Sooners Picked Third in Preseason Big 12 Poll

NORMAN -- With four starters back from last year's Big 12 runner-up squad, the Oklahoma men's basketball team was picked third in this year's official Big 12 Preseason Poll announced by the conference office Thursday. The order of finish was picked by the league's head coaches (they were not allowed to vote on their own team).

The Sooners, one of three teams to receive at least one first-place vote, were slotted in their highest preseason position in five years (the 2009-10 team was also picked third).

Kansas finished atop the poll with 78 points (nine points were awarded per first-place vote, eight points per second-place vote, etc.) and six coaches picked the Jayhawks to win the league. KU was followed by Texas (74 points; three first-place votes), OU (67 points; one first-place vote), Kansas State (53 points), Iowa State (51 points), Baylor and West Virginia (36 points each), Oklahoma State (27 points), TCU (15 points) and Texas Tech (13 points).

Oklahoma returns 68 percent of its scoring from a squad that averaged 81.9 points a game, the nation's seventh highest figure last season and the program's highest in 20 years.

Each of head coach Lon Kruger's first three Oklahoma teams finished higher than where they were picked in the Big 12 Preseason Poll. Last year the Sooners were picked tied for fifth and finished second. In 2012-13 OU was slotted seventh and finished tied for fourth. The season before that, OU was picked ninth and wound up eighth.

Oklahoma returns 68 percent of its scoring from a squad that averaged 81.9 points a game, the nation's seventh highest figure last season and the program's highest in 20 years.

The returning starters are junior guard and preseason All-Big 12 selection Buddy Hield (16.5 ppg), junior guard Isaiah Cousins (11.0 ppg), sophomore guard Jordan Woodard (10.3 ppg, 4.6 apg) and junior forward Ryan Spangler (9.6 ppg, Big 12-leading 9.3 rpg).

The Sooners start the 2014-15 season with a Nov. 7 home exhibition game against Washburn and begin the regular season Nov. 16 at home against Southeastern Louisiana.

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