Take Notice: MBB IS BACK TONIGHT

Washburn

^8/8 Oklahoma

Nov. 6 | 7 p.m. | Norman

Notes

FRIDAY'S GAME BASICS

The No. 8/8 Sooners play their first of two exhibition games when they host Washburn on Friday at 7 p.m. CT at Lloyd Noble Center. OU, which went 24-11 last season (12-6 Big 12; T/2nd Place) and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16, is starting its fifth season under head coach Lon Kruger. The Ichabods, coached by Kruger's former Kansas State teammate Bob Chipman, went 16-16 last season.

Head coach Lon Kruger begins his fifth season in Norman.

ON THE AIR

Friday's contest will air on the Sooner Radio Network (KRXO 107.7 FM “The Franchise” in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa) with Toby Rowland and Scott Thompson announcing. The game will be televised by Sooner Sports TV (FS Oklahoma, Southwest Plus and Fox College Sports Central) with Chad McKee, Billy Tubbs and Jessica Coody calling the action.

TICKETS

• Tickets are available starting at $5 at the OU Athletics Ticket Office (800-456-4668) and online here. Lloyd Noble Center's north and east ticket windows will open at 5:30 p.m. on Friday.

• OU students will be admitted free with a valid school I.D.

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

• The Sooners and Ichabods will meet in exhibition play for the fifth consecutive season. Last year, Oklahoma defeated Washburn by a 73-48 final on Nov. 7 in Norman. OU has also won regular season games over WU in 1909-10 (55-20), 1930-31 (30-27) and 1972-73 (79-55).

• OU head coach Lon Kruger and Washburn head coach Bob Chipman were teammates at Kansas State in the early 1970s. The pair helped the Wildcats to back-to-back regular season titles in 1972 and 1973. Kruger was Big Eight Player of the Year in 1973 and 1974.

• The Sooners will look to build upon their defensive success of last season. In 2014-15, OU ranked 11th nationally by holding opponents to a collective .386 season field goal mark. It was the lowest OU opponent figure since the 1959-60 season. Oklahoma held 28 of 35 opponents (80 percent) to fewer points than they were averaging at the time of competition.

• OU returns 75 percent of its scoring, 69 percent of its rebounding and 83 percent of its assists from last season's NCAA Sweet 16 squad. Picked to finish second in the Big 12 by league coaches, the Sooners return four starters, including 2015 Big 12 Player of the Year Buddy Hield.

• Oklahoma is ranked No. 8 in the AP and USA Today Coaches top-25 preseason polls. The No. 8 ranking is the highest for the Sooners since the conclusion of the 2008-09 season (finished No. 7).

PREVIEWING WASHBURN

• Located in Topeka, Kan., NCAA D II member Washburn (school of 7,002 students) competes in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.

• Washburn returns seven players (four with starting experience) and two redshirts from last season's squad that went 16-16 and finished eighth in the MIAA standings. The lone senior, Christian Ulsaker, is the leading returning scorer at 6.7 ppg while adding 3.7 rpg and 1.1 apg. Other returning starters include sophomore David Salach (4.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 0.3 bkpg), junior Andy Wilson (5.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg) and sophomore Brady Skeens (2.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg).

• Washburn is led by longtime head coach Bob Chipman, who was a college teammate of OU head coach Lon Kruger at Kansas State in the early 1970s. Chipman is in his 37th season at WU and owns a 773-330 overall record. Chipman is second in all-time coaching victories among active NCAA Division II coaches.

• Friday will mark the first of two exhibition games for the Ichabods. WU will travel to Las Vegas to take on Augustana (SD) on Nov. 13.

OU-WASHBURN HISTORY

Friday's game will mark the eighth meeting between Oklahoma and Washburn, and the fifth as an exhibition. The Sooners won regular season meetings over the Ichabods in 1909-10 (55-20 in Norman under head coach Bennie Owen), 1930-31 (30-27 in Topeka under head coach Hugh McDermott) and 1972-73 (79-55 in Norman under head coach John MacLeod).

Last year, the Sooners posted a 73-48 victory over Washburn in their exhibition opener on Nov. 7. Buddy Hield paced the Sooners with a game-high 24 points. Jordan Woodard posted 14 points and five assists and Isaiah Cousins recorded 10 points. Then-senior D.J. Bennett came off the bench to add four blocks.

Friday's contest will mark the 12th time for OU head coach Lon Kruger to face a Bob Chipman-coached Washburn team. Kruger beat Washburn once while the head coach at Pan American and six times while the head coach at UNLV (five exhibitions and one regular season game).

EXHIBITING SUCCESS

Oklahoma has compiled a 51-2 exhibition record over the last 26 years. Last season, the Sooners beat Washburn (73-48) and Southwestern Oklahoma State (78-37). The last time OU lost an exhibition game was November 2003 (89-82 to Athletes First).

UP NEXT

The Sooners will play the second of two exhibition games when they host Mid-America Christian on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. CT inside Lloyd Noble Center. It will be OU's final preseason test before it tips off the regular season on Nov. 17 at Memphis.

FRIDAY'S GAME BASICS

ON THE AIR

TICKETS

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

PREVIEWING WASHBURN

OU-WASHBURN HISTORY

EXHIBITING SUCCESS

UP NEXT

Players Mentioned

D.J. Bennett

Isaiah Cousins

Buddy Hield

Buddy Hield

Jordan Woodard

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics