Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus Auburn on February 24, 2026 , Win , 91, to, 79
Final
Men's Basketball
91
vs Auburn
79
University of Oklahoma Athletics
Tulsa Visits OU Wednesday at 7
December 04, 2007 | Men's Basketball
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GAME PREVIEW
Following a two-game road trip, Oklahoma (6-2) plays its fifth home game of the season when it hosts Tulsa (2-3) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. CST at Lloyd Noble Center. The Sooners are 4-0 at home this year with an average victory margin of 29.5 points against San Francisco, Denver, Alcorn State and Morehead State. Tulsa is 0-2 in road games with a 14-point loss at Oral Roberts and an 11-point defeat at Arkansas-Little Rock.
Wednesday's game will air on the Sooner Radio Network (KRXO-FM 107.7 in Oklahoma City; KTBZ-AM 1430 in Tulsa; Sirius channel 153) with Bob Barry Sr. and Mike Houck announcing. The game will be televised by the Sooner Sports Network (KAUT channel 43/Cox 16 in OKC; KOTV Channel 6/Cox 6 in Tulsa; ESPN Full Court) with Bob Carpenter and Charlie Spoonhour announcing. An Internet webcast will be available on SoonerSports.com (an "All-Access" subscription is required).
TICKET INFORMATION
• Tickets for Wednesday's game are available for $10 and $20. The $10 seats are located in the upper north and south sections of Lloyd Noble Center. The $20 seats are located in the upper east and west, and lower north and south sections.
• Family packs are available for Wednesday's game. For $10, fans get a game ticket, a hot dog, a soft drink and a coupon for a free T-shirt (a minimum purchase of four tickets is required).
• Tickets for OU students are $5 at the door (west entrance).
• Tickets may be purchased online at SoonerSports.com or at the OU Athletics Ticket Office (800-456-4668). Lloyd Noble Center ticket windows will open Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
"NOTE" WORTHY
• Oklahoma owns a 26-11 series advantage against Tulsa (9-4 in Norman).
• The Sooners' 90 points at TCU on Sunday were their most in a non-overtime true road game since Feb. 17, 1996 (119 at Colorado).
• OU's top five scorers (Blake Griffin, Tony Crocker, Longar Longar, Omar Leary and Austin Johnson) are all shooting over .500 from the field. They own a combined .536 field goal mark on the year.
• Oklahoma held opponents to 59.6 points a game last year, the lowest figure since the 1977-78 season (a span of 29 years). Through eight games this year, OU is surrendering 57.0 points a contest (ranks 22nd nationally) and is allowing opponents to shoot just .358 from the field (ranks 12th nationally).
• The Sooners have used six different starting lineups in their eight games.
• Crocker ranks second in the Big 12 with his .548 3-point shooting (17-for-31). He has made at least four treys in a game three times (he is 14-for-18 in those contests).
• Leary has made at least one 3-pointer in each outing and is 11-for-26 (.423) from behind the arc on the year.
• Johnson averaged 13.0 points and 5.0 boards while canning six 3-pointers in OU's two road games last week.
• Crocker averages a team-high 27.6 minutes per game. No other Big 12 team leader in minutes averages a figure that low.
• In four home games, Oklahoma is averaging 81.0 points and shooting .530 from the field and .413 from 3-point distance. It is holding foes to 51.5 points a contest and .356 field goal and .215 3-point marks.
• Freshman Blake Griffin is averaging 16.3 points and 9.8 rebounds in 25.5 minutes per outing at Lloyd Noble Center this year. Projected to 40 minutes, those averages balloon to 25.5 points and 15.3 rebounds. Griffin is shooting .667 from the field at home.
• Griffin has shot .500 or better from the field in seven of the team's eight games.
• Sophomore Keith Clark averaged 15.7 minutes per outing heading into last Thursday's USC game. He played 23 minutes against the Trojans and 22 more at TCU.
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OKLAHOMA UPDATE
After shooting just .356 from the field in a 66-55 loss at No. 22 USC last Thursday, Jeff Capel's Oklahoma squad rebounded to put together its most complete game of the season in a 90-66 win at TCU on Sunday. The Sooners, who led 90-53 before the Horned Frogs scored the game's final 13 points over the last 2:22 against OU's reserves, shot .545 from the field and .522 from 3-point range (12-for-23) in Fort Worth. It marked their most points in a non-overtime true road game in more than a decade.
Tony Crocker had the game's MVP award sewn up by halftime thanks to 7-for-8 field goal and 6-for-7 3-point shooting in the first 20 minutes. The sophomore guard, whose career scoring high entering the night was 19 points, had 20 by intermission and finished with 24 points and a career-high-tying nine rebounds. Crocker is averaging 11.9 points, 4.5 rebounds and a team-high 2.8 assists per contest while shooting .542 from the field and .548 from 3-point range (ranks second in the Big 12). At Lloyd Noble Center, he is averaging 13.0 points over four outings and is shooting .692 from the floor and .643 from long distance.
