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
Sooners at Rejuvenated K-State on Saturday
February 18, 2011 | Men's Basketball
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| Carl Blair ranks third in the Big 12 with his 4.9 assists per conference game. |
| Oklahoma (12-13, 4-7) at Kansas State (17-9, 5-6) | |
| Date & Tip Time | Saturday, Feb. 19 at 3:01 p.m. CT |
| Location | Manhattan, Kan. | Bramlage Coliseum (12,528) |
| Tickets | OU Athletics Ticket Office |
| TV |
Big 12 Network |
| Radio | Sooner Radio Network KRXO FM 107.7 in Oklahoma City KTBZ AM 1430 in Tulsa |
| Webcast | ESPN3.com |
| Live Stats | SoonerSports.com GameTracker |
| Game Info | Game Notes (PDF) |
SATURDAY'S GAME BASICS
Loser of four straight following a four-game winning streak, Oklahoma (12-13 overall, 4-7 Big 12) hits the road for the first of two straight road games when it plays at Kansas State (17-9, 5-6) Saturday at 3 p.m. CT. OU is coming off a 59-58 home loss to Nebraska while K-State dealt No. 1 Kansas an 84-68 defeat on Monday in Manhattan. Saturday's game will air on the Sooner Radio Network (KRXO 107.7 FM in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa) with Bob Barry Sr. and Mike Houck announcing. It will be televised by the Big 12 Network (KOCB Ch. 34 in OKC; KJRH Ch. 2 in Tulsa; ESPN Full Court) with Dave Armstrong and Jon Sundvold calling the action.
NOTEWORTHY
• Oklahoma holds a 102-90 series lead against Kansas State and is 35-54 in games played in Manhattan. The Sooners have won nine of the last 12 in the series but the Wildcats have won three of the last four.
• OU has won four of the last five meetings at Bramlage Coliseum. It won by one point in 2001, two points in 2003, one point in 2005 and eight points in 2009.
• Starters have accounted for 488 of Oklahoma's 551 points (89 percent) over the last eight games (four wins). Each of the five starters is averaging between 10.4 and 14.5 points during the stretch.
• Starters are also averaging 33.9 minutes per game over the last eight.
• A big key for OU in its wins this year has been its positive assist-to-turnover ratio. In 12 victories, the Sooners have 189 assists to 167 turnovers. In its 13 losses, Oklahoma has accumulated 136 assists and 181 turnovers.
• The Sooners committed more turnovers than their opponent in 10 of their first 17 games. That trend has reversed itself in recent weeks, however, as opponents have committed fewer turnovers than OU just once in the last eight games.
• Freshmen and sophomores have accounted for 73 percent of OU's points this year. The Sooners have one senior in Cade Davis.
• Sophomore guard Steven Pledger, who turned in a 38-point performance Jan. 29 at Iowa State, has scored in double figures in 10 of OU's 12 wins and is averaging a team-high 16.2 points in the team's victories (compared to 8.3 in losses). He averaged 18.3 points during the team's four-game Big 12 winning streak but is averaging 10.8 over four games since, all defeats.
• Steven Pledger and Kansas State's Jacob Pullen have both scored 38 points in a game in Big 12 play this year, career highs. Pledger did it Jan. 29 in an overtime win at Iowa State while Pullen did it Monday in a home win over No. 1 Kansas. Baylor's LaceDarius Dunn (43 points Jan. 4 vs. Morgan State) is the only Big 12 player to score more points this year.
• After averaging 15.0 points and 6.0 rebounds during OU's four-game winning streak, freshman Cameron Clark is averaging 6.5 points and 3.8 boards over the last four games (all losses). Clark has attempted just one free throw during the losing streak.
• In OU's 12 wins, point guard Carl Blair has totaled 57 assists and 27 turnovers. In the team's 13 losses, Blair has 46 assists and 46 turnovers. The sophomore went 16-for-26 (.615) from the free throw line over his first 15 games, but is 41-for-50 (.820) over the last seven outings.
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PLAYERS UPDATE
• Sophomore forward Andrew Fitzgerald has scored at least 15 points 11 times this season, including six times in OU's 11 conference games. He leads the team with his 13.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game on the year, and ranks fifth in the Big 12 with his .510 season field goal percentage. His free throw percentage (.735) is up significantly from last year (.638). Fitzgerald has led the Sooners in scoring in three of the last four games, scoring 18 at Oklahoma State, 16 versus Texas and 15 against Nebraska.
