Sooners and Gophers Clash in South Dakota

NORMAN – After an 18-point win to open the 2019-20 season, Oklahoma (1-0, 0-0 Big 12) hits the road for the first time this year with a two-game neutral site trip. First up is a showdown with Minnesota (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) on Saturday at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.

The Sooners and Golden Gophers will face off for the first time in 15 years. Both schools are coming off appearances in the 2019 NCAA Tournament but also have fresh looks this season. Both OU and Minnesota have seven newcomers on their rosters.

Saturday's matchup expects to see reigning Big 12 Most Improved Player Kristian Doolittle return to the OU lineup after missing the season opener due to an NCAA suspension.

ON THE AIR

The neutral-site contest will tip at 7 p.m. CT with Wayne Randazzo and Shon Morris calling the action on Big Ten Network. Fans can also stream the game through the Fox Sports Go app with proper cable subscription verification.

Tom Dome and Kevin Henry will have the radio call on the Sooner Radio Network and TuneIn Radio App. Due to OU's flagship stations carrying the Sooners' football game against Iowa State at the same time, the basketball game's radio broadcast will be moved to KOKC 1520 AM and 95.3 FM in Oklahoma City and The Buzz 1300 AM in Tulsa.

THREE POINTERS

• The Sooners are coming off a season-opening win against UTSA that featured dynamic performances from an assortment of newcomers. Freshman guard De'Vion Harmon produced 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting. Harmon's performance marked the highest scoring output by an OU freshman in a season opener since Sooner legend Alvan Adams began his career with 34 points in 1972. Also scoring 23 points was junior guard Austin Reaves, making his Crimson and Cream debut after sitting out last season as a transfer from Wichita State. Tuesday's win was the first time that multiple Sooners scored at over 20 points in a season opener since 1999 (Eduardo Najera and J.R. Raymond).

• The game in Sioux Falls 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 last fall and has been a member of the Coaches vs. Cancer Council since 2007. 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 $5 million in 12 years - including over $3 million net in the past three years alone.

• Saturday's 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 of only three major-conference teams to play seven of its first 10 games coming away from home, joined by Seton Hall and Wake Forest.

SERIES HISTORY AGAINST MINNESOTA

• Saturday is 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 for the final 24 games of the 2006-07 season.

• The Sooners are 3-5 against Big Ten teams during the Kruger era.

OKLAHOMA'S WIN OVER UTSA

• The Sooners were led by a pair of newcomers in freshman guard De'Vion Harmon and junior Austin Reaves, both scoring 23 points in their Crimson and Cream debut.

• After a cold shooting start (1-of-7 in the first half), Reaves shot 8-of-13 in the second half for 17 points after the break. Reaves' 23 points ties a career high in scoring, set while playing for Wichita State. Reaves transferred to Oklahoma in the summer of 2018 and is coming off a redshirt season.

• Junior forward Brady Manek added 16 points in his season debut. Dating back to last season, Manek has reached double figures in 14 of his last 17 games. Oklahoma is 17-4 when Manek scores at least 15 points.

• Despite only scoring two points, sophomore guard Jamal Bieniemy contributed with a game-high five assists and career-best 11 rebounds.

• The Sooners shot 20-of-35 (57.1%) in the second half while holding UTSA to 11-of-40 (27.5%) in the same frame.

• OU improved to 9-0 in season openers under Lon Kruger.

De'vion Harmon

De'Vion Harmon's 23 points against UTSA are the most by an OU freshman in a season opener since Alavan Adams scored 34 in 1972.

NON-CONFERENCE DOMINANCE

• Oklahoma has been dominant in non-conference play in recent seasons, boasting a combined 23-3 record in its last 26 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 13 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 137 of its last 144 non-conference games in Norman and is 45-4 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 23-2 in games played in November and December since the start of the 2017-18 season.

BRADY SCORES IN BUNCHES

• The Sooners almost always have team success on nights that junior forward Brady Manek is rolling. During his career, OU is 28-12 when Manek scores in double figures, 17-4 when he scores at least 15 points and 8-2 when he hit four or more 3-pointers.

• Manek entered his junior year as the Sooners' leading returning scorer. With 741 career points coming into the season, 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.

• Dating back to last season, Manek has scored in double figures in 14 of his last 17 games.

UP NEXT: OREGON STATE

• The Sooners head to Portland, Ore., to take part in the Phil Knight Invitational (PKI). Oklahoma will face Oregon State on Tuesday at Moda Center as part of the one-day showcase. The matchup will tip at 10 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

• A follow-up event to 2017's PK80 tournament, PKI will continue to honor Nike co-founder and 2012 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Phil Knight and his contributions to college basketball. In addition to the Sooners' matchup with the Beavers, the event will also feature a matchup between Memphis and Oregon.

• The Sooners were one of 16 Nike schools selected to compete in the prestigious PK80 event in 2017 and won two of their three games.

• Oklahoma owns a 4-0 all-time record against Oregon State and will face the Beavers for the first time since the 2000-01 season. The Sooners are 2-0 against OSU when facing off at a neutral site, including a win in the Elite Eight of the 1947 NCAA Tournament that sent OU to its second Final Four appearance.

• The Sooners are 6-1 against Pac-12 opponents during the Kruger era and have won five straight games against the conference.

• Oklahoma is 12-4 when playing in an NBA arena under Kruger.