University of Oklahoma Athletics
Tuesday, November 5
Norman
7:00 PM
University of Oklahoma
vs
UTSA
Photo by: Ty Russell
OU Opens Season With UTSA Tuesday
November 03, 2019 | Men's Basketball
NORMAN - It's basketball time in Oklahoma. Coming off its sixth NCAA Tournament appearance in the last seven years, Oklahoma (0-0, 0-0 Big 12) ushers in the 2019-20 campaign on Tuesday by hosting UTSA (0-0, 0-0 C-USA) at 7 p.m. CT.
The season opener will be the first official game in the Crimson and Cream for a majority of the Sooner roster. Oklahoma returns a core of three starters in Jamal Bieniemy, Kristian Doolittle and Brady Manek but also features seven newcomers and a pair of returning Sooners (Austin Reaves and Kur Kuath) coming off of redshirt years.
UTSA provides a solid test to begin the year. The Roadrunners are picked to finish second in Conference USA and return two players who averaged over 20 points last season in Jhivvan Jackson and Keaton Wallace.
The matchup will also air on the Sooner Radio Network (107.7 FM The Franchise in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa; Tune In Radio App) with Toby Rowland and Kevin Henry announcing.
All students who purchased football season tickets have free access to men's basketball games by scanning their OU student ID. Students who did not purchase football tickets can claim men's basketball season tickets for just $60 on SoonerSports.com/students. Single-game tickets are also available on a first-come, first-serve basis at the student entrance for $5.
• The first 2,500 fans will receive a "You Belong Here" roller banner.
• In honor of National Donut Day, OU Athletics is handing out free donuts to the first 500 students in the building. A limited supply of BoomSquad t-shirts are also available to students on a first come, first serve basis.
• Fans are encouraged to #ArriveSooner to avoid delays into the gates with enhanced screenings. OU's clear bag policy will also be in efffect. For more gameday tips at Lloyd Noble Center, visit the LNC's information page.
• The season opener serves as the official debut for OU's highly-anticipated incoming class. OU's 2019 recruiting class was listed in the top 20 nationally by Rivals (No. 14) and ESPN (No. 20). Both sites list Oklahoma's incoming class as the second best in the Big 12. The group of newcomers is comprised of guards De'Vion Harmon (Denton, Texas) and Alondes Williams (River Grove, Ill.), forwards Anyang Garang (Adelaide, Australia), Jalen Hill (Las Vegas, Nev.) and Victor Iwuakor (Sulphur Springs, Texas) and centers Rick Issanza (Kinshasha, Congo) and Corbin Merritt (Tallahassee, Fla.).
• Oklahoma is 8-0 in season openers under head coach Lon Kruger. Additonally, the Sooners have won 16 consecutive season openers dating back to the 2003-04 season.
• OU is 40-6 all-time against current members of Conference USA and is 6-1 against C-USA teams during the Kruger era.
• Coaching across the court from Lon Kruger is his former longtime assistant Steve Henson. Beginning his fourth year at the helm of the UTSA program, Henson spent nearly three decades of playing and working for Kruger. Henson was a four-year starting point guard for Kruger at Kansas State from 1986-90, earning All-Big Eight Conference honors as a junior and senior. Following his professional career, Henson got his start in coaching as an assistant for Kruger at Illinois in 1999 and went on to also be a member of Kruger's staff with the Atlanta Hawks, UNLV and Oklahoma for a combined 15 seasons. When Henson was hired by UTSA, the Roadrunners were coming off a last-place 5-27 season. Just two years later, Henson coached UTSA to a 20-15 record and fifth-place finish in Conference USA, earning himself the 2018 C-USA Coach of the Year honors. The Roadrunners tied for second place in C-USA last season and are predicted to finish second in the league's preseason poll.
• Joining Henson on the UTSA staff is assistant coach Scott Thompson, who served as OU's video coordinator from 2011-16.
• Junior Brady Manek led all scorers with 23 points and eight rebounds. His performance was especially meaningful coming against his older brother Kellen, who produced 12 points and eight boards for the Savage Storm.
• The OU newcomers impressed in their debut with De'Vion Harmon contributing 22 points and three assists, Jalen Hill chipping in 11 points and Austin Reaves and Victor Iwuakor scoring 10 a piece.
• OU shot the ball well in their first action of the season, shooting 47% from the field. The Sooners got 23 points from their bench and forced the Savage Storm into 13 turnovers, resulting in 18 points.
• OU outscored Southeastern in fast break points by a margin of 30-5.
