On the Road Again

No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Ohio State, No. 10 Air Force
March 11 | 4 p.m. CT | Columbus, Ohio | St. John Arena

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MATCHUP AT A GLANCE
	Oklahoma	Ohio State	Air Force
2016 Record	10-0	9-2	8-6
2016 Ranking	No. 1	No.2	No. 10
2016 Scoring Average	447.917	437.610	423.125
2016 Team High	452.350	447.400	433.450

NOTES AND NUMBERS FOR WEEK NINE

THE MATCHUP

The No. 1 Oklahoma men's gymnastics team travels to Columbus, Ohio, this week for a 4 p.m. CT meet with the third-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes and the 10th-ranked Air Force Falcons on Friday, March 11. The matchup will be the Sooners' first road contest since beating then-No. 10 Michigan in Ann Arbor on Jan. 23. The meet is Oklahoma's third of the year in five-up-five-count format, with all five routines on each event counting toward the teams' totals. The meet will be streamed live at OhioStateBuckeyes.com.

LAST TIME VS. OHIO STATE AND AIR FORCE

The Sooners hosted Ohio State a year ago, taking on the Buckeyes inside the Lloyd Noble Center on March 14 in preparation for the NCAA Championships that would be held there just weeks later. Oklahoma nearly topped 450, scoring a 449.700 in a more than 20-point win over OSU. Oklahoma swept both the team and individual event titles in the rout.

Oklahoma's last meeting with Air Force came in its season opener at the Rocky Mountain Open on Jan. 16 in Colorado Springs, Colo. The Sooners posted a team total of 448.350 to best the field of Air Force, Arizona State, Nebraska and Washington.

A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN

OU is the only team in NCAA history to top the 450-point mark in NCAA competition. Oklahoma did so for the fourth time in program history in its March 5 meet with No. 2 Stanford, scoring 452.350. That mark is the third highest ever, just behind OU's NCAA record of 457.300 from Feb. 27, 2015 and the 456.400 it put up on Feb. 14, 2015 against Michigan. The Sooners also scored 450.750 during the NCAA prelims on March 14, 2015. Against the Cardinal last week, the Sooners notched season highs on pommel horse (74.650), rings (76.400) and parallel bars (76.350) en route to their historic total.

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER

Senior Kanji Oyama was a big reason for the Sooners' big total against Stanford, a meet that served as Senior Night for OU. The Huntington Beach, Calif., native posted the nation's highest all-around score of the year, notching a 91.100 to set a career high. He also claimed the event title on rings with a 15.600. Oyama scored at least 14.850 on every event and was named both MPSF and NCAA Gymnast of the Week for his performance. Oyama was also named MPSF Gymnast of the Week on Feb. 9 after Oklahoma's meet with Nebraska.

NATIONAL TEAM PRESENCE

The Sooners had a successful weekend at the 2016 Winter Cup. Freshman Yul Moldauer earned a place on the U.S. Senior National Team with a fourth-place finish in the all-around and four Sooner alums, including assistant coach Steven Legendre and broadcaster Jake Dalton, were also named to the senior squad. Junior Allan Bower placed eighth in the all-around with a two-day mark of 172.800 while senior Kanji Oyama came in 11th with a score of 170.400. Freshman Levi Anderson was also in contention and turned in a solid 166.800 to place 16th. Junior Colin Van Wicklen and sophomore Hunter Justus also competed at the Winter Cup, but did not take part in the all-around. Van Wicklen posted his best marks on vault with a 14.950 and 15.350, while Justus performed best on floor with a first-day mark of 14.600.

THE FRIENDLY CONFINES

McCasland Field House has been more than kind to the Sooners over the years. OU's win over No. 2 Stanford on March 5 was its 35th straight at McCasland. Oklahoma has not lost in its home arena since March 3, 2007 (vs. Ohio State). During that span Oklahoma has racked up 34 home-meet wins, including a pair of MPSF Conference titles, and has won a pair of national championships (2008, 2015).

STANDOUT FRESHMAN

Arvada, Colo., native Yul Moldauer has made quite an impression early in his collegiate career. At the Rocky Mountain Open in week one, Moldauer took the all-around title with a tournament-record of 90.150. After his impressive debut, Moldauer was named NCAA Gymnast of the Week. In the Sooners' second meet, Moldauer continued his winning ways as he grabbed the all-around title at No. 10 Michigan with a mark of 88.550 and also won the parallel bars with a 2016 team-high 16.000. Against Iowa and Cal in OU's home opener, Moldauer won the event titles on parallel bars (15.300) and high bar (15.150). A week later against Nebraska, the freshman took the event title on parallel bars with a 15.900. At the 2016 Winter Cup, Moldauer placed fifth in the all-around with a two-day total of 174.350. His score was third best among NCAA competitors and earned him a place on the U.S. Senior Men's National Team. Moldauer currently ranks in the top 10 nationally on floor, rings, parallel bars and in the all-around.

ROAD TESTED

Oklahoma picked up a top-10 road win Jan. 23 as it traveled to Ann Arbor, Mich., to beat the 10th-ranked Wolverines, 444.400-427.850. The Sooners swept the individual titles with Colin Van Wicklen winning floor (15.400), rings (14.850) and vault (15.500), Allan Bower taking the pommel horse (15.000) and Yul Moldauer claiming parallel bars (16.000), high bar (14.950) and the all-around (88.550).

TOUGH ROW TO HOE

The Sooners' quest to repeat as national champions is not an easy one. Oklahoma is navigating a demanding schedule that features eight of the other nine teams currently in the top 10 of national scoring average. The Sooners have home wins over Cal, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota and Stanford and must still face No. 3 Ohio State and No. 5 Illinois on the road. OU bested No. 7 Air Force at the Rocky Mountain Open, No. 10 Michigan on the road.

DEFEND FOR 10

Oklahoma claimed its ninth NCAA championship in 2015 and will look to secure its 10th in 2016. The 2015 OU squad was one of the best in program history. The team went 26-0 on the year en route to its 22nd conference title and the NCAA crown. The Sooners turned in dominant performances all season, including setting the NCAA single-meet scoring record in back-to-back meets during the regular season. In total, 11 different Sooners took home 14 All-America honors and Michael Squires (rings) and Michael Reid (pommel horse) both claimed NCAA event titles.

UP NEXT

OU concludes the regular season against No. 5 Illinois on Saturday, March 11 at 1:30 p.m. CT in Urbana-Champaign, Ill. Following that meet, the Sooners will have a week off before heading to Palo Alto, Calif., to compete at the MPSF Conference championship meet on Saturday, April 2.

QUICK HITS

• OU is ranked No. 1 in the CGA Coaches Poll for the ninth consecutive week. The Sooners received all 19 first place votes in week nine and own the nation's top scoring average (447.917).

• Freshman Yul Moldauer earned a spot on the U.S. Senior National Team with a fourth-place finish in the all-around at the 2016 Winter Cup. In addition to Moldauer, four Sooner alums earned spots on the team.

• Oyama (2nd - 88.883), Moldauer (3rd - 88.683), junior Allan Bower (4th -88.150) and Van Wicklen (10th - 86.867) all rank in the top-10 nationally in all-around scoring.

• As a team, the Sooners boast the nation's best three-score average on floor, rings, vault and parallel bars. OU also ranks second on high bar and fourth on pommel horse.