• Oklahoma's lone senior, Cade Davis ranks second on the squad with his 12.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. After averaging 20.0 points and 7.5 rebounds in consecutive January wins over Texas Tech and Colorado, Davis is averaging 9.3 points and 4.7 boards over the last six outings. The guard has been held to single digits in scoring four times during the stretch while shooting .267 (8-for-30) from 3-point range. Davis ranks eighth on OU's career 3-point field goals list with 166 and needs four to move into the top five.
• Sophomore guard Steven Pledger has scored in double figures in seven of the last eight games and is averaging a team-high 14.5 in those eight. Included was a career-high 38-point effort at Iowa State on Jan. 29 in which he registered career highs in field goals (12), 3-point field goals (7) and free throw makes (7). Pledger scored 17 of OU's final 21 points of the game, including the team's first 10 in overtime.
• Freshman Cameron Clark's top eight scoring totals have all come over the last 17 outings, but the guard has been held to single digits in three of the last four games. In OU's wins, he is averaging 13.2 points while shooting .549 from the field and .457 from 3-point range (16-for-35). In losses, he's averaging 6.6 points while shooting .409 from the field and .211 from deep (4-for-19).
• Sophomore point guard Carl Blair has shown vast improvement from the beginning of the season. Over the last eight outings, the University of New Orleans transfer is averaging 10.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and a team-high 4.9 assists while shooting .820 from the free throw line (41-for-50). By comparison, in his first six games this year, Blair averaged 4.0 points, 0.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting .556 from the charity stripe (5-for-9). He ranks fifth in the Big 12 with his 4.5 assists per contest (third in league games at 4.9) and has led OU in the category in 13 of the last 17 outings.
• OU's first player off the bench, junior forward C.J. Washington is shooting .700 from the field (14-for-20) over the last 13 games. On the year, Washington leads OU in rebounds per minute (averaging 11.3 per 40 minutes).
• Freshman forward Tyler Neal has provided a spark off the bench the last four games, averaging 7.5 points and a team-high 4.5 rebounds in 16.5 minutes per contest (he averaged 2.0 points and 1.7 rebounds in OU's first seven Big 12 games). His 40-minute projected averages of 15.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game rank second on the team this season.
PREVIEWING KANSAS STATE
• Ranked No. 3 in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today preseason top-25 polls, Kansas State is tied with Colorado and Nebraska for sixth place in the Big 12 at 5-6. The preseason league favorite is 17-9 overall after its 84-68 home win over No. 1 ranked Kansas on Monday. The Wildcats, who are 13-1 at Bramlage Coliseum this year (only loss came to Colorado), have won three of their last four games after losing five of seven to start conference action.
• In Big 12 play, Kansas State is shooting .421 from the field (ranks 10th in the Big 12), .364 from 3-point range (ranks seventh) and .716 from the free throw line (ranks seventh). Its +3.6 rebounding margin ranks third in the league.
• The Wildcats are allowing 69.5 points per Big 12 game, fifth fewest in the league (they give up just 63.2 per conference home game). Kansas State ranks ninth by allowing conference foes to shoot .461 from the field.
• Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year Jacob Pullen is averaging a team-high 18.8 points per game on the season (ranks third in the league) to go along with 3.2 rebounds and team highs of 3.8 assists and 1.6 steals. The senior guard is coming off a career-high 38-point effort against Kansas in which he went 5-for-6 from 3-point range and 15-for-19 from the free throw line. Pullen has scored at least 20 points 11 times in his 23 games, including eight times in the last 12 outings (he's averaging 20.9 during the 12-game stretch).
• Sophomore guard Rodney McGruder averages 10.9 points, a team-high 6.3 boards and 1.5 assists a game. He leads the squad with 55 3-pointers and paces regulars with his .404 mark from behind the arc. McGruder has scored in double figures in five of the last six games.
• Junior forward Jamar Samuels and senior forward Curtis Kelly both average 9.4 points per outing. Samuels adds 5.6 rebounds per game while Kelly averages 4.9 boards.
• Frank Martin is in his fourth year as Kansas State's head coach and owns an 89-41 record at the school.
