Men's Basketball Goes for 31st Straight vs. Baylor


	Tony Crocker

Oklahoma (9-5) vs. Baylor (12-1)
Date & Tip Time	Saturday, Jan. 9 at 5:05 p.m. CST
Location	Waco, Texas \| Ferrell Center
Tickets	OU Athletics Ticket Office
TV	Big 12 Network KOCB Ch. 34 in Oklahoma City KQCW Ch. 19 in Tulsa ESPN Full Court
Radio	Sooner Radio Network KOKC AM 1520 in Oklahoma City KTBZ AM 1430 in Tulsa Sirius 126
Webcast	ESPN360.com
Live Stats	SoonerSports.com GameTracker
Game Info	Game Notes (PDF)

GAME PREVIEW
Oklahoma (9-5) opens Big 12 action Saturday when it plays at Baylor (12-1) at 5 p.m. CST at the 10,284-seat Ferrell Center. The Sooners, who are 8-5 in Big 12 openers, are coming off an 88-54 home win over Maryland Eastern Shore on Monday. Baylor has won eight straight games and beat Morgan State on Wednesday by a 79-63 count. Saturday's contest will air on the Sooner Radio Network with Bob Barry Sr. and Mike Houck announcing. It will be televised regionally by the Big 12 Network with Bob Carpenter and Rich Zvosec calling the action.

TICKET PROMOTION FOR MONDAY'S BEDLAM GAME
OU fans have the opportunity for discounted tickets when they attend Monday's Oklahoma State game in Norman. If the Sooners beat the Cowboys, each person in attendance can redeem their tickets for the same number of discounted tickets ($7 and $17) to any future game this season (except Texas). The offer is good for advance purchases only. Tickets are based upon availability. Click here for more detailed information.

NOTEWORTHY
• Oklahoma has won its last 30 games against Baylor and its last 16 in Waco.
• OU's last loss to Baylor came on Dec. 6, 1977. Its last loss in Waco was in 1954.
• Since the Big 12 Conference was formed prior to the 1996-97 season, OU is the only league school that owns an undefeated record against a league opponent (the Sooners are 26-0 against the Bears in conference play).
• The Sooners are allowing 71.4 points per contest. The last time they gave up that many points per game for an entire season was in 1995-96 (73.1).
• In its wins, Oklahoma is giving up 63.2 points a game and is holding opponents to .404 shooting from the field. In its losses, OU is surrendering 86.0 points and allowing foes to shoot .490 from the floor.
• Oklahoma is averaging 8.9 3-point makes per game. The school record for average treys per contest in a season is 8.5 in 1998-99.
• OU ranks second in the Big 12 and 13th nationally with its .761 free throw mark. It has made more foul shots (226) than its foes have attempted (218).
• Senior guard Tony Crocker, who has started 80 consecutive games, is averaging 15.9 points and 9.4 rebounds over the last eight contests. He has recorded his only five career double-doubles during the stretch. The 6-6, 209-pounder has six double-digit rebounding games this year, the only ones of his career.
• Junior guard Cade Davis has started each of the last 10 games (30.6 minutes) and is averaging 10.4 points during the stretch. He averaged 3.8 points (17.8 minutes) off the bench in OU's first four games.
• Sophomore guard Willie Warren is averaging team highs of 18.5 points (ranks third in Big 12) and 4.5 assists (ranks fourth), and is shooting .838 from the free throw line (ranks third).
• Warren has scored at least 24 points in six of his 13 outings.
• Freshman forward Tiny Gallon ranks fifth in the Big 12 with his 8.9 rebounds per game. Gallon, who is shooting a team-high .570 from the field, has five double-doubles to rank fifth in the conference.
• Mason-Griffin has 17 assists and just one turnover over the last two games. He handed out 10 assists against one turnover against Gonzaga and had seven assists without a miscue against Maryland Eastern Shore.

