Men's Hoops Jumps a Spot to No. 4

Dec. 15, 2008

NORMAN, Okla. - Jeff Capel's Oklahoma men's basketball team is still undefeated -- and still ascending the national rankings.

The 10-0 Sooners are up to the No. 4 spot in this week's AP and ESPN/USA Today polls after spending last week at No. 5 in both and the previous week at No. 6. OU's AP ranking is its highest since the final poll of the 2002-03 season when it was slotted at No. 3 heading into the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed.

Ahead of the Sooners in both polls this week are No. 1 North Carolina, No. 2 Connecticut and No. 3 Pittsburgh. Texas is No. 5 and Duke is No. 6. The AP poll lists Xavier at No. 7, Gonzaga at No. 8, Louisville at No. 9 and Wake Forest at No. 10. The ESPN/USA Today poll is the same, except it has Xavier and Gonzaga tied at No. 7.

The only other ranked Big 12 team is Baylor. The 8-1 Bears are No. 21 in the AP poll and No. 24 in the ESPN/USA Today version.

Oklahoma, which began the year at No. 12 in the AP poll and No. 14 in the ESPN/USA Today poll, plays its only game of the week on Saturday against VCU in the O'Reilly's All-College Classic in Oklahoma City. The game is scheduled for 9 p.m. CST at the Ford Center and will follow the 6:30 p.m. Oklahoma State-Rhode Island contest.

Three-time OU All-American and contemporary jazz bassist Wayman Tisdale is scheduled to perform at halftime of the Sooners' game against VCU.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Related News

Related Videos

Sponsors