Sooners Hit the Road Against Texas Tech

Texas Tech

Oklahoma

February 4 | 6 p.m. CT | United Supermarkets Arena

SATURDAY'S GAME BASICS

At the midway point of conference play, Oklahoma (8-13, 2-7 Big 12) begins its second round of competition against its nine Big 12 opponents. First up for the Sooners is a Saturday evening contest with Texas Tech (15-7, 3-6 Big 12) in Lubbock, Texas. Oklahoma defeated the Red Raiders, 84-75, in the first meeting last month and looks to sweep Tech for the third time in the Lon Kruger era.

ON THE AIR

Saturday's contest tips off at 6 p.m. CT and air on the Sooner Radio Network (KRXO 107.7 FM “The Franchise” in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa) with Toby Rowland and Kevin Henry announcing. The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU with Dave Armstrong and Bryndon Manzer calling the action.

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

•A pair of rookie Sooners enter their first game of February coming off of an excellent January. Freshmen Kameron McGusty and Kristian Doolittle combined to average 27.1 points per game in the month of January, almost doubling their scoring output from the first month of the season (15.0 points per game in November).

• In his most recent outing, McGusty scored a career-high 22 points against Oklahoma State (Jan. 30). McGusty has totaled 20 points on three occasions this season – all within the past seven games. His three 20-point games are the most by an OU freshman since Jordan Woodard (also had three) in 2013-14. McGusty ranks second among all Big 12 freshmen in scoring during conference play with 15.8 points.

• McGusty enters Saturday with nine-straight games of scoring in double-figures. Should he score 10 or more points against the Red Raiders, McGusty will be the first Sooner freshman to string together 10 consecutive games of at least 10 points since Jeff Webster achieved a 22-game streak in 1990-91. Blake Griffin is the only other Sooner freshman in the past 25 years to reach nine-straight games.

• Junior forward Khadeem Lattin recorded a season-high six blocked shots against Oklahoma State on Monday. Lattin leads the Big 12 in blocked shots during conference play, registering 2.8 rejections per game (2.2 on the season). The junior averages 2.8 blocks per game against the Red Raiders in five previous meetings, including a career-high eight swats on Jan. 26, 2016.

• Oklahoma won the first meeting with Tech this season on Jan. 14, 84-75, at Lloyd Noble Center. The Sooners were boosted by a pair of 20-point performances from senior guard Jordan Woodard (27 points) and sophomore guard Rashard Odomes (24 points). Odomes shot 9-of-14 from the field en route to his career-high 24 points. The sophomore notched 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting in the opening half and rounded out his evening with eight rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes.

LOOKING BACK AT BEDLAM

• Oklahoma (8-13, 2-7 Big 12) fell in the first Bedlam meeting of the 2016-17 season, 68-66, at Lloyd Noble Center. Oklahoma State (14-8, 3-6 Big 12) snapped OU's seven-game Bedlam winning streak with its first win over the Sooners since Feb. 26, 2013. Monday's loss also snapped a 12-game Oklahoma home winning streak over the Cowboys. Oklahoma State had not won in Norman since 2004.

• Oklahoma State senior Phil Forte hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 9.9 seconds remaining.

• The Sooners now own a 9-3 record against Oklahoma State during the Lon Kruger era and a 136-96 all-time advantage in Bedlam.

• Freshman guard Kameron McGusty led the Sooners with a career-high 22 points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal. McGusty has totaled 20 points on three occasions this seasons – all within the past seven games.

• Sophomore forward Dante Buford scored 11 of Oklahoma's 22 bench points. Buford's season-high 11 points came on 3-of-5 shooting (2-of-4 from 3-point range) alongside five boards and a pair of steals.

Odomes

Rashard Odomes scored a career-high 24 points in this season's first meeting with the Red Raiders.

YOUTH GROUP

• One of the youngest teams in both the Big 12 and the nation, Oklahoma has seen its freshmen and sophomores play a large role for the Sooners this season. The Sooner roster boasts 11 underclassmen (freshmen and sophomores) – the most of any OU team in the Lon Kruger era and the most of any Big 12 roster this season. The young Sooners have received ample experience through their first nine Big 12 contests.

•OU freshmen have played a total of 584 minutes (second most in Big 12), averaging a combined 25.9 points per game and contributing 39.9 percent of OU's scoring in Big 12 play - the second-highest percentage in the conference. Sooner underclassmen rank second in the Big 12 in total minutes played in conference competition (1,216) and have scored 70.5 percent of Oklahoma's points the past eight games (second in Big 12).

SERIES HISTORY

• Oklahoma owns a 38-22 lead in the all-time series. The Sooners have won seven of the last nine meetings, including an 84-75 victory earlier this season in Norman.

• Tech holds a 14-13 advantage when playing in Lubbock. Should the Sooners win, Lubbock would be the fourth Big 12 city that the Sooners hold a .500 record or better in - joining Fort Worth, Morgantown and Waco.

• The Sooners are 8-3 against Tech in the Lon Kruger era and hold a 3-2 record in Lubbock under Kruger.

UP NEXT

• The Sooners return to Norman to face No. 7 West Virginia on Wednesday, Feb. 8. The contest will tip at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2. Oklahoma leads the all-time series, 9-4, and is a perfect 4-0 against the Mountaineers in Norman.

• OU upset West Virginia in the first meeting of the season, outlasting WVU, 89-87, in overtime. West Virginia, ranked No. 7 at the time, is the highest rated opponent Oklahoma has defeated in a true road game since Feb. 17, 1993, when the unranked Sooners defeated No. 6 Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse, 80-77.

• The Sooners have won four of the past five meetings, with the lone loss coming in the semifinals of the 2016 Big 12 Championship, falling, 69-67, when Buddy Hield's would-be game-winner came just after the buzzer.