this year).
OU has won three of the past five Big 12 Tournaments and has made five championship game appearances in the last eight events.