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
Cheer Like a Champion on Saturday
February 29, 2008 | Men's Basketball
| OU (18-10, 6-7) vs. Texas A&M (21-7, 7-6) | |
| Date & Tip Time | Saturday, March 1 at 1:05 p.m. CST |
| Location | Norman, Okla. | Lloyd Noble Center |
| Tickets | OU Athletics Ticket Office |
| TV | ESPN |
| Radio | Sooner Radio Network KOKC AM-1520 in Oklahoma City KTBZ AM-1430 in Tulsa Sirius 122 |
| Webcast | None |
| Live Stats | SoonerSports.com / GameTracker |
| Game Info | Gameday Central | Game Notes (PDF) |
GAME PREVIEW
Looking to snap a two-game losing skid after winning three straight, Oklahoma (18-10 overall, 6-7 Big 12) returns to Norman for its first home game in 11 days when it hosts Texas A&M (21-7, 7-6) Saturday at 1 p.m. CST. The Sooners, who hold a No. 32 CollegeRPI.com rating (the third best in the Big 12) through games of Thursday and stand in a four-way sixth-place tie in the league standings, are 12-3 at Lloyd Noble Center on the year (4-2 in the Big 12).
Texas A&M, which ended a three-game losing streak by beating visiting Texas Tech on Wednesday by a 98-54 score, boasts an RPI of 43. The Aggies, who are unranked this week for the first time all season, are 3-4 in road games this year (3-3 in the Big 12).
Saturday's game will air on the Sooner Radio Network (KOKC 1520-AM in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430-AM in Tulsa; Sirius channel 121) with Bob Barry Sr. and Mike Houck calling the action. The contest will be televised nationally by ESPN (not in high definition) with Ron Franklin and Fran Fraschilla announcing.
"CHEER LIKE A CHAMPION DAY"
Saturday will mark "Cheer Like a Champion Day," as each Lloyd Noble Center seat will be furnished with a white T-shirt. OU's 1988 team will be on hand Saturday for a 20-year reunion celebration. Coached by Billy Tubbs, the 1988 squad was one of two OU teams in history to reach the national title game. Former players scheduled to join Tubbs and the rest of the coaching staff for a halftime tribute include Harvey Grant, Tyrone Jones, Stacey King, Tony Martin, Terrence Mullins, Art Pollard and Jason Skurcenski.
OU will wear 1988 throwback uniforms for Saturday's game. The jerseys will be available on the Official OU Athletics Auction following the game. Also, members of the current team will wear warm-up suits that feature the names and numbers of players from the 1988 squad.
TICKET INFORMATION
Reserved seat tickets for Saturday's game are sold out. However, $10 restricted admission tickets will be sold at Lloyd Noble Center's north and east ticket windows starting at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. Restricted admission ticket holders are allowed to sit in a vacant upper-level seat after tip-off. Fans may also check OU Ticket Marketplace on SoonerSports.com for available reserved seats.
NOTEWORTHY
• Oklahoma is 25-4 all-time against Texas A&M but has lost the series' last three games. The Sooners are 12-1 against the Aggies in Norman (lone loss came last season).
• Through games of Thursday, OU boasts the nation's No. 9 strength of schedule (according to CollegeRPI.com).
• Oklahoma has clinched its 27th consecutive winning season (longest streak in the Big 12).
• Blake Griffin is averaging 17.5 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists in Big 12 play (not including the Jan. 14 Kansas game when he played only five minutes before leaving with a knee injury).
• Griffin ranks second in the Big 12 in free throw attempts per league game (8.4). Kansas State's Michael Beasley ranks first (9.1).
• In their 18 wins, the Sooners are shooting .407 from 3-point range and are averaging 7.2 makes. In their 10 losses, they are shooting .269 and averaging 5.2 makes.
• Oklahoma's 13 Big 12 opponents have shot a remarkable .810 from the free throw line against the Sooners (196-for-242).
