Sooners to Play Villanova at Pearl Harbor

NORMAN — Helping pay tribute to the almost 2,400 lives lost during the sudden attack of United States military installations on the Hawaiian Islands on Dec. 7, 1941, the University of Oklahoma men's basketball team will play Villanova on Dec. 7 this season on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam near Honolulu. This year will mark the 74th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, which catapulted the U.S. into World War II.

The Sooners will face Villanova at Bloch Arena in Honolulu on the 74th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The OU-Villanova game, which will be televised by FOX Sports 1, will be played inside Bloch Arena and will be part of a four-day remembrance by FOX Sports, with the network also covering activities and events associated with Major League Baseball and the National Football League.

We're very much looking forward to learning in person about the events of Dec. 7, 1941, the servicemen who tragically fell that day and the remarkable patriotism that united our country as a result.
Lon Kruger

The Sooners and Wildcats will tip off at 6 p.m. CT (2 p.m. local time) and be followed by Navy vs. Oregon (also televised by FOX Sports 1). Villanova finished 33-3 this past season and won the Big East regular season title with a 16-2 conference mark. The Wildcats were a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

"Playing in this game will be a true honor for our basketball program," said OU head coach Lon Kruger. "The activities surrounding our trip will provide a tremendous educational opportunity for everyone in our group. We're very much looking forward to learning in person about the events of Dec. 7, 1941, the servicemen who tragically fell that day and the remarkable patriotism that united our country as a result."

One of the casualties in the Pearl Harbor attack was the USS Oklahoma. The 583-foot battleship capsized and sank after it was hit by Japanese torpedoes. A total of 429 of the ship's officers and crew were killed.

uss oklahoma

The USS Oklahoma sank after being hit by Japanese torpedos during the Dec. 7, 1941 attack, killing 429 crew.

OU owns a 1-2 overall mark against the Wildcats, winning a 1988 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game (78-59 in Birmingham, Ala.) and losing regular season contests in 2005-06 (85-74 at Villanova) and 2006-07 (67-51 in Norman).

The trip to Hawai'i will be OU's first of two next season. The Sooners will play in the eight-team Diamond Head Classic Dec. 22, 23 and 25 in Honolulu. The field will also include Auburn, BYU, Harvard, Hawai'i, New Mexico, Northern Iowa and Washington State.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Sooners to Play Villanova at Pearl Harbor

Related News

Related Videos

Sponsors