Sooner to Watch
	Willie Warren \| So. \| Guard • Averaged 15.5 points and shot .600 from the field in two wins vs. Baylor last year • Ranks third in Big 12 in scoring (18.5 ppg) and fourth in assists (4.5 apg) • Has made 10 3-pointers over the last three games (.417) • Ranks third in the Big 12 in free throw percentage (.838)

PREVIEWING BAYLOR
Baylor enters Big 12 play with a 13-1 record and has won eight straight contests (by an average of 16.1 points). Its only loss came by three points to Alabama on Nov. 26 in the Old Spice Classic in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The Bears are 7-0 at the Ferrell Center and have won their home contests by an average of 26.3 points. They are averaging 78.7 points (ranks sixth in Big 12) and are shooting .493 from the field (ranks third), .398 from 3-point range (ranks fifth) and .641 from the free throw line (ranks 10th). They rank third in the Big 12 by allowing just 60.8 points per outing and second by holding opponents to a .349 field goal mark.

Junior guard LaceDarius Dunn leads a trio of Bears who average double figures in scoring. Dunn ranks fifth in the Big 12 with his 17.6 points a game and is shooting .376 from behind the arc (3.2 makes per outing) and .800 from the free throw line (40-for-50). Senior guard Tweety Carter, who missed the team's first four games due to a suspension, is averaging 16.3 points and 6.6 assists over his nine contests. Carter, who is shooting .424 from long range (3.1 makes per game), would rank first in the Big 12 in assists if he had played in 75 percent of Baylor's games. He scored 27 points in three consecutive outings against Xavier, Arizona State and Jackson State. Junior forward/center Ekpe Udoh, who transferred after playing two years at Michigan, has been a welcome addition on the inside. The 6-10, 240-pounder from Edmond (Okla.) Santa Fe High School is averaging 14.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 4.5 blocks per game, and is coming off a triple-double against Morgan State (18 points, 17 rebounds and 10 blocks). He's grabbed at least 15 boards in each of the last four games.

Scott Drew is 93-96 (.492) in his seventh year as Baylor's head coach. His Bears squads have posted a 26-70 (.271) record in Big 12 games.

OU-BAYLOR SERIES HISTORY
Oklahoma owns a 35-5 series advantage against Baylor and has won the last 30 meetings. The Sooners possess a 16-2 series lead in games played in Waco and have won 16 straight there. The last Baylor win against OU came on Dec. 6, 1977, in Norman (75-67). OU is 26-0 against the Bears since the inception of the Big 12 Conference and has won its 13 series road games during the span by an average of 10.0 points.

LAST YEAR AGAINST THE BEARS
The Sooners went 2-0 against Baylor last year, posting a 95-76 win in Norman and a 78-63 victory in Waco. OU shot a combined .565 from the field and .452 from 3-point range while limiting BU to respective .362 and .288 marks. Blake Griffin averaged 19.0 points and 13.5 rebounds over the two outings to lead Oklahoma. Current Sooners Willie Warren and Tony Crocker averaged 15.5 and 9.5 points, respectively. Warren was 9-for-15 (.600) from the field and Crocker was 7-for-12 (.583). Curtis Jerrells averaged 22.5 points for Baylor, while current Bear LaceDarius Dunn averaged 15.5. Dunn was 4-for-19 from 3-point range (.211).

MONDAY'S MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE RECAP
• Cade Davis scored the game's first seven points, helped OU to an early 18-4 lead and finished with a game-high 19 points in an 88-54 win over Maryland Eastern Shore on Monday in Norman. Davis was 3-for-6 from deep and his 19 points were the second most of his career.
• OU held the Hawks to .300 field goal shooting (an opponent season low) and to a .278 mark from 3-point range.
• Oklahoma forced 18 UMES turnovers while committing seven, and outscored the Hawks 22-3 in points off turnovers.
• Tommy Mason-Griffin came off the bench for the second straight game and logged seven assists, two steals and no turnovers.
• Willie Warren finished with 15 points (three 3's), five assists and three steals in 25 minutes.
• Tony Crocker (14 points, 12 rebounds) and Tiny Gallon (13 points, 12 boards) each registered their fifth double-double of the year.
• Sophomore guard Ray Willis played a season-high 19 minutes and finished with seven points and a season-high five boards.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WINS AND LOSSES
• In their nine wins, the Sooners are holding opponents to .404 field goal and .328 3-point shooting. In OU's five losses, foes have shot .490 from the field and .431 from behind the arc.
• Similarly, OU is shooting .464 from the field and .401 from 3-point territory in wins, but just .437 and .310, respectively, in defeats.
• The Sooners have outrebounded their opponents by 4.2 per game in wins but have been outboarded by an average of 4.2 in losses.
• Tony Crocker is averaging 15.9 points (.500 from 3-point range) and 8.4 boards in wins compared to 9.0 points (.235 from deep) and 5.6 boards in losses. All five of his double-doubles have come in victories.
• Willie Warren is averaging 21.6 points in losses and 16.5 points in victories.

