Men's Basketball Hosts North Carolina Central Monday


	Andrew Fitzgerald

Oklahoma (1-0) vs. North Carolina Central (1-0)
Date & Tip Time	Monday, Nov. 15 at 7:07 p.m. CT
Location	Norman, Okla. \| Lloyd Noble Center \| Seating Views
Tickets	$10, $15 and $30 OU Athletics Ticket Office
TV	Sooner Sports Network KAUT Ch. 43 in Oklahoma City Cox Cable Ch. 3 in Tulsa ESPN Full Court
Radio	Sooner Radio Network KOKC AM 1520 in Oklahoma City KTBZ AM 1430 in Tulsa
Webcast	SoonerSports.com
Live Stats	SoonerSports.com GameTracker
Game Info	Game Notes (PDF)

MONDAY'S GAME BASICS
Oklahoma (1-0) hosts North Carolina Central (1-0) Monday at 7 p.m. CT at Lloyd Noble Center. The contest will air on the Sooner Radio Network (KOKC AM 1520 in Oklahoma City; KTBZ AM 1430 in Tulsa) with Bob Barry Sr. and Mike Houck announcing. The game will be televised by the Sooner Sports Network (KAUT Channel 43 in Oklahoma City; Cox Channel 3 in Tulsa; ESPN Full Court) with Bob Carpenter and former OU head coach Billy Tubbs calling the action.

TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets are available for $10, $15 and $30 at the OU Athletics Ticket Office and online at SoonerSports.com. Lloyd Noble Center's north and east ticket windows will open at 5 p.m. on Monday.

FRIDAY'S COPPIN STATE RECAP
• The Sooners began their fifth season under coach Jeff Capel with a 77-57 home win over Coppin State Friday. It was OU's 31st win in its last 32 home openers.
• Oklahoma shot 51.0 percent from the field, 42.9 percent from 3-point range (9-for-21) and 75.0 percent from the free throw line (18-for-24) while holding the Eagles to 34.5 percent field goal and 30.4 percent 3-point (7-for-23) figures.
• Ahead 21-19 with nine minutes left in the first half, the Sooners used a 12-4 run to go up 33-23. They led 36-27 at halftime and, with the help of 15-for-17 free throw shooting, outscored CSU 41-30 after the break.
• Sophomore forward Andrew Fitzgerald led all scorers with a career-high 22 points on 8-for-13 shooting. He added six rebounds in his 33 minutes of action. Fitzgerald scored 15 points in 16 second-half minutes.
• Fellow sophomore Steven Pledger, who started at point guard, recorded 13 points (11 in the first half) and a career-high six assists against just one turnover.
• Guard Cameron Clark recorded a double-double in his collegiate debut with 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. The freshman was 4-for-8 from the field and made three of his four 3-point attempts.
• Junior college transfer Nick Thompson, who stands 6-9, had a productive night with eight points, six rebounds and a game-high seven assists.
• Freshman guard Calvin Newell came off the bench to supply 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting. He was 3-for-6 from behind the arc.
• Three Sooners made multiple 3-pointers. Clark and Newell drained three each, while Pledger was 2-for-7. Thompson made his only attempt.
• The Sooners racked up 17 assists on their 25 field goal makes and committed just 10 turnovers in improving to 14-0 all-time against Coppin State.
• OU's starters (Fitzgerald, Thompson, Pledger, Clark and senior guard Cade Davis) each played at least 32 minutes (they combined for 163 of OU's 200).

Sooner to Watch

Steven Pledger | So. | Guard
• Started at point guard in Friday's season opener against Coppin State
• Recorded 13 points (11 in first half) and a career-high six assists with one turnover
• His 44 3-pointers last year were the sixth most by a freshman in school history
• Team's leading returning free throw shooter at 85 percent (was 3-for-3 Friday and was 8-for-10 in Nov. 2 exhibition game)

PREVIEWING NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL
Located in Durham, N.C., North Carolina Central is nearing the end of a Division I reclassification process. Formerly a Division II program, NCCU is considered a Division I team this year but will not be eligible for the Mid-Eastern Atlantic Conference or NCAA Championships until the 2011-12 season.

