Men's Basketball Season Review

OKLAHOMA SHARES BIG 12 TITLE
An Oklahoma team that was picked to finish fourth in the Big 12 Conference by league coaches and media churned out a 25-8 overall record and won the program's first regular season conference title since 1989 with a 12-4 mark. It was the eighth straight 20-win season for the Sooners, who earned No. 1 Big 12 Tournament and No. 3 NCAA Tournament seeds. Following is a list of team notes and accomplishments from the 2004-05 campaign.

Oklahoma finished with a 25-8 overall record, giving it an eighth consecutive 20-win season and ninth overall in Kelvin Sampson's 11 seasons as head coach.
The Sooners tied Kansas for first place in the Big 12 Conference, giving them their first regular season league crown in 16 years (they won the Big Eight in 1989).
By virtue of its victory over Kansas on Feb. 21, OU won the regular season tie-breaker with the Jayhawks and was the No. 1 seed in the Big 12 Tournament for the first time in the conference's nine years.
Oklahoma earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA Tourney showing was OU's fifth this century and the Sooners have been seeded no lower than fourth in any of the five events.
OU ran its string of postseason appearances to 24 years (19 NCAAs and five NITs). It is the longest current streak by a Division I program.
Oklahoma participated in the NCAA Tournament for the 10th time in Sampson's 11 seasons. The No. 3 seed Sooners beat Niagara before losing to Utah.
The Sooners, unranked to start the season, climbed as high as No. 13 in the AP poll. They finished No. 17 in the AP poll and No. 20 in the ESPN/USA Today version.
Oklahoma set a single-game school record for field goal percentage by shooting .661 against Baylor in the final home game of the year.
The Sooners set a single-season school record for 3-point field goal percentage defense (the 3-point rule was instituted before the 1986-87 campaign). Opponents shot just .292 from beyond the arc on the year.
In Big 12 games, Taj Gray (.599) and Kevin Bookout (.594) paced the league in field goal percentage.
In conference play, OU ranked first in scoring margin (+9.3), scoring defense (64.0), 3-point field goal percentage defense (.309) and rebounding margin (+4.7). It ranked second in field goal percentage (.486), assists (15.9), blocked shots (4.2), steals (8.4) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.2).

Season Stats | Season Review (PDF) | Photo Review

SOONERS BOAST 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.

NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTES
The Sooners participated in the Austin Regional as the No. 3 seed. They beat No. 14 seed Niagara, 84-67, before falling to No. 6 seed Utah, 67-58. Both games were played in Tucson, Ariz.
The first-round game marked the first NCAA Tournament competition for seven of the 10 Sooners who played. Johnnie Gilbert and Kevin Bookout had each seen NCAA Tourney action at OU while Jaison Williams played in the 2002 event as a freshman at Xavier.
A season-high six Sooners scored in double figures while three players (also a season high) reached double digits in rebounding. Taj Gray and Kevin Bookout each posted double-doubles.
Niagara started 4-for-6 from beyond the 3-point arc before going 2-for-22 the rest of the game.
OU held Niagara senior forward Juan Mendez without a second-half field goal until the 1:14 mark. He missed his first 11 field goal attempts after halftime. Mendez finished the season as the nation's No. 3 scorer (23.5 ppg).
Oklahoma's 48 rebounds against Niagara were its second most in an NCAA Tournament game (it had 62 vs. Louisiana Tech in 1989).
Niagara's 28 3-point attempts were the most ever by an Oklahoma opponent in NCAA Tournament play.
Against Utah, OU shot just .318 from the field (its second worst effort of the year) and a season-low .105 (2-for-19) from 3-point range. The Utes shot .595 from the floor and .625 (5-for-8) from beyond the arc.
Taj Gray led the Sooners with 19 points and a career-high 15 rebounds in the loss to Utah. He averaged 16.0 points and 14.0 boards over OU's two games.

BIG 12 TOURNAMENT NOTES
No. 1 seed Oklahoma beat No. 8 seed Missouri (83-79) before falling to No. 4 seed Texas Tech (69-63) in the final Big 12 Tournament played at Kemper Arena in Kansas City.
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 CLAIM FIRST REGULAR SEASON LEAGUE TITLE IN 16 YEARS
Oklahoma, which claimed Big 12 Tournaments titles in 2001, 2002 and 2003, earned its first regular season league crown since 1989 when it won the Big Eight championship. The Sooners posted a 12-4 Big 12 record and tied for first with Kansas. Since OU beat Kansas in their only head-to-head meeting (71-63 on Feb. 21), the Sooners were the No. 1 seed in the league tournament. The regular season league title was OU's 13th in school history and fifth since 1984.

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).

SOONERS THIS CENTURY
Since the start of the 1999-2000 season, OU has amassed a 156-45 record (.776), good for the nation's sixth most wins during the span ...