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
TEAM UPDATE
• With its Wednesday loss at Nebraska, Oklahoma dropped out of a four-way fourth-place Big 12 tie into a four-way sixth-place tie. Joining the Sooners with 6-7 league records are Nebraska, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. The four teams trail Baylor and Texas A&M (both 7-6) by one game and lead Missouri (5-8) by a game.
• As of Monday, CollegeRPI.com projects OU as a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament while ESPN.com has it as a No. 8 seed.
• OU has gotten off to slow starts in each of its last two games. In the first half of road contests against Texas and Nebraska, the Sooners averaged 16.5 points while shooting .204 (a combined 10-for-49) from the field. They trailed 32-21 at halftime against Texas and 29-12 at the break against Nebraska.
• In its 15 home games, OU is shooting .478 from the field and has shot .500 or better in eight of those contests. Its top four scorers at home all shoot better than .500 (Blake Griffin is shooting .627 and is followed by Taylor Griffin at .538, Longar Longar at .529 and Tony Crocker at .526). Foes are shooting just .401 from the field and .328 from 3-point range in Norman.
• Oklahoma has scored more than 70 points 14 times this season after doing it eight times all of last year. It has already won two more games this season than it did all of last year when it finished 16-15.
• Either Blake Griffin (11 times) or Taylor Griffin (six times) has led OU in rebounding in 17 of the last 18 contests.
| ||||||
TEAM UPDATE
• Despite losing at Texas on Saturday, Oklahoma remained in a fourth-place tie in the Big 12 standings. Joining OU in fourth place with 6-6 records are Baylor, Texas A&M and Texas Tech. The four teams trail Kansas State (8-5) by one-and-a-half games and lead Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma State (all 5-7) by one.
• As of Monday, CollegeRPI.com projects OU as a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament while ESPN.com has it as a No. 8 seed.
• OU's last two wins came in the waning seconds. At Texas Tech on Feb. 16, David Godbold hit a 28-footer with 1.4 seconds left to give the Sooners a 66-64 win. Last Tuesday against Baylor, Tony Crocker converted a 4-point play with 7.3 seconds left in overtime to put OU ahead by one. The Sooners then endured two free throw misses with 1.0 second left to post a 92-91 victory.
• Oklahoma has won four true road games this year (two versus ranked opponents) after winning just one road contest last year. Prior to this season, the last time OU won a true road game over a ranked foe was during the 2000-01 campaign.
• After shooting .500 or better from the field in nine of its first 16 games, OU has done it once in the last 11 outings.
• OU is shooting .486 from the field and .407 from 3-point range in its wins but just .376 and .272, respectively, in its losses.
• Oklahoma has scored more than 70 points 14 times this season after doing it eight times all of last year. It has already won two more games this season than it did all of last year when it finished 16-15.
• Either Blake Griffin (10 times) or Taylor Griffin (six times) has led OU in rebounding in 16 of the last 17 contests.
FRONTCOURT UPDATE
• In his 11 full Big 12 games, freshman Blake Griffin is averaging 17.5 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists. OU's leading scorer (15.3) and rebounder (9.3) on the year, he has scored in double figures in 17 of his last 19 games (not including the Jan. 14 Kansas contest when he left five minutes into the game with a sprained MCL in his left knee) and has netted at least 15 points in 12 of his last 15 outings.
• Six of Griffin's nine double-doubles have come against teams who have been ranked at some point this season. He had 15 points and 14 rebounds in a win over Gonzaga, 18 points and 16 boards in a win at West Virginia, 27 points and 14 rebounds in a two-point loss to Kansas State, 17 points and 15 rebounds in a victory at Baylor, 29 points and 15 boards in a home win over Baylor and 16 points and 16 rebounds last Saturday at No. 7 Texas.
• Griffin ranks ninth in the Big 12 in scoring (15.3 ppg), fourth in rebounding (9.3 rpg) and third in field goal percentage (.565).
