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November 21, 2012 | Record: 2-0 (0-0 Big 12) | Gameday Central | Stats

Tourney Time

The Sooners head to Orlando for the 2012 Old Spice Classic having played their first two regular season games in the span of six days. This weekend presents a much bigger challenge as they will play three games in four days. OU faces UTEP in Thursday's opening round at 6 p.m. CT and will take on either Clemson or Gonzaga on Friday before Sunday's final round. While the task of playing three games in four days can be tiresome, it's something the Sooners are looking forward to.

"It's an adjustment, but it's something you have to love, getting the chance to play in a Thanksgiving tournament and just playing basketball, period," senior Romero Osby said. "I think all the years of playing in AAU prepares you for this, playing a lot of games in a short period of time."

Oklahoma is one of eight teams in the Old Spice Classic, which means the Sooners will prepare for three games with the possibility of facing seven different opponents. For the younger guys who have never played in a Thanksgiving weekend-style tournament, getting prepared for your opponent on extremely short notice might be the hardest part.

"It's a challenge, given that the preparation for three games is a lot harder than it was in high school and in AAU," freshman Je'lon Hornbeak said. "I think this will be a good measuring stick for us, as a team coming together as we learn a fairly new system. I'm looking forward to the experience."

Lessons Learned

A tight 63-59 win at UT Arlington last Friday in OU's earliest true road game in 11 years provided many lessons for the Sooners. Lon Kruger's team trailed by nine points early, rebounded to take a 17-point lead in the second half and had to scratch out the victory after the Mavericks rallied to tie the game with three minutes to go.

For an Oklahoma program that's won just one true road game each of the previous three seasons, the Sooners were happy to get the win. And for what they gleaned from the process.

"I think it was as good of a game that could have happened to us," junior Tyler Neal said. "Being on the road in a pretty tough environment, it was a good atmosphere and their fans were great. It was fun playing in that type of atmosphere, especially earlier in the year. To get that experience, especially with the young guys on the team, there was some good stuff on film to look at that will benefit us and that we're ready to put it into play here in Orlando."

Despite struggling at times early in the first half and in the middle stages of the second half, maintaining composure, taking care of the ball and making free throws were all key for OU in the final minutes of Friday's win. The goal is to become more consistent throughout the course of a game.

"We can learn to not take anything for granted," senior Romero Osby said. "The fact that we got a big lead, we have to keep building on it. I think that's something that's going to get better as we continue to get better and stronger as a team, and as we continue to mature."

Thankful Sooners

This week, families throughout the country will gather around the dinner table and share with each other what they're most thankful for. The Oklahoma men's basketball family is no different, except we substituted a camera for the table. Among many things, we're thankful for you the fans. Like senior Andrew Fitzgerald says, "The good times are about to come."

UP NEXT
The Sooners begin play in the Old Spice Classic on Thanksgiving Day, with all contests slated to be televised on ESPN2:

Date	Opponent	Time
11/22	vs. UTEP	6 p.m.
11/23	TBD	TBA
11/25	TBD	TBA

Old Spice Classic | Full Schedule
MOST RECENTLY
For the 10th consecutive year, the Sooners moved to 2-0, this time with a win over UT Arlington on the road:

Opponent	W/L	Score
UT Arlington	W	63-59

QUOTABLE
Head Coach Lon Kruger
"It's a test for the early-season conditioning part of it where our depth should be a positive for us. People off the bench have given us very significant minutes and contributions."

Senior F Andrew Fitzgerald
"We're only coming down here to play basketball. It's going to be exciting, but we just have to stay focused as a team and overcome everything that's going on around us."

TEAM NOTES

The Old Spice Classic marks OU's fifth straight Thanksgiving week tournament. OU advanced to the championship game of last year's 76 Classic (2-1 record), competed in the 2010 Maui Invitational (0-3), the 2009 Great Alaska Shootout (1-2) and won the 2008 NIT Season Tip-Off (4-0).

After averaging a +3.3 rebounding margin last season (their best mark in three years), the Sooners have outboarded their two foes by an average of 14.5 this season. They were +19 against ULM and +10 at UT Arlington.

OU has held its first two opponents to combined shooting percentages of .363 from the field and .176 from 3-point range (6-for-34). OU's 3-point field goal percentage defense is tops in the Big 12.

2012-13 Game Notes

INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Freshman G Buddy Hield
Hield leads the team in scoring with his 13.0 average in 20.5 minutes per game off the bench. The Freeport, Bahamas, native is shooting a team-best .588 from the field (10-for-17) and has knocked down 3 treys on 7 attempts (.429).

Senior G Sam Grooms
Grooms led the Big 12 in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.8) and ranked second in assists (6.0 per game) last year. Grooms has come off the bench in both games this season and has racked up 7 assists against just 1 turnover (his 7.0 ratio again leads the league).

Junior G Steven Pledger
Pledger leads the Big 12 with his 3.5 3-pointers per game (shooting .438) and is averaging 12.0 points in 24.5 minutes a game. Pledger continues to climb OU's career charts in scoring and 3-pointers. He ranks 33rd in school history with 1,046 points and fifth in 3-pointers (185).

HOLIDAY TICKET SALE
OU will conduct a special online-only sale for three men's and women's basketball doubleheaders, beginning at midnight on Nov. 23 and ending at 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 26:

Online Doubleheader Ticket Sale