1. Duke -- 179-32 (.848)
2. Illinois -- 163-43 (.791)
3. Kansas -- 160-45 (.780)
4. Gonzaga -- 159-37 (.811)
5. Arizona -- 157-46 (.773)
6. Oklahoma -- 156-45 (.776)
6. Kentucky -- 156-45 (.776)
8. Syracuse -- 154-48 (.762)
9. Utah State -- 152-41 (.788)
9. Cincinnati -- 152-45 (.772)

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).

OU STRONG DOWN THE STRETCH
The Sooners won their final six regular season games to earn a share of the Big 12 title and were victorious in eight of their final 10 games overall. Following are notes on OU's last 10 games of the year:

Junior guard Terrell Everett was a statistical wonder over the last 10 outings, averaging 14.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.7 steals. He shot .417 (10-for-24) from 3-point range and .822 (37-for-45) from the free throw line during the stretch. Everett scored 27 more points than any of his teammates during the span.
OU's bench produced 255 points over the last 10 games (an average of 25.5) while opponent reserves combined for 79 points (an average of 7.9).
Freshman David Godbold started each of the last 10 contests after not starting the previous 18. He averaged 7.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists in those 10 games.
Senior Johnnie Gilbert provided a big boost off the bench over the last 10 outings. The senior forward averaged 7.1 points, 5. 7 rebounds and 1.1 assists while shooting .529 from the field. Those numbers compared favorably to his season averages of 3.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 0.5 assists.
The Sooners outrebounded their last 10 foes by an average of 5.2 boards per game (36.4 to 31.2).

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. Since Big 12 play began, 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.

GRAY EARNS FIRST-TEAM ALL-BIG 12 HONOR, NAMED NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Junior forward Taj Gray was a first-team All-Big 12 selection by league coaches and was named the conference's newcomer of the year by both coaches and media. Gray ranked 13th in the league in scoring (14.6), fourth in rebounding (8.2), first in offensive rebounding (3.6), first in field goal percentage (.557), and second in blocked shots (1.8). He also ranked second in the Big 12 in double-doubles with 12 (the most in a season during the Kelvin Sampson era is 14 by Eduardo Najera during the 1999-2000 campaign). Gray was named Big 12 Rookie of the Week four times (the record is five by former Texas A&M guard Clifton Cook in 1998-99). He also became the third Sooner named Big 12 Newcomer of the Year (Corey Brewer and Ebi Ere earned the honor in 1997 and 2002, respectively).

BOOKOUT, GRAY LED BIG 12 IN FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE
Field goal attempts by junior forwards Taj Gray and Kevin Bookout found the bottom of the net more often than they didn't and the pair finished first and second in Big 12 games in field goal percentage. Gray shot .599 in league outings while Bookout posted a .594 mark. Oklahoma's leader in field goal percentage his first two seasons, Bookout shot .592 overall this year a figure that would have led the Big 12 (all games) if he made enough field goals to qualify in the category (he finished two shy of the minimum). The 6-8, 259-pound Bookout shot .500 or better in 25 of his 32 games this year. Gray, meanwhile, paced the league with his .557 overall season mark.

EVERETT A JACK OF ALL TRADES
Labeled by head coach Kelvin Sampson as OU's most valuable player on the year, junior college transfer Terrell Everett was steady at both the wing and point guard spots. The 6-4, 185-pound lefty started 32 of 33 games (he came off bench on Senior Day) and averaged 12.5 points (ranked second on team), 4.8 rebounds (ranked third) and a team-high 5.0 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 led OU (or tied for the team lead) in assists in 22 of the last 27 games and ranked second in the Big 12 (league games) with 5.4 assists a game. Everett scored in double figures a team-high 27 times (including 13 of the final 14 contests). He shot .800 from the foul line on the year (he shot .864 in Big 12 play) and assembled a string of 21 straight makes in February.

LONG DISTANCE DIALER
Sophomore guard Lawrence McKenzie, who ranked second in the Big 12 in 3-point percentage (.435), made at least two treys in 23 of his 32 games and at least three in 15 contests. The Minneapolis, Minn., native drained 74 treys on the year (29 more than he made as a freshman) and ranked fifth in the league in 3-pointers made per game (2.3). In 2003-04, McKenzie shot .321 from beyond the arc.

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. In 2004-05, the Sooners shot .500 or better from the field in 16 of their 33 games. Oklahoma turned in a school-record .661 field goal performance against Baylor Feb. 26 and finished with a .482 season mark to rank fourth in the Big 12. OU turned in its best season field goal performance since the 1988-89 team finished with a .491 figure.

SOONERS ON POSITIVE END OF 3-POINT DISPARITY
Oklahoma made 214 3-pointers on the season (an average of 6.5 a game) and shot .381 from beyond the arc. Opponents, by comparison, canned just 125 treys (3.8 a game) and shot .292 from long range. Only six opponents (Baylor, Oklahoma State twice, Nebraska, Niagara and Utah) made more treys than OU in a game this year. Lawrence McKenzie made 74 3-pointers (2.3 a game) and ranked second in the Big 12 Conference with his .435 season percentage. Jaison Williams, Drew Lavender and Terrell Everett made 49, 45 and 25 treys this year, respectively.