Freshman forward Blake Griffin bounced back from a season-low four-point game at USC with a 15-point effort at TCU that included four two-hand power dunks. He was 7-for-12 from the field and added three rebounds, three assists and two steals. Griffin leads the team in scoring (13.6 ppg), rebounding (8.4 rpg), steals (1.5 spg) and field goal percentage (.577). He also ranks second in the Big 12 with three double-doubles. Griffin's starting frontcourt mate Longar Longar played only 16 minutes at TCU but still logged nine points and a game-high 10 rebounds (five offensive). The senior center is averaging 10.5 points a game to rank third on the squad and 7.1 boards to rank second. A career .573 shooter from the field, Longar owns a .508 mark this year.
OU's chief ball-handlers, guards Omar Leary and Austin Johnson have improved their play of late. Leary has started the last six games and is averaging 8.1 points and 2.3 assists in 21.9 minutes a contest on the year. He had 10 assists on the season entering the game at TCU and then promptly handed out eight of them against the Horned Frogs. Leary has made at least one 3-pointer in every game and is shooting .522 overall and .423 from behind the arc. Johnson averaged 13.0 points, 5.0 boards and 3.5 assists while going 10-for-15 from the field and 6-for-9 from 3-point range against USC and TCU. The performances upped his season averages to 7.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists, and increased his field goal percentage to .511 and his 3-point percentage to .417. Johnson also boasts a 3.0 assist-to-turnover ratio.
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TCU LEFTOVERS
• Oklahoma held Brent Hackett, TCU's leading scorer entering the game (13.6 ppg), to three points. He was 0-for-8 from the field.
• Tony Crocker, who made his first four 3-point attempts and was 6-for-7 at halftime, did not attempt a second-half trey.
• OU committed more turnovers (17) than its opponent (11) for the first time this season.
• The Sooners shot .545 from the field, marking their fourth effort above .500 in eight games this year.
• Oklahoma's 12 3-point makes (on 23 attempts) were its second most of the year (it was 13-for-23 against Denver).
• Omar Leary's eight assists in the contest were two less than he had on the entire season entering the night.
• Taylor Griffin blocked a career-high four shots in 19 minutes.
• OU posted a 50-33 rebounding advantage for its largest margin of the year. The 50 boards were also a season high. The team improved to 6-0 this year when outrebounding its opponent.
• The Sooners racked up a season-high 24 assists on 36 field goals.
PREVIEWING TULSA
Tulsa, which returns four starters from last year's 20-11 squad, brings a 2-3 record to Norman and is 0-2 in road games. A 62-51 loser at Arkansas-Little Rock on Saturday, the Golden Hurricane also fell to cross-town rival Oral Roberts in its previous game, 84-70. Tulsa has struggled with turnovers this year, averaging 18.8 per contest (opponents are averaging 13.8). TU is shooting .426 from the field, .340 from the 3-point line and a sparkling .778 from the free throw line.
Sophomore guard Ben Uzoh, a 2007 Conference USA All-Freshman Team choice, leads the team with his 16.0 points a game and ranks second by averaging 7.0 rebounds. Uzoh is shooting .511 from the floor and has made a living at the foul line by going 26-for-31 (.839). He recorded a double-double in TU's most recent game with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Glenn Andrews, a freshman guard, has started three of the team's five games and is averaging 10.0 points and 2.0 assists while shooting .500 from the floor and .412 from 3-point range (7-for-17). Sophomore center Jerome Jordan supplies 8.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and a team-high 3.0 blocked shots per outing, and is shooting a team-high .625 from the field. Calvin Walls is averaging 6.8 points a game and a team-high 7.2 rebounds. Senior guards Rod Earls and Brett McDade, who averaged 11.2 and 6.8 points per contest last year, respectively, are averaging 6.2 and 6.0 this season. Earls is shooting .308 from the field and .318 from 3-point territory while McDade is shooting .308 overall and .385 from long range.
Doug Wojcik is in his third season as a collegiate head coach, all at Tulsa. He owns a 33-31 (.516) record. He served as an assistant coach at Navy, Notre Dame, North Carolina and Michigan State before taking the Tulsa job.
SERIES WITH THE GOLDEN HURRICANE
Oklahoma owns a 26-11 series lead against Tulsa and is 9-4 versus the Golden Hurricane in Norman (just 2-3 at Lloyd Noble Center). OU head coach Jeff Capel is 1-0 against TU.
