OU No. 2 Seed in NCAA Tourney; Road Starts in OKC

NORMAN —The Oklahoma men's basketball team is going dancing for the fourth consecutive season under head coach Lon Kruger. The 25-7 Sooners were named Sunday as the No. 2 seed in the event's West Region and will battle No. 15 seed CSU Bakersfield (24-8) on Friday in Oklahoma City at approximately 3 p.m. CT (or 30 minutes following 12:30 p.m. game). OU's matchup will be televised by TNT, with Carter Blackburn, Mike Gminski and Jaime Maggio on the call.

If the Sooners win their tournament opener, they will play Sunday against the winner of Friday's contest between No. 7 seed Oregon St. and No. 10 seed VCU. Games in Oklahoma City will be played inside Chesapeake Energy Arena (approximately 21 miles north of the Lloyd Noble Center).

The Sooners, who finished in third place in the Big 12 Conference with a 12-6 mark and advanced to the conference championship's semifinals, are making their 30th NCAA Tournament appearance. Their 26 appearances since 1983 are the second most in the Big 12 during the span behind Kansas' 32 and tied with Michigan State for ninth most nationally.

“It's a great time of year and we are excited about the opportunity that lies ahead,” Kruger said. “Playing in Oklahoma City is fantastic. Early in the year there was a lot of mention about, from other folks, Oklahoma City and how nice it would be to get there. Our guys have done what they needed to in order to accomplish that, which is great.”

Leading the Sooners into Friday's game will be back-to-back Big 12 Player of the Year, Buddy Hield, along with fellow seniors Isaiah Cousins and Ryan Spangler.

Hield is averaging a league-best (also first among Power 5 players) 25.0 points a game this season and leads the conference's guards with his 5.6 rebounds a contest. The Freeport, Bahamas, native is currently the only player in America averaging at least 25.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. The national player of the year candidate currently stands in fourth place in career scoring both in OU and Big 12 history (2,165 points).

"Early in the year there was a lot of mention about, from other folks, Oklahoma City and how nice it would be to get there. Our guys have done what they needed to in order to accomplish that, which is great."
Lon Kruger

“We have to go out there and compete as hard as we can,” Hield said. “You've got to leave it all out on the floor because you can't get a game back. Playing in Oklahoma City, it means a lot. Now you're home, the crowd, the fans are going to be there.”

Oklahoma native Spangler is among four student-athletes to recently make their 100th consecutive start together for the Sooners (Cousins, Hield and Woodard). The Big 12 leading rebounder (9.4 rpg) has 13 double-doubles on the season heading into the NCAA Tournament.

“It means a lot (to play in Oklahoma City) being from here,” Spangler said. “I've got a lot of people that will be at the game. Just being able to play in front of your fans will be great.”

Friday's game will mark OU's first against CSU Bakersfield. The Roadrunners, coached by former OU assistant (2006-07) Rod Barnes, finished 11-3 in the WAC (T2nd) and beat New Mexico State, 57-54, in their league tournament championship game (hit a 3-pointer with 0.2 seconds remaining in regulation to win). CSU Bakersfield, which moved to NCAA Division I beginning with the 2007-08 season, enters Friday's contest on a six-game winning streak (won 10 of its last 11).

The Sooners, who have claimed a school record eight wins against top 25 teams this season, own a 38-29 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament and have made four Final Four appearances (1939, 1947, 1988 and 2002), three Elite Eight showings and five Sweet 16 appearances. They reached the national championship game in 1947 and 1988.

Oklahoma fans wishing to purchase tickets to OU's game(s) in Oklahoma City should visit Chesapeake Energy Arena's website or via Stubhub.com.