OU-KANSAS STATE SERIES HISTORY
Oklahoma owns a 102-90 all-time record against Kansas State and is 35-54 in games played in Manhattan. OU is 10-5 against the Wildcats since the formation of the Big 12 Conference and has won nine of the last 12 meetings (K-State's three wins during the stretch have come over the last four games). The Sooners have won four of the last five times at Bramlage Coliseum, with those four victories coming by a combined 12 points (wins by one point in 2001, two points in 2003, one point in 2005 and eight points in 2009).
LAST YEAR AGAINST THE WILDCATS
• Trailing 50-49 with 14:30 left in the game, Oklahoma watched No. 7 Kansas State go on a 21-6 run over the next 6:20 to take a 71-55 lead in an eventual 83-68 outcome in Norman last February.
• Ahead by just two at halftime (35-33), the Wildcats outscored OU 48-35 after intermission. They shot .581 from the field and .545 (6-for-11) from behind the arc in the second half.
• Oklahoma only had three more turnovers than Kansas State (13-10), but the Wildcats had 23 points off turnovers to OU's 12.
• The Sooners played without leading scorer Willie Warren (ankle injury).
• Freshmen accounted for 43 of OU's 68 points on the night (63 percent). Tommy Mason-Griffin led the team with 16 points and five assists, while Andrew Fitzgerald tied career highs with 14 points and five rebounds.
• Denis Clemente netted 27 points for Kansas State (he was 5-for-9 from 3-point distance) and added six assists. Jacob Pullen and Curtis Kelly scored 14 points each while Kelly also pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.
WEDNESDAY'S NEBRASKA RECAP
• Nebraska snapped a 13-game Big 12 losing streak with a 59-58 win in Norman on Wednesday night. Oklahoma senior Cade Davis hit a fade-away perimeter jumper in the corner with 3.7 seconds left that seemingly tied the game at 59-59. One game official ruled it a 3-point attempt as Davis shot the ball, but another ruled it a 2-pointer after the ball went through the net. With no stoppage in play and both teams thinking the shot evened the game, Nebraska quickly inbounded and attempted a last-second 3-point heave that was off the mark. After the horn, officials reviewed Davis' jumper and ruled his foot was on the 3-point line, giving the Huskers the one-point victory.
• Nebraska shot 52.3 percent from the field to OU's 43.4 percent. Both teams made 23 field goals and five 3-pointers. The Huskers made eight free throws to OU's seven.
• With 15 points, sophomore Andrew Fitzgerald led the Sooners in scoring for the ninth time this year and for the third time in the last four games. He added five rebounds in 31 minutes.
• Davis scored 10 of his 13 points in the second half. He pulled down a team-high eight rebounds and has led OU in the category in seven of his last 10 games.
• Sophomore guard Carl Blair, who tallied five points, racked up eight assists against just one turnover in his 27 minutes. His assist total was tied for the second highest by a Sooner this year.
• Nebraska committed nine first-half turnovers that led to 12 OU points. In the second half, the Huskers committed just two turnovers that led to no points.
PLEDGER GOES FOR 38 AT IOWA STATE
• Steven Pledger poured in a career-high 38 points in an 82-76 overtime win at Iowa State on Jan. 29 to help OU snap a 19-game losing streak away from home. Pledger's 38 points are tied for the most in Big 12 play this year and are the second most by a conference player in any game this season. He surpassed his previous career high of 23 points by 15.
• Pledger's 12 field goals, seven 3-pointers and seven free throw makes were all career highs. So were his 44 minutes of playing time.
• Pledger scored 17 of OU's final 21 points of the game, including the first 10 of overtime and 12 of its 15 in the extra session. He added three rebounds, three assists, a blocked shot and two steals without a turnover on the night.
UNDEFEATED IN OVERTIME
The Sooners improved to 7-0 in overtime games under head coach Jeff Capel with their 82-76 win at Iowa State on Jan. 29. Other overtime wins under Capel have come at West Virginia (88-82 in two overtimes on Dec. 29, 2007), versus Baylor (92-91 on Feb. 19, 2008), against Purdue (87-82 on Nov. 28, 2008, in Preseason NIT championship game), at Utah (78-73 on Dec. 12, 2009), versus Oklahoma State (62-57 on Jan. 11, 2010) and versus North Carolina Central (71-63 on Jan. 15, 2010).
UP NEXT
OU stays on the road for a game at No. 21 Texas A&M on Wednesday. The 6:30 p.m. CT contest will be televised by Fox Sports Southwest.
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