• The Sooners have won 12 straight home non-conference matchups (10 straight at Lloyd Noble Center). OU's last non-conference home loss came in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge to Florida on Jan. 28, 2017.
• Oklahoma has won 136 of their last 143 non-conference games in Norman and are 44-4 at Lloyd Noble Center against non-conference opponents under Kruger.
• OU was the only school in the country with a win over a team from every major conference during the 2018-19 regular season.
• Oklahoma is 22-2 in games played in November and December since the start of the 2017-18 season.
• The Sooner roster includes eight players who are at least 6 feet 7 inches - 67% of OU's scholarship players.
• Not only are the Sooners tall, they're also lengthy. OU's average wingspan is just shy of 7 feet (6 feet 11.9 inches). Half of OU's scholarship players have a wingspan of at least 7 feet 1 inch, led by Rick Issanza (7 feet 7 inches) and Kur Kuath and Corbin Merrit (both 7 feet 5 inches).
• In the last 27 years, only four Sooners have scored more total points as underclassmen (freshman + sophomore seasons) than Manek: Blake Griffin (1,278), Trae Young (876), Willie Warren (868) and Buddy Hield (756).
• Manek is one of 20 players the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame named to its watch list for the 2020 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award. Named after two-time NBA MVP Karl Malone, the annual honor recognizes the top power forwards in Division I men's college basketball. Manek is one of only two Big 12 players (Baylor's Tristan Clark) named to the watch list.
• Manek was named an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection during his sophomore campaign (2018-19). He averaged 12.2 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting .469 from the field and .358 from behind the arc.
• The Sooners almost always have team success on nights that Manek is rolling. During his career, OU is 27-12 when Manek scores in double figures, 16-4 when he scores at least 15 points and 8-2 when he hit four or more 3-pointers.
• Manek finished his sophomore campaign strong, scoring in double figures in 13 of his last 16 games.
• The matchup is put on in partnership with Coaches vs. Cancer - a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). Lon Kruger was named council chair of Coaches vs. Cancer this past fall and has been a member of the Coaches vs. Cancer Council since 2007. As the council chair, Kruger is not only an advocate for the organization, but partners with a presitgous list of fellow council members that includes the likes of Jay Bilas, Jim Boeheim, Jim Calhoun, Mike Krzyzewski, Tubby Smith, Norm Stewart and Roy Williams. Kruger has been a longtime supporter of the American Cancer Society. As founder and chairman of the Coaches vs. Cancer Las Vegas Golf Classic, Kruger's leadership has helped the event raise over $4 million over the last 12 years.
• Saturday will be the ninth meeting between the Sooners and Gophers and just the third since 1960. The all-time series is tied 4-4 with OU winning the most recent meeting, a 67-54 victory in Anchorage, Alaska in 2004.
• OU assistant Jim Molinari spent three seasons on staff at Minnesota (2004-07). Following a coaching change, he served as the interim head coach over the final 24 games of the 2006-07 season.
• The Sooners are 3-5 against Big Ten teams during the Kruger era.
• The matchup with Minnesota begins a stretch filled with road and neutral-site contests. Oklahoma will play only two home games in a 45-day stretch (Nov. 6 through Dec. 20). OU is one only three major-conference teams to play seven of their first 10 games coming away from home, joined by Seton Hall and Wake Forest.
The season opener will be the first official game in the Crimson and Cream for a majority of the Sooner roster. Oklahoma returns a core of three starters in Jamal Bieniemy, Kristian Doolittle and Brady Manek but also features seven newcomers and a pair of returning Sooners (Austin Reaves and Kur Kuath) coming off of redshirt years.
UTSA provides a solid test to begin the year. The Roadrunners are picked to finish second in Conference USA and return two players who averaged over 20 points last season in Jhivvan Jackson and Keaton Wallace.
ON THE AIR
Chad McKee, Bryndon Manzer and Jessica Coody have the call on SoonerSports.TV. Premium subscribers can stream the game on desktop and mobile, and on the SoonerSports apps for iPhone, iPad, AppleTV, Amazon Fire and Android.The matchup will also air on the Sooner Radio Network (107.7 FM The Franchise in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa; Tune In Radio App) with Toby Rowland and Kevin Henry announcing.
TICKETS
Ticket prices start as low as $10 and can purchased at the OU Athletics Ticket Office (800-456-4668) and SoonerSports.com/Tickets. Lloyd Noble Center's north and east ticket windows will open at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday.All students who purchased football season tickets have free access to men's basketball games by scanning their OU student ID. Students who did not purchase football tickets can claim men's basketball season tickets for just $60 on SoonerSports.com/students. Single-game tickets are also available on a first-come, first-serve basis at the student entrance for $5.