• The last OU true freshman to average as many points and rebounds as Griffin for an entire season was Wayman Tisdale (24.5 and 10.3) in 1982-83. Tisdale earned first-team All-America honors as a freshman.
• Senior center Longar Longar missed two games due to a broken bone in his lower right leg but has returned to average 23.6 minutes over his five games since (he is averaging 6.2 points and 3.6 rebounds while shooting .333 from the field in those five outings).
• The team's second-leading scorer and rebounder on the year with his 11.8 and 5.4 respective averages, Longar was held scoreless Wednesday night at Nebraska in his 15 minutes off the bench. Longar's 0-for-3 performance from the field dropped his season figure to .500.
• Seeing a major increase in minutes the last month, junior forward Taylor Griffin averaged 9.5 points and 6.3 rebounds over a 10-game stretch before being held scoreless and grabbing 11 rebounds over the last two outings against Texas and Nebraska.
• Starting in place of his injured younger brother on Jan. 19 against Texas Tech, Taylor Griffin tied a then-career high with 16 points and grabbed a then-season-high 12 rebounds. On Jan. 28 against Oklahoma State, he was 7-for-8 from the field and scored a career-high 20 points and pulled down a game-high six boards. On Feb. 6 against Texas, he netted 12 points and grabbed a career-high 15 boards as he started in place of an injured Longar.
|
BACKCOURT UPDATE
• Sophomore Tony Crocker, OU's best 3-point shooter at .438 (53-for-121), has made at least three treys in a game 10 times and is 37-for-60 (.617) in those contests. He has already made 18 more 3-pointers this year than he did all of last season (35) when he shot a team-high .357 from behind the arc. He has already scored 50 more points this year than he did as a freshman.
• Since averaging 7.3 points during OU's three-game losing streak earlier this month, Crocker is averaging 13.8 over the last five contests. Included was a 22-point effort against Iowa State and a 20-point game against Baylor. Against the Bears, Crocker scored the game's final seven points in the last 21 seconds of overtime. His four-point play with 7.3 seconds left was the game-winner.
• Crocker, who ranks third on the team in scoring (11.4) and fourth in rebounding (4.2), is three makes shy of qualifying for this year's Big 12 list of 3-point field goal percentage leaders. He would rank second.
• After averaging 14.0 points over the four games prior to Wednesday's game at Nebraska, junior Austin Johnson was held to three points against the Huskers in 29 minutes of action. A .353 3-point field goal shooter on the year, he is shooting .419 (13-for-31) over the last five outings.
• Johnson has had a very productive last couple of weeks. He scored 13 points Feb. 13 against Iowa State, a career-high 20 at Texas Tech Feb. 16 (he made a career-high six 3-pointers) and 19 against Baylor Feb. 19. He is now averaging 8.6 points per game on the year and ranks second on the team with his 42 treys.
• OU's chief ball-handler, Johnson leads the team with his 2.5 assists per game and boasts a 2.2 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• A 16-game starter on the year, senior David Godbold came off the bench four straight games before getting another starting nod on Wednesday (he was held to three points on 1-of-9 shooting at Nebraska). Godbold is averaging 33.7 minutes per Big 12 game (Johnson leads the team with his 33.8 minutes per league outing).
• Godbold turned in a career-high 22-point outing at Texas A&M on Feb. 2, a game in which he was 6-for-10 from 3-point range. Last year in Norman, he scored a then-career-high 20 points with the help of 5-for-7 3-point shooting.
• Freshman Cade Davis, who scored a career-high 11 points against Iowa State on Feb. 13 when he was 3-for-3 from 3-point distance, scored 10 more on Wednesday against Nebraska on 4-for-7 field goal shooting. Davis is averaging 3.7 points in 11.8 minutes per contest.
• Freshman Tony Neysmith earned his first four career starts over the last two-and-a-half weeks (he came off the bench at Nebraska on Wednesday) and totaled six points in 25 minutes in those starts.
