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No. 2 Oklahoma vs. No. 8 North Carolina

Feb. 22, Noon | Headington Family Tennis Center

Norman, Okla.

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NORMAN -- The top-ranked Oklahoma men's tennis team looks to remain perfect on the season with a pair of top-15 matchups this weekend. The Sooners travel to College Station, Texas to take on the 13^th-ranked Aggies of Texas A&M Friday at 6 p.m., and then return home to host No. 8 North Carolina Sunday at noon.

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The Sooners are coming off an historic weekend in which they won their first ever ITA National Indoor Championship and claimed the ITA's No. 1 ranking for the second time in program history.

At the ITA Indoors, Oklahoma knocked off No. 15 Ole Miss and then-No. 8 North Carolina to advance to the semifinals where they would take on conference rival Baylor. Against the 5^th-ranked Bears, the Sooners dropped the doubles point, but rallied to win four singles to earn a berth in the finals. After dropping his first set and trailing 2-5 in the second, sophomore Alex Ghilea won 11 consecutive games to take the match and clinch a finals berth for the Sooners.

Against the then-top ranked USC Trojans, the now 10-0 Sooners fell behind in doubles, but stormed back, successfully defending six match points to take the point. OU won three matches in singles to take a 4-2 win and claim the championship.

IN THE RANKINGS

The Sooners are currently ranked as the No. 1 team in the country by the ITA. Tuesday's poll marked just the second time in program history that the Sooners have occupied the top spot. OU was last ranked No. 1 the week of March 18, 2014 after the Sooners knocked off No. 1 Ohio State.

In addition to the No. 1 ranking, Oklahoma also boasts a roster loaded with players ranked in the ITA's singles and doubles polls. Junior Axel Alvarez is the highest ranked Sooner at No. 11, sophomore Andrew Harris sits at No. 26, senior Dane Webb comes in at No. 31 and sophomore Alex Ghilea rounds things out at No. 63. The doubles team of Alvarez and Webb is currently unbeaten and ranked No. 5.

HEADING OUTDOORS

The Sooners' match against Texas A&M will be played outdoors. It will be the Sooners' first outdoor match of the year. Temperatures are expected to be in the high 60s with a 60 percent chance of scattered showers. Winds are expected to be out of the south at 15-20 mph. By ITA guidelines, sustained winds of 20 mph or greater can cause the cancellation of the match.

SCOUTING REPORT: No. 13 Texas A&M

The Aggies are ranked No. 13 in the latest ITA poll and are 2-1 so far this season. The Aggies' most recent win came Jan. 31 when they upset then-No. 5 Ohio State 4-3. Their lone loss came to TCU in the first round of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend, which they hosted.

The Texas A&M roster currently features four players ranked nationally in singles:

No. 36 Harrison Adams - Jr.
No. 43 Jeremy Efferding - Sr.
No. 45 Shane Vinsant - Jr.
No. 51 AJ Catanzariti - Fr.

The doubles point could prove to be an opportunity for the Aggies. Texas A&M boasts two pairs ranked in the top-15 nationally and has yet to drop a match in doubles in their three duals. The duo of Adams and Vinsant currently rank No. 8, while the pair of Efferding and senior Jordan Szabo rank No. 13. Oklahoma has lost the doubles point in four of its 10 matches this season, but has rallied to win the dual in each of those matches.

SCOUTING REPORT: No. 8 North Carolina

The Tar Heels come to Norman Sunday looking at avenge their 4-1 loss to the Sooners in the quarterfinals of the ITA National Indoors. North Carolina won the doubles point, but OU won the first four singles to take the match.

In the quarterfinals, the Sooners got wins from Harris at No. 1 against No. 6 Brayden Schur, Alvarez at No. 2 over No. 19 Ronnie Schneider, Spencer Papa at No. 4 over Oystein Steiro and No. 5 from Ghilea over No. 104 Jack Murray.

North Carolina is currently 9-3 with their best win coming against No. 12 UCLA in the first round of the ITA National Indoors.

QUICK HITS

- Oklahoma has six wins over top-25 ranked teams.
- Oklahoma has lost the doubles point in four matches this season. OU went on to win all four matches.
- Alvarez (9-0), Webb (8-0), Ghilea (7-0) and Bragusi (2-0) are all undefeated in dual-play singles. Alvarez/Webb are an undefeated 9-0 in dual play including 5-0 against ranked teams.
- Ghilea is 3-0 against ranked opponents and is 3-0 in 3-set matches.
- Alvarez leads the team in total singles wins (11) and wins against ranked opponents (5).
- OU is a combined 9-0 and 8-0 at No. 2 and No. 3 singles, respectively.
- Four of Oklahoma's next five matches will be against teams ranked in the top-20

QUOTABLE

Head coach John Roddick

On the No. 1 ranking:
“The No. 1 ranking is great, but my comments last year where that it is something good for the program but in the middle of the season it isn't that big of deal. I think this week it is a big deal. You know you really earned it and it wasn't just a computer that spit out a ranking over the course of a season. So this on is meaningful. The guys deserve this one and to win a tournament like that is pretty special for them.”

On keeping the team focused
“I think that is how you keep them focused and hungry is by having tough opponents. We could have a bad week of practice if we had opponents that they thing they could sleep through. By playing the matches this weekend with A&M outside—you can see we're out here practicing in 40 degree weather trying to get ready for that. That will keep you focused when you play really good competition that you know is capable of beating you. That is why we schedule the way we schedule.”

On the difference in playing indoors and outdoors:
“It's just slower outside so it's more physical and the points are longer. Indoors you can just hit big shots and finish points. Outdoors you can't really get away with that and you have to construct points longer. It favors the kind of player who can move the ball around and make good decisions. Making good decisions is more important inside than outside. We've built our team around that mentality and its one of the reasons why we've played so well indoors. We haven't made bad decisions.”

On fans coming out the match on Sunday:
“Hopefully we have a good crowd on Sunday and I think we will. There is just more energy and it feels like a bigger event when there are more people. It would just make for a good atmosphere and the fans are going to see some really good tennis.”