IN THE BONUS
• Tuesday's matchup will be the first regular-season game with OU's revamped student section. The most noticeable differences include the removal of concrete in portions of the northern wall and installation of stairs which allow students easier access to floor seating. OU Athletics is offering more floor seats to students by relocating the band to behind the basket in section LN4.• The first 2,500 fans will receive a "You Belong Here" roller banner.
• In honor of National Donut Day, OU Athletics is handing out free donuts to the first 500 students in the building. A limited supply of BoomSquad t-shirts are also available to students on a first come, first serve basis.
• Fans are encouraged to #ArriveSooner to avoid delays into the gates with enhanced screenings. OU's clear bag policy will also be in efffect. For more gameday tips at Lloyd Noble Center, visit the LNC's information page.
THREE POINTERS
• Oklahoma returns a core of three starters in Jamal Bieniemy, Kristian Doolittle and Brady Manek. Doolittle and Manek both ranked in OU's top three for points, rebounds and blocks last season while Bieniemy led the Sooners in both assists and steals. Paired with the returning trio will be guard Austin Reaves and forward Kur Kuath, both in their second year in Norman. Reaves, a transfer from Wichita State, will be eligible to play this season after sitting out last season due to the NCAA's transfer policy. Kuath saw action in only six games last year before being sidelined by a back injury.• The season opener serves as the official debut for OU's highly-anticipated incoming class. OU's 2019 recruiting class was listed in the top 20 nationally by Rivals (No. 14) and ESPN (No. 20). Both sites list Oklahoma's incoming class as the second best in the Big 12. The group of newcomers is comprised of guards De'Vion Harmon (Denton, Texas) and Alondes Williams (River Grove, Ill.), forwards Anyang Garang (Adelaide, Australia), Jalen Hill (Las Vegas, Nev.) and Victor Iwuakor (Sulphur Springs, Texas) and centers Rick Issanza (Kinshasha, Congo) and Corbin Merritt (Tallahassee, Fla.).
• Oklahoma is 8-0 in season openers under head coach Lon Kruger. Additonally, the Sooners have won 16 consecutive season openers dating back to the 2003-04 season.
UTSA head coach Steve Henson spent nearly three decades of playing and working for Kruger. He was an assistant coach on OU's staff during the Sooners' Final Four run in 2016.
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST UTSA
• Oklahoma owns a 4-0 all-time record against the Roadrunners and defeated UTSA, 87-67, last season in San Antonio. This will be the third straight season the Sooners have faced the Roadrunners.• OU is 40-6 all-time against current members of Conference USA and is 6-1 against C-USA teams during the Kruger era.
• Coaching across the court from Lon Kruger is his former longtime assistant Steve Henson. Beginning his fourth year at the helm of the UTSA program, Henson spent nearly three decades of playing and working for Kruger. Henson was a four-year starting point guard for Kruger at Kansas State from 1986-90, earning All-Big Eight Conference honors as a junior and senior. Following his professional career, Henson got his start in coaching as an assistant for Kruger at Illinois in 1999 and went on to also be a member of Kruger's staff with the Atlanta Hawks, UNLV and Oklahoma for a combined 15 seasons. When Henson was hired by UTSA, the Roadrunners were coming off a last-place 5-27 season. Just two years later, Henson coached UTSA to a 20-15 record and fifth-place finish in Conference USA, earning himself the 2018 C-USA Coach of the Year honors. The Roadrunners tied for second place in C-USA last season and are predicted to finish second in the league's preseason poll.
• Joining Henson on the UTSA staff is assistant coach Scott Thompson, who served as OU's video coordinator from 2011-16.
LOOKING BACK AT OU'S EXHIBITION WIN
• The Oklahoma men's basketball team took advantage of their final preseason tune-up on Tuesday with an 89-76 exhibition win over Southeastern Oklahoma State.• Junior Brady Manek led all scorers with 23 points and eight rebounds. His performance was especially meaningful coming against his older brother Kellen, who produced 12 points and eight boards for the Savage Storm.
• The OU newcomers impressed in their debut with De'Vion Harmon contributing 22 points and three assists, Jalen Hill chipping in 11 points and Austin Reaves and Victor Iwuakor scoring 10 a piece.
• OU shot the ball well in their first action of the season, shooting 47% from the field. The Sooners got 23 points from their bench and forced the Savage Storm into 13 turnovers, resulting in 18 points.
• OU outscored Southeastern in fast break points by a margin of 30-5.