SCORING MORE BALANCED IN 2004-05
Oklahoma's guards accounted for 68 percent of the team's points in 2003-04. That figure was down this year, however, as the Sooners showcased a potent inside attack. OU's guards scored 1,414 of the squad's 2,480 points, or 57 percent this season. Junior forwards Taj Gray (14.6 ppg) and Kevin Bookout (11.5 ppg) were the main reasons OU's frontcourt production increased from 32 percent of the team's points last year to 43 percent this year.

NOT AFRAID OF REJECTION
Junior forward Taj Gray (6-9) was intimidating in the paint with his shot-blocking ability. Gray registered 10 games of three-or-more rejections and averaged a Big 12-high 2.2 blocks per conference game. The Sooners averaged 4.1 blocks a contest as a team (all games) to rank third in the league. Senior Johnnie Gilbert had 21 blocks on the year while freshman Longar Longar had 17 and Kevin Bookout 15. Gilbert finished fourth on OU's career list with 132 rejections.

TIGHTENING DEFENSIVE PERIMETER SCREWS
OU's guards did an admirable job of defending the 3-point line this season as the team led the Big 12 in 3-point field goal percentage defense with a school record .292 mark. Only six opponents (Baylor twice, Oklahoma State twice, Nebraska and Niagara) made more than five 3-pointers against OU on the year. Conversely, the Sooners made at least five treys in 27 of 33 games.

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.

BENCH PRODUCTION
The Sooners' bench was productive in 2004-05, accounting for 25.4 percent of the team's points. Opponent reserve players, meanwhile, scored 18.2 percent of their teams' points. OU's bench outscored opponent reserves in 25 of 33 games, including the final 13 of the year. The Sooners' bench netted 631 points on the season while opponent reserves tallied 379.

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 124-13 (.905) when reaching 80 points. The Sooners have won 41 of their last 44 and 57 of their last 61 when scoring 80 or more.

PREACHING PROTECTION
Dating back to the start of the 2003-04 season, Oklahoma has committed more turnovers than its opponent just 15 times in 64 games. It finished 20-2 this year when committing fewer (or the same number of) turnovers than its foe.

SUCCESS VERSUS STATE OF TEXAS
Oklahoma owns an impressive 86-17 (.835) record against teams from the state of Texas under Kelvin Sampson. Against Big 12 foes Baylor (20-0), Texas (17-8), Texas A&M (18-1) and Texas Tech (13-8), OU is 68-17 (.800) under Sampson. The Sooners were 8-2 against Texas schools this year with the lone losses coming to Texas Tech (at home and in Big 12 Tournament).

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.
Kevin Bookout was named a first-team Academic All-Big 12 selection on March 2.
Kelvin Sampson was 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 on the year. It also beat Connecticut (then No. 12), Texas (No. 15) and Oklahoma State (No. 9). The Sooners finished 4-4 against top-25 teams.
OU's starting frontcourt of Taj Gray (.599) and Bookout (.594) shot a combined .597 from the field in Big 12 play. They ranked first and second, respectively, in the league in field goal percentage.
Bookout's 13-for-14 field goal effort against Colorado on Jan. 8 was the fifth-best national effort of the year.
Oklahoma outrebounded its opponent in 24 of 33 games on the year and was 20-4 in those contests.
Only Baylor, Oklahoma State (twice), Nebraska, Niagara and Utah made more 3-pointers than Oklahoma in head-to-head competition this year (33 games). OU led the Big 12 by giving up just 3.8 treys per outing.
The Sooners made 89 more 3-pointers than their opponents this season.
Terrell Everett led the team in assists in 22 of the last 27 games. He averaged 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 was 29-for-36 from the field this season (.806). His first six field goals were dunks and he had 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.

OU BY THE NUMBERS
.776 -- Combined winning percentage posted by the Sooners the last six years, seventh best in NCAA Division I.
2 -- Number of times Kelvin Sampson has been named national coach of the year (1995 and 2002).
3 -- Big 12 Tournament titles won by Oklahoma over the last five years.
5 -- Number of Big 12 Tournament championship game appearances for OU in the last eight years.
10 -- NCAA Tournament appearances by the Sooners in Kelvin Sampson's 11 years.
24 -- Consecutive postseason appearances by Oklahoma (19 NCAA and five NIT). It is the longest Division I streak in the nation.
25 -- The average number of wins recorded by Oklahoma over the past eight seasons.
26 -- OU's average number of victories over the past six seasons.
65 -- Number of times Oklahoma has won in its last 70 home games.
1981 -- The last year Oklahoma did not participate in postseason play.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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