The Eagles, who last year under first-year head coach LeVelle Moton posted a 7-22 record, are expected to be much improved this season. The squad returns four starters and welcomes 11 newcomers, including Division I transfers Landon Clement of UNC Greensboro and Justin Leemow of South Florida. Former Sooner guard Ray Willis is on the NCCU roster (must sit out this season after transferring), as is former Kansas State forward Dominique Sutton. Sutton, who averaged 7.2 points and 5.8 rebounds while starting 36 games last year for KSU, has not yet been cleared by the NCAA to play this season. C.J. Wilkerson, the Eagles' leading scorer last year, returns at guard. Wilkerson started all 29 games and averaged 16.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists per contest. He paced the team with his 42 3-pointers (shot .359) and 146 free throw makes (shot .768).

North Carolina Central opened its season Friday with a 90-30 win over NAIA member Johnson & Wales. The Eagles shot 58.5 percent from the field, posted a 43-29 rebounding advantage and forced 28 turnovers. Clement led NCCU with 15 points (he was 4-for-9 from 3-point range) while Wilkerson added 14 points and four assists. Leemow (game-high six assists) added 10 points, as did returning starting forwards Nick Chasten and Dijon Manns.

OU-NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL SERIES HISTORY
Monday's game will mark the first between Oklahoma and North Carolina Central. The Sooners own a 24-0 all-time record against teams currently in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

BUNCH OF HOMERS
Oklahoma has dominated home non-conference games over the last decade, winning 78 of its last 80 non-league contests inside Lloyd Noble Center going back to Jan. 3, 2000 (good for a .975 winning percentage). Included was a streak of 49 non-conference home victories that was snapped by Villanova on Dec. 6, 2006. The current string stands at 20 games.

MAUI ON THE HORIZON
Monday's and Thursday's games this week will mark Oklahoma's final two before leaving for the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational. This year's event will take place Nov. 22-24 at the Lahaina Civic Center in Lahaina, Hawaii. It will be OU's fourth time to participate in the eight-team tournament.

The Sooners open Monday, Nov. 22, against No. 11 Kentucky (35-3 record last year) at 12:30 p.m. Hawaii time (4:30 p.m. CT) in a game televised on ESPN2. The next day, OU will face Virginia (15-16 last year) or No. 18 Washington (26-10) at either 11:30 a.m. (3:30 p.m. CT) or 4:30 p.m. (8:30 p.m. CT) on ESPN or ESPN2. Wednesday's third-round game will pit the Sooners versus host Chaminade, Connecticut, No. 2 Michigan State or Wichita State.

Oklahoma went 2-1 (third place) in the 1988 Maui Invitational, 2-1 (fifth place) in the 1992 tournament and 1-2 (seventh place) in the 2006 event.

CAPEL TO PARTICIPATE IN "SHOTS FROM THE HEART"
Head coach Jeff Capel is one of 64 Division I men's basketball head coaches from around the country who will participate in "Shots From the Heart," a free throw shooting contest designed to create more awareness about heart disease and to raise money to benefit the American Heart Association.

Starting Nov. 15, coaches will compete head-to-head in a season-long, bracket-style contest with each round's winners advancing to the next round. Each coach will shoot 25 free throws per round, with shots No. 1 through 20 worth one point each, shots No. 21 through 24 worth two points each, and shot No. 25 worth three points. The four finalists will compete at the Final Four in Houston in early April.

Capel's first-round opponent will be first-year Sam Houston State head coach Jason Hooten.

Fans and businesses can contribute to the American Heart Association by pledging a dollar amount for every shot Capel makes during the competition. For more information, send an e-mail to shots@collegeinsider.com, or visit www.collegeinsider.com/shots.

Capel was a 67.6 percent free throw shooter during his four-year career at Duke University.

OU TO COMPETE IN 2011 76 CLASSIC IN ANAHEIM, CALIF.
Oklahoma is one of seven teams confirmed for the 76 Classic, to be held over Thanksgiving weekend in 2011 (Nov. 24, 25 and 27) in Anaheim, Calif. The field for the fifth annual bracket-style tournament was announced last week and includes OU, Boston College, New Mexico, Saint Louis, Santa Clara, Washington State and Villanova. The eighth team will be announced at a later date.

The Big West Conference will again serve as the host conference for the 76 Classic at the 7,500-seat Anaheim Convention Center, which has been the home of the conference's postseason tournament for the past 10 years.

Additional information, including travel packages, can be found on the 76 Classic website at www.76classic.com. The 76 Classic is owned and operated by ESPN Regional Television, Inc (ERT), a subsidiary of ESPN.

UP NEXT
OU hosts Southwestern Athletic Conference foe Texas Southern on Thursday at 7 p.m. CT in a game that will be televised by the Sooner Sports Network.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Men's Basketball Hosts North Carolina Central Monday

Related News

Related Videos

Sponsors