PICK YOUR POISON
Five different Sooners have each made at least 20 3-pointers through the team's first 14 games. Oklahoma State (three) is the only other Big 12 team that has more than two players with at least 20 makes each heading into league action. Tony Crocker and Steven Pledger lead OU with 25 treys each (1.8 per game), while Cade Davis and Tommy Mason-Griffin have 23 makes (1.6 per game) and Willie Warren 21 conversions (1.6 per contest).

GUARDS SHOULDERING THE LOAD
Five of OU's top six scorers, including its top two, are guards. The Sooners' backcourt has accounted for 829 of the team's 1,095 points, or 76 percent. Three guards average double figures in scoring while two more average at least 7.9 points. Willie Warren averages 18.5 points per outing and is followed by Tony Crocker (13.4), Tommy Mason Griffin (10.4), Cade Davis (8.5) and Steven Pledger (7.9). All five of those players have surpassed the 20-point mark at least once this year (Warren has done it six times, Crocker and Pledger have done it twice each and Davis and Mason-Griffin have done it once each).

YOUTH MOVEMENT
The freshman foursome of Tiny Gallon (11.6 ppg), Tommy Mason-Griffin (10.4), Steven Pledger (7.9) and Andrew Fitzgerald (4.4) has combined to score 466 of the team's 1,095 points this year, or 43 percent. Gallon, who is shooting .570 from the field, ranks fifth in the Big 12 in rebounds per game (8.9) and fifth with five double-doubles (he missed out on another by one rebound). Mason-Griffin ranks third in the league with his 5.1 assists per game and 11th with his .411 3-point shooting percentage. Among the Big 12's leaders in 3-point makes, Pledger has knocked down a team-leading 25 treys on 70 attempts (.357) and has two games of more than 20 points. Fitzgerald is averaging 4.4 points in 11.6 minutes per game. He is shooting .531 from the field and is 14-for-20 from the free throw line (.700).

CROCKER CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Senior guard Tony Crocker entered the year ranked 34th in school history in points (1,008) and seventh in 3-point makes (158). With a strong start to the season, the 6-6 San Antonio, Texas, product has vaulted to the No. 24 spot in points (1,196) and the No. 4 spot in 3-pointers (183). Crocker, who has started OU's last 80 games, needs 15 points to tie Corey Brewer (1997-98) for 23rd. At his current pace of 13.4 points per game, Crocker would finish the regular season ranked 13th on the Sooners' all-time scoring chart. Crocker's next target on the career 3-point makes list is Tim Heskett (1997-01). He needs 32 makes to tie Heskett for third on that list.

Crocker also has a chance to make a run at the top spot on OU's games played list. He entered the year with 102 career appearances and would finish the regular season with 132 if he plays in every game. Depending on the Sooners' postseason fortunes, Crocker could challenge the record of 137 career games played by Darryl "Choo" Kennedy (1984-87).

Also, Crocker is 36 rebounds shy of becoming just the second Sooner (and first of the Big 12 era) to register at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 150 3-pointers in a career. Ryan Minor (1993-96) racked up 1,946 points, 767 rebounds and 170 treys.

UP NEXT
Oklahoma plays its first Big 12 home game Monday at 8 p.m. CST against Oklahoma State (televised by ESPN). The Sooners lead the all-time series against the Cowboys, 125-90, and have swept the regular season series in three of the last four years.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Men's Basketball Goes for 31st Straight vs. Baylor

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