The Sooners have won in each of the last four seasons against Tulsa. Last year, Oklahoma posted a 58-48 win in the All-College Classic in a defensive battle (recap below and box score on page six of these game notes). Two years ago, OU won 62-53 at Tulsa as Terrell Everett netted a career-high 26 points. In 2004-05, Oklahoma held on for a 70-64 win in another All-College Classic meeting as Jaison Williams made five 3-pointers and finished with a career-high 21 points. In the third game of the 2003-04 campaign, OU notched an 81-73 triumph as Williams (16 points) paced five Sooners in double figures.
LAST YEAR VS. TULSA
The Sooners beat Tulsa 58-48 last year in the All-College Classic in Oklahoma City on Dec. 21. OU turned in one of its best defensive performances of the season as it held the Golden Hurricane to .280 field goal shooting, TU's second lowest mark under head coach Doug Wojcik. Jeff Capel's team also forced 19 turnovers and blocked a season-high 10 shots (three each by Taylor Griffin, Austin Johnson and Longar Longar). Oklahoma led 28-22 at halftime and never trailed in the second half. Johnson and Michael Neal paced the Sooners with 11 points each while Tony Crocker added 10 points and Longar nine. Griffin pulled down a game-high eight rebounds. Rod Earls was the only Tulsa player to reach double figures in scoring. The guard was 5-for-8 from 3-point range and finished with a game-high 16 points.
OU-TULSA CONNECTIONS
• OU sophomore guard Tony Crocker and Tulsa sophomore guard Ben Uzoh were teammates at San Antonio's Warren High School.
• Tulsa head coach Doug Wojcik was a North Carolina assistant coach for three seasons (2000-01 through 2002-03 under Matt Doherty). OU head coach Jeff Capel's brother, Jason, was a forward for the Tar Heels for the first two of those three seasons.
• Wojcik was born April 12, 1964, in Wheeling, W. Va., while Oklahoma assistant coach Mark Cline was born June 9, 1964, in Williamson, W. Va.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Last year, Oklahoma's strength under first-year head coach Jeff Capel was its defense. The Sooners held opponents to 59.6 points a game (the lowest average in 29 years) and to .406 field goal shooting (the second lowest figure over the past 46 seasons). Through eight games in 2007-08, OU's defense has been just as good, if not better...
• OU is surrendering just 57.0 points per game (ranks third in the Big 12) and allowing opponents to shoot .358 from the field (ranks first) and .290 from 3-point land (ranks second).
• No opponent has scored more than 66 points this season and five of OU's eight foes have been held under 60 points.
• Third-ranked Memphis, which averaged 78.9 points last year and is averaging 85.7 points this season, was held to 63 points Nov. 15 at Madison Square Garden.
• Through eight games, Oklahoma has forced seven of its opponents into at least as many turnovers as it has committed. Foes are averaging 16.4 turnovers per contest (OU is averaging 14.5).
• All eight opponents have shot under .460 from the field and six have finished with a mark less than .400. Gardner-Webb, which won at Kentucky by 16 points when it shot .531 from the field, was held to a .279 performance against OU in New York.
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HOT HANDS
With the exception of the Memphis and USC games when they combined for a .362 field goal mark, the Sooners have displayed excellent shooting this year. On the season, Oklahoma sports a .478 mark from the field and a .383 figure from 3-point range (last year OU shot .435 and .326, respectively). OU's top five scorers are all shooting at least .508 from the floor. Forward Blake Griffin owns a team-high .577 field goal mark and is followed by guard Tony Crocker (.542), guard Omar Leary (.522), guard Austin Johnson (.511) and center Longar Longar (.508). Combined, the five players own a .536 field goal mark.
The starting guard trio of Crocker, Johnson and Leary has combined to shoot .469 from 3-point range. Crocker is shooting .548 from behind the arc (17-for-31) to rank second in the Big 12, Leary is shooting .423 (11-for-26) and Johnson is shooting .417 (10-for-24). Taylor Griffin owns a .444 mark from long range but has attempted considerably fewer shots (he is 4-for-9). Seven Sooners have made at least four treys each through eight games.
FOR STARTERS
Head coach Jeff Capel has used six different starting lineups through eight games. Nine different Sooners have started this season, with only Blake Griffin getting the nod in all eight outings. The two lineups that have been used twice each are Tony Crocker, Cade Davis, Blake Griffin, Taylor Griffin and Austin Johnson (versus San Francisco and Denver) and Crocker, Blake Griffin, Johnson, Omar Leary and Longar Longar (against Morehead State and TCU).