Freshmen Jalen Hill and De'Vion Harmon combined for 33 points in OU's tune-up win over Southeastern.
NON-CONFERENCE DOMINANCE
• Oklahoma has been dominant in non-conference play the previous two seasons, boasting a combined 22-3 record in its last 25 non-league regular-season games. In non-conference play since 2017-18, Oklahoma is 9-3 against major conference schools (ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-12, SEC) and 12-3 in games played away from Norman.• The Sooners have won 12 straight home non-conference matchups (10 straight at Lloyd Noble Center). OU's last non-conference home loss came in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge to Florida on Jan. 28, 2017.
• Oklahoma has won 136 of their last 143 non-conference games in Norman and are 44-4 at Lloyd Noble Center against non-conference opponents under Kruger.
• OU was the only school in the country with a win over a team from every major conference during the 2018-19 regular season.
• Oklahoma is 22-2 in games played in November and December since the start of the 2017-18 season.
SIZING UP THE SOONERS
• Kruger and his staff looked to add length and athleticism to their roster, and this year's roster is full of size from top to bottom. Of Oklahoma's 12 scholarship players, 11 are at least 6 feet 5 inches tall. With an average height of 79.2 inches (6 feet 7.2 inches), this year's roster is almost a full inch taller on average than last season (6 feet 6.3 inches).• The Sooner roster includes eight players who are at least 6 feet 7 inches - 67% of OU's scholarship players.
• Not only are the Sooners tall, they're also lengthy. OU's average wingspan is just shy of 7 feet (6 feet 11.9 inches). Half of OU's scholarship players have a wingspan of at least 7 feet 1 inch, led by Rick Issanza (7 feet 7 inches) and Kur Kuath and Corbin Merrit (both 7 feet 5 inches).
OU's leading returning scorer, Brady Manek has big expectations for 2019-20.
BRADY SCORES IN BUNCHES
• Forward Brady Manek enters his junior year as the Sooners' leading returning scorer. With 741 career points to his name, he is just the 10th player in OU history to reach 700 career points by the end of a sophomore season.• In the last 27 years, only four Sooners have scored more total points as underclassmen (freshman + sophomore seasons) than Manek: Blake Griffin (1,278), Trae Young (876), Willie Warren (868) and Buddy Hield (756).
• Manek is one of 20 players the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame named to its watch list for the 2020 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award. Named after two-time NBA MVP Karl Malone, the annual honor recognizes the top power forwards in Division I men's college basketball. Manek is one of only two Big 12 players (Baylor's Tristan Clark) named to the watch list.
• Manek was named an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection during his sophomore campaign (2018-19). He averaged 12.2 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting .469 from the field and .358 from behind the arc.
• The Sooners almost always have team success on nights that Manek is rolling. During his career, OU is 27-12 when Manek scores in double figures, 16-4 when he scores at least 15 points and 8-2 when he hit four or more 3-pointers.
• Manek finished his sophomore campaign strong, scoring in double figures in 13 of his last 16 games.
UP NEXT: MINNESOTA
• The Sooners hit the road for a pair of neutral site contests, starting with a matchup against Minnesota on Saturday in Sioux Falls, S.D. The game will tip at 7 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network.• The matchup is put on in partnership with Coaches vs. Cancer - a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). Lon Kruger was named council chair of Coaches vs. Cancer this past fall and has been a member of the Coaches vs. Cancer Council since 2007. As the council chair, Kruger is not only an advocate for the organization, but partners with a presitgous list of fellow council members that includes the likes of Jay Bilas, Jim Boeheim, Jim Calhoun, Mike Krzyzewski, Tubby Smith, Norm Stewart and Roy Williams. Kruger has been a longtime supporter of the American Cancer Society. As founder and chairman of the Coaches vs. Cancer Las Vegas Golf Classic, Kruger's leadership has helped the event raise over $4 million over the last 12 years.
• Saturday will be the ninth meeting between the Sooners and Gophers and just the third since 1960. The all-time series is tied 4-4 with OU winning the most recent meeting, a 67-54 victory in Anchorage, Alaska in 2004.
• OU assistant Jim Molinari spent three seasons on staff at Minnesota (2004-07). Following a coaching change, he served as the interim head coach over the final 24 games of the 2006-07 season.
• The Sooners are 3-5 against Big Ten teams during the Kruger era.
• The matchup with Minnesota begins a stretch filled with road and neutral-site contests. Oklahoma will play only two home games in a 45-day stretch (Nov. 6 through Dec. 20). OU is one only three major-conference teams to play seven of their first 10 games coming away from home, joined by Seton Hall and Wake Forest.
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