• Junior Omar Leary is averaging 4.3 points in 17.0 minutes per game. He started eight of the team's first 10 contests but has come off the bench in each of the last 18. He has 10 points over the last nine games.
PREVIEWING TEXAS A&M
• Texas A&M enters Saturday's game with a 21-7 overall record and a 7-6 Big 12 mark (tied for fourth place with Baylor). After winning their Big 12 opener, the Aggies lost three straight, rebounded for five consecutive wins and endured another three-game losing streak before knocking off Texas Tech on Wednesday, 98-54, in College Station.
• In the win over Texas Tech, the Aggies led 56-29 at halftime and outscored the Red Raiders by another 17 after the break. A&M shot .569 from the field on the night and .414 (12-for-29) from 3-point range, while holding Tech to a .328 field goal figure. The Aggies also posted a 45-32 rebounding advantage.
• Texas A&M ranks second in the Big 12 in scoring margin (+12.5), rebounding margin (+8.5), field goal percentage (.480) and field goal percentage defense (.387). It also ranks third in scoring defense (61.6) and last in free throw percentage (.624).
• Junior guard Josh Carter is averaging a team-high 12.6 points per game (also 11.4 in Big 12 play), 4.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists. He has made a team-high 61 treys (2.2 average) and is shooting .379 from 3-point range (last year he shot .500 to lead the nation). Over the last four games, Carter is averaging 8.5 points and is 4-for-14 from long distance (.286).
• Senior forward/center Joseph Jones, a second-team All-Big 12 pick last season, averages 10.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest while shooting .502 from the field. Jones has attempted a team-high 121 free throws and is shooting .661 from the line.
• Sophomore guard Donald Sloan is averaging 9.7 points (10.8 in Big 12 play), 4.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists. He scored a career-high 21 points at Missouri on Feb. 9 when he was 9-for-10 from the free throw line (he is shooting .667 from the line).
• Freshman center DeAndre Jordan is averaging 9.0 points and a team-high 6.6 rebounds while shooting .630 from the field. Jordan started Wednesday against Texas Tech (eight points and 10 rebounds) after coming off the bench the previous 10 contests.
• Sophomore forward Bryan Davis averages 8.8 points and adds 5.0 boards and 1.2 blocks per game.
• Senior guard Dominique Kirk averages 8.2 points and a team-high 3.6 assists while shooting .442 from 3-point territory.
SERIES WITH THE AGGIES
Oklahoma owns a 25-4 all-time record against Texas A&M and has won 14 of the series' last 17 meetings (the Aggies have won the last three games). OU is 12-1 all-time against A&M in games played in Norman. The Sooners are 20-4 against the Aggies since the formation of the Big 12 Conference (10-1 in Norman).
MORE SERIES NOTES
• Prior to last year's pair of Texas A&M wins over OU, the Sooners had won 14 meetings in a row.
• In the 11 series games played in Norman since the Big 12 was formed, OU owns a +12.8 average scoring margin (it is 10-1).
• Ten of the last 12 overall meetings have been decided by single digits.
FEB. 2 AGAINST TEXAS A&M
• Ahead 29-23 at halftime and 51-50 with 3:20 left in the game, Oklahoma was outscored 10-1 down the stretch in a 60-52 loss to No. 23 Texas A&M in College Station.
• OU lost despite holding A&M to .354 field goal shooting. The Aggies countered their field goal effort with a 23-for-30 (.767) performance at the free throw line. The Sooners were 8-for-13 (.615) at the foul line. A&M attempted 20 free throws in the second half to OU's four.
• Oklahoma was whistled for 23 personal fouls, a season high.
• David Godbold scored a career-high 22 points on 6-for-10 3-point shooting. He added five rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Godbold's previous career high of 20 points came against Texas A&M last year in Norman when he was 5-for-7 from deep.