JOHNSON LEARNING TO LIKE THE ROAD
In his first two years as a Sooner, guard Austin Johnson averaged 3.3 points in the team's 19 true road games while going 22-for-80 from the field (.275) and 10-for-47 from 3-point distance (.213). In OU's two road games this year (both played last week), Johnson averaged 13.0 points after going 10-for-15 from the floor (.667) and 6-for-9 from beyond the arc (.667) against USC and TCU. He also averaged 5.0 rebounds (he had a career-high eight at TCU), 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals while committing just one total turnover. From Amarillo, Texas, Johnson is averaging 7.6 points on the year while shooting .511 from the field and .417 from long distance (10-for-24). He also owns a 3.0 assist-to-turnover ratio.
LEARY SETTLING INTO ROLE
Junior point guard Omar Leary, who has been steady for the Sooners all year, has seemed to take a step forward with his confidence and his feel over the last few games. The 2007 first-team junior college All-American, who has started OU's last six games after coming off the bench the first two, is averaging 8.1 points and 2.3 assists in 21.9 minutes a contest. Over the last three outings, he is averaging 9.7 points, 3.7 assists and 24.7 minutes. He had 10 assists on the year going into Sunday's TCU game but handed out eight against the Horned Frogs. Leary is the lone Sooner to make at least one 3-pointer in all eight games this season. He is shooting .522 from the field and .423 from long distance (11-for-26).
GRIFFIN: A BREATH OF FROSH AIR
• Freshman forward Blake Griffin is averaging team highs of 13.6 points and 8.4 rebounds this season in 26.0 minutes a game. The last OU freshman to average as many points per contest for a season was Jeff Webster in 1990-91 (18.3 ppg). The last player, regardless of class, to average at least 8.4 boards per game was then-senior and now-Denver Nugget Eduardo Najera in 1999-2000 (9.2 rpg).
• Griffin has led OU in scoring four times in eight games and has paced the squad in rebounding in five contests. He is shooting a team-high .577 from the field (ranks fourth in Big 12) and leads the team with his 1.5 steals per outing. He has also registered five games of multiple assists (averages 1.8 apg).
• Griffin's 18 points Nov. 8 against San Francisco were the most by an OU freshman in a collegiate debut in 22 years (center Stacey King netted 22 off the bench in the first game of the 1985-86 season against UC Santa Barbara).
• Also against San Francisco, guard Cade Davis (six points in 27 minutes) and Griffin became just the second OU freshman pair to start a season opener in the last 24 years. Prior to 2003-04 when guards Drew Lavender and Lawrence McKenzie did it, a freshman tandem had not started the opening game of a season since guard Tim McCalister and forward Darryl Kennedy in 1983-84.
DEPTH CHARGE
After the 2006-07 season saw only eight Sooners play regular minutes for the majority of the year, Jeff Capel appears to have the luxury of a deeper bench in 2007-08. Through eight regular season games, OU's top nine scorers average between 13.4 and 27.6 minutes a contest (a 10th player, Tony Neysmith, averages 8.4 minutes). Seven players average more than 17.4 minutes per game. Eight players average at least 5.0 points an outing, with three of them (Blake Griffin, Tony Crocker and Longar Longar) averaging double figures. Tony Crocker averages a team-high 27.6 minutes, the lowest figure among Big 12 players who lead their team in minutes played.
HOME IS WHERE THE "W" IS
Lloyd Noble Center has been overly kind to the Sooners, as they have won 47 of the last 53 games and 102 of the last 113 in the building. OU is 414-69 (.857) at Lloyd Noble since it opened for 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 (the league's first year was in 1996-97).
HOME COURT NON-CONFERENCE RULE
The Sooners have won 57 of their last 58 non-conference home games (and 65 of their last 67). Last year, visiting Villanova posted a 67-51 win in Norman for OU's first home defeat in a non-conference game since Dec. 22, 1999 (Cincinnati).
"SOONER HOOPS WITH JEFF CAPEL" STARTS THURSDAY
Hosted by Bob Carpenter, the 2007-08 version of the "Sooner Hoops with Jeff Capel" television show will air for the first time on Thursday (Dec. 6). The 30-minute program, which is taped at OU's SoonerVision studio, will be seen across the state and on regional and national stations this year. In Oklahoma City, the show will air on Cox Cable Channel 7 on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m., on KWTV Channel 9 on Saturdays at 11:30 a.m. and on KAUT Channel 43 on Sundays at 8:30 p.m. In Tulsa, it will be shown on Cox Cable Channel 7 on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and KQCW Channel 19 on Saturdays at 3:30 p.m.
"Sooner Hoops with Jeff Capel" will also air in the Enid, Guymon, Lawton, Ponca City and Woodward markets inside the state of Oklahoma, as well as in Sherman, Texas, and Kansas City, Mo. It will be carried regionally by FSN Southwest and nationally by CSTV (beginning Jan. 12) and Fox College Sports. Check local listings for air dates and stations.
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