Sooners Take Top Ranking to K-State Tonight

Kansas State

^1/2 Oklahoma

Feb. 6 | 5 p.m. CT | Manhattan, Kan.

SATURDAY'S GAME BASICS

No. 1/2 Oklahoma hits the road for another Big 12 road test at Kansas State Saturday at 5 p.m. CT inside Bramlage Coliseum. OU, which is 19-2 overall and tied atop the Big 12 standings at 7-2, is in its fifth season under head coach Lon Kruger. The Wildcats are 13-9 this season (2-7 Big 12) and are under the direction of Bruce Weber, who is in his fourth campaign in Manhattan.

ON THE AIR

Saturday'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 matchup will be televised by ESPNU with Jason Benetti and Reid Gettys calling the action.

GAMEDAY STORYLINES

• SCENE SETTER: No. 1/2 Oklahoma hits the road for another Big 12 road test at Kansas State this Saturday at 5 p.m. CT inside Bramlage Coliseum. OU, which is 19-2 overall and tied atop the Big 12 standings at 7-2, is in its fifth season under head coach Lon Kruger. The Wildcats are 13-9 this season (2-7 Big 12) and are under the direction of Bruce Weber, who is in his fourth campaign in Manhattan.

• SERVING TREYS: Oklahoma currently ranks first nationally in 3-point field goal percentage (.462) by hitting 237-513 of its shots from downtown. Oklahoma's all-time record for 3-point field goal percentage in a campaign is .414 (1986-87). OU has connected on at least 10 treys in 15 games this year (a school record) and it's 11.3 3-point makes per game ranks third nationally. OU's starting five is averaging 48.6 percent from 3-point range (202 for 416).

• STRONG ON BOTH ENDS: The Sooners rank in the nation's top 15 in both scoring offense with 85.8 points per game (fourth) and scoring margin (+14.2, 13th) by holding opponents to just 71.6 points per contest. Oklahoma has scored at least 80 points in 15 of 21 contests this season. On the other end, OU leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage defense (.395).

• BUDDY BUCKETS: Senior Buddy Hield is currently averaging 25.8 points per game, which ranks first in the Big 12 and second nationally (first among Power 5 conferences). The reigning Big 12 Player of the Year has scored at least 20 points in 12 of the last 15 games and his 51.7 percent (90-174) shooting from downtown ranks first in the country. His 4.29 3FGM per game is tops in the nation. He has eight games of at least 30 points this season (same total as rest of Big 12 combined).

• STEADFAST SOONERS: Oklahoma isn't short on experience or leadership this season. OU's quartet of Isaiah Cousins, Buddy Hield, Ryan Spangler and Jordan Woodard have each started every game (89 total) for OU the past three seasons, tallying 356 combined starts during that span. With the addition of Khadeem Lattin (21 starts), OU boasts a starting five with 404 combined career starts.

NOTES ON K-STATE, OU CONNECTIONS

• Kansas State is under the direction of Bruce Weber, now in his fourth season in Manhattan.

• The Wildcats are led in scoring by Wesley Iwundu, who averages 12.4 points per contest. Justin Edwards is also averaging double-figure scoring with 11. 5 points per game.

• Starter Dean Wade leads the club in rebounds with 5.7 boards per game. Edwards is right behind him with 5.5 rebounds per contest average.

• K-State is averaging 71.9 points per contest and gives up an average of 67.3 points per game to its opponent.

• The Wildcats currently rank ninth in the country in 3-point field goal defense (.291).

• In the first matchup of the season between the Sooners and Wildcats (Jan. 9, OU won 86-76), reserve Barry Brown led K-State with 19 points. Also in double-figure scoring that game was Dean Wade (12), Stephen Hurt (11) and D.J. Johnson (10). In the contest, Kansas State shot .384 from the field, including .308 from long distance.

• OU head coach Lon Kruger was the 1973 and '74 Big Eight Player of the Year as a Kansas State Wildcat and coached at the school for four years, compiling an 81-46 record from 1986-87 through 1989-90.

