Men's Basketball: Back in Time #7

July 25, 2007

NORMAN, Okla. -- Each Monday through August, SoonerSports.com will take you back in time with the OU men's basketball program as we highlight some of the biggest games and biggest names from the 1970s, '80s, '90s and 2000s.

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March 10, 2002
No. 4 Oklahoma vs. No. 1 Kansas | Box Score

It was a clash of the titans as No. 4 Oklahoma faced off against top-ranked Kansas with the Big 12 Tournament crown and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament hanging in the balance.

Head Coach Kelvin Sampson's Sooners lost 74-67 to the Jayhawks in Lawrence earlier in the season. "If we played them at Lloyd Noble, I think we'd beat them," Sampson said before the Big 12 Tournament. "At a neutral site..." he added, "We'll see."

Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo., home of the 2002 Big 12 Tournament, was hardly a neutral site, however. Just 38 miles east of the KU campus in Lawrence, the arena was often referred to as the East Wing of Allen Fieldhouse.

2002 Oklahoma vs. Kansas Highlights |

Celebration Video

The Jayhawks, owners of a 16-game winning streak, entered the championship game as the nation's highest-scoring team, averaging 93.2 points per game. In their semifinal matchup with Texas Tech, KU's starters shot a combined 67.5 percent from the field (27 for 40) en route to a 90-50 blowout of the Red Raiders.

The Sooners, set as 7-point underdogs, seemed undaunted by their opponent's offensive firepower. A tough, defensive-minded squad, OU felt it could slow down the Jayhawks' fast break offense and impose its tempo on the game.

The Sooners set the tone in the first half, harassing KU into a season-low 19 points. Future NBA Lottery picks Drew Gooden, Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich combined to shoot 5 for 22 (23 percent) in the opening period. If not for a buzzer beater by Collison to end the half, KU would have gone to the locker room with more turnovers than field goals.

Oklahoma's relentless defense continued in the second half. Meanwhile, a resurgent Hollis Price was starting to find his range on offense. Price entered the contest having converted just 6 of 26 shots in two previous tournament games. Against the Jayhawks he converted 9 of 21 attempts, including three 3-pointers, en route to a game-high 23 points and tournament MVP honors.

Kansas simply had no answer for Price or for OU's hard-nosed defense. When the final buzzer rang it was the Sooners celebrating a 64-55 win and the program's second consecutive Big 12 Tournament Championship.

"They're a physical team," said Collison, who finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds. "It wasn't pretty out there."

"It was a war out there," added Gooden, the game's second-leading scorer with 22 points.

Last Week's Feature

When the confetti finally settled OU had turned in one of the finest defensive performances in program history.

Sampson's Sooners held the Jayhawks to season lows in points (55), field goals made (19), field goal percentage (.333) and three-point percentage (.167). Most astounding, they held the nation's highest scoring team an amazing 38 points below its average.

"This is about competition," Sampson said afterwards. "Whoever won would impose their will on the game. You don't back down. This is a great statement for our program."

Despite the win OU was not granted one of the four No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, instead receiving the No. 2 seed in the West Region.

"OU had a great year, but you've only got four regions," KU coach Roy Williams said after the brackets were announced. "We needed a fifth No. 1 seed."

Notes: The Sooners Aaron McGhee joined Price on the All-Tournament Team ... The Sooners' win marked the first time OU had defeated the No. 1 team in the nation since Feb. 20, 1995, when it beat Kansas, 76-63, during Sampson's first season as head coach ... The win was OU's sixth conference tournament title ... KU's 19 points was the second-lowest total scored in the first half by an OU opponent during the 2001-2002 season. OU held Oklahoma State to 17 points and Nebraska to 19 points ... OU's Jabahri Brown set a Big 12 Tournament school record with four blocked shots in the championship game and tied the steals mark with four ... Aaron McGhee's 36 rebounds in three games was an OU Big 12 Tournament record.

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