• OU held A&M's guards to 6-for-22 (.273) field goal shooting on the day (1-for-10 in the first half). Josh Carter, who was averaging a team-high 13.7 points and had scored in double figures in 15 straight outings, was held to six points on 2-for-9 shooting.
• OU held Texas A&M to 23 first-half points, the Aggies' fewest at home this year.
HOME IS WHERE THE "W" IS
Lloyd Noble Center has been overly kind to the Sooners, as they have won 55 of the last 64 games and 110 of the last 124 in the building. OU is 422-72 (.854) 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).
GRIFFIN GETTING TO THE LINE
Freshman forward Blake Griffin has seemed to develop quite a knack for getting to the foul line over his last 13 outings. Through OU's first 13 games, Griffin attempted 50 free throws (3.8 per contest) with a single-game high of six. Over the last 13 games, however, Griffin has attempted 131 free throws (10.1 per contest). Included were games of 18 attempts against Mount St. Mary's, 17 versus Baylor, 15 against Oklahoma State and 13 versus Kansas State.
MORE ON OU'S FRESHMAN PHENOM
• In 28 games, freshman Blake Griffin has led the team in scoring 13 times, in rebounding 17 times and in assists six times.
• The last Sooner, regardless of class, to average as many rebounds as Griffin is averaging this year (9.3) was then-senior Ernie Abercrombie in 1995-96 (10.1 rpg).
• Griffin holds OU's top four scoring performances this season. He netted 29 versus Baylor (Feb. 19), 27 against Kansas State (Jan. 12), 26 versus Mount St. Mary's (Jan. 7) and 25 at Colorado (Feb. 9). He also holds nine of OU's top 10 rebounding marks.
• Griffin has already scored 53 more points than OU's leading scorer last season (Nate Carter finished with a team high of 360 points last year). Carter played in 31 games as a senior last year while Griffin has played in just 26 this season.
• A testament to his overall ability, Griffin has 26 assists over the past 10 games (tied with Austin Johnson as OU's most during the period).
DOMINATING THE LONE STAR STATE
OU has had more than its share of success against Big 12 Conference teams from Texas. The Sooners own a 130-51 (.718) all-time record against Baylor (33-5), Texas (45-26), Texas A&M (25-4) and Texas Tech (27-16). Since the inception of the Big 12, OU is 24-0 against Baylor, 16-13 versus Texas, 20-4 against Texas A&M and 18-8 versus Texas Tech for a combined 78-25 record (.757).
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WINNING AND LOSING
The following notes compare Oklahoma's stats in its 18 wins and 10 losses...
• In its 18 wins, OU is outrebounding its opponents by 6.6 a game. In its 10 losses, it is getting outboarded by 3.2.
• OU is shooting .486 from the field and .407 from 3-point range in its wins. In losses, it is shooting .375 and .269, respectively.
• OU's assist-to-turnover ratio in its victories is +1.1 (266 assists and 236 turnovers). The ratio in losses is 0.8 (98 and 127).
• Tony Crocker is averaging 13.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists while shooting .531 in the Sooners' wins. In losses, those numbers fall to 7.6 points, 3.1 boards, 1.2 assists and .295 (26-for-88), respectively. Crocker is also shooting .539 from 3-point range in OU's victories (41-for-76), but just .267 in defeats (12-for-45).
"SOONER HOOPS WITH JEFF CAPEL" NOW AIRING
Hosted by Bob Carpenter, the 2007-08 version of the "Sooner Hoops with Jeff Capel" television show began airing on 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 this year 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.
Porter Moser Postgame vs West Virginia
Sunday, April 05
MBB Highlights: OU 82, Baylor 69
Saturday, April 04
Porter Moser, Xzayvier Brown, and Tae Davis Postgame vs Baylor
Saturday, April 04
Porter Moser and Nijel Pack Postgame vs Colorado
Thursday, April 02