• Sooners assistant coach Steve Henson played for Kruger at K-State each of those four seasons and still holds school career records for assists (582), assists per game (4.58), free throw percentage (.900), minutes per game (35.2), starts (118), consecutive games played (127) and consecutive starts (118). Both are members of K-State's Athletics Hall of Fame.

QUICK HITS

• Oklahoma has already played six teams this season ranked in the AP's top 20 (4-2 in those contests).

• The Sooners have won 18 consecutive home games (11-0 this season).

• OU currently owns the best overall winning percentage (.905) in the Big 12. The Sooners (7-2) are currently tied atop the Big 12 standings with West Virginia. Oklahoma is currently tied for the second-best record in college basketball at 19-2 overall.

• The Sooners rank in the top 15 in both scoring offense with 85.8 points per game (fourth) and scoring margin (+14.2, 13th) by holding opponents to just 71.6 points per contest.

• OU enters Saturday's contest having scored at least 80 points in 15 of 21 total contests this season (averaging 85.8 points per game, which is ranked fourth nationally). OU is 14-1 this season when scoring 80-plus points.

• The Sooners currently rank first in the Big 12 in field goal percentage defense (.395). OU is currently first in the Big 12 and fourth in the country in blocked shots per game (6.2).

SOONERS RED-HOT FROM DEEP

• Oklahoma currently ranks first in the country in 3-point field goal percentage (.462). OU's all-time record for 3-point field goal percentage in a season is .414 (1986-87). The Big 12's record is .426 (OSU, 2004-05).

• OU's average of 11.3 3-point makes per game ranks third nationally. The 11.3 avg. would mark the eighth-most in NCAA history if the season ended today (Big 12 record stands at 9.9 by Iowa State in 2012-13).

• OU has made at least 10 treys in 15 games this season (which marks a school record). In 35 contests last year, the Sooners registered just seven games of double-digit 3-point makes.

• Buddy Hield (.517), Jordan Woodard (.510) and Isaiah Cousins (.464) currently rank as the first-, second- and third-best 3-point shooters in the Big 12.

• OU's 46.2 3-point field goal percentage would be the highest in DI hoops since Green Bay shot 46.7 percent from downtown in 1991-92.

• Oklahoma is currently shooting better from downtown (.462) than six teams in the Big 12 are shooting overall from the field (West Virginia-.460, Oklahoma State-.440, Texas Tech-.439, Texas-.437, Kansas State-.429, TCU-.415).

#BUDDYBUCKETS

• On the season, Buddy Hield is averaging 25.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.4 steals in 34.0 minutes per game. He's shooting .528 (178-337) from the field, .517 (90-174) from 3-point range (which ranks No. 1 in the nation) and .896 (95-106) from the charity stripe.

• In nine Big 12 games, Hield is averaging 26.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists while shooting .548 from the field (80-146), .506 from 3-point range (45-89) and .882 from the free throw line (30-34). He is averaging 5.0 3-point makes in league play.

• The senior is currently the only player in the country averaging greater than 50.0 percent from the field, 50.0 percent from 3 and 85.0 percent from the foul line while averaging more than 10.0 points per game.

• His 25.8 points per game average ranks first among Big 12 players this season and second nationally (first among Power 5 conf. players).

• The senior's 4.29 3FGM per game ranks first in nation. He has made at least five 3-pointers in a game nine times this year.

• Hield has scored at least 20 points in 15 of 21 games this season after doing it 13 times in 35 games last season.

• He has 12 games this year of at least 25 points. In his first three seasons, he combined for six games of at least 25 points.

• Hield has eight games this season scoring at least 30 points (same number as the rest of the players in the Big 12 combined). It's the most 30-point games by a Sooner in a season since Jeff Webster in the 1993-94 season (10).

• Hield has shot at least 50 percent from 3-point range in eight of the last nine games (51 for 95; .537) and in 13 of the last 15 outings.

UP NEXT

• The Sooners host the Texas Longhorns on 'Big Monday' in Norman at 8 p.m. CT inside Lloyd Noble Center (ESPN). It will mark the first meeting between the two rivals this season. OU has won four straight (and five of last six) against UT.