University of Oklahoma Athletics
Saturday, December 14
Wichita, Kan.
5 PM
University of Oklahoma
at
Wichita State
Photo by: Ty Russell
Sooners and Shockers Meet Saturday
December 13, 2019 | Men's Basketball
NORMAN – Oklahoma (7-1, 0-0 Big 12) will face one of its toughest tests of the early season when it faces Wichita State (8-1, 0-0 American) on Saturday in Wichita, Kan.
The Sooners lead the Big 12 in wins away from home (four) and are 4-0 in non-conference true road games the past two seasons.
Both teams enter the matchup coming off of road victories. Oklahoma came from behind to win at North Texas while Wichita State utilized a dominant second half to win by 19 points at Oklahoma State.
Saturday's matchup will be played off campus as WSU's annual home game at INTRUST Bank Arena in downtown Wichita. The marquee non-conference matchup is slated for a 5 p.m. CT tip.
Chuckie Kempf and Robbie Hummel will call the action on ESPN2. Fans with proper cable verification can stream the game through the Watch ESPN App.
• Senior forward Kristian Doolittle is coming off one of the best games of his career, carrying OU to a win at North Texas with 28 points (11-of-15 shooting), seven rebounds and three assists. Doolittle played all 20 minutes of the second half and shot 7-of-8 from the field (3-of-3 from 3-point range) to score 18 points after halftime - including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 13.5 seconds remaining.
• Reaves (17.6 points per game), Doolittle (16.0) and Brady Manek (14.0) have been one of the highest-scoring trios in the first month of the season. Reaves and Doolittle are one of just three duos from major conferences to both average at least 16 points, while the two plus Manek are one of just five major-conference trios to all produce at least 14 points per game.
• Oklahoma owns a 6-2 series lead all-time and are 2-1 in the Kruger era. The Sooners have won the last two meetings by a combined 40 points.
• Oklahoma is 4-1 all time when facing the Shockers in Wichita.
• OU won its most recent trip to Wichita, topping the then No. 3-ranked Shockers, 91-83, in 2017. The victory was Oklahoma's first road win against a top-three opponent in non-conference play in program history and the first road win over any top-three team since 1949.
• The Sooners are 6-2 against current members of the American Athletic Conference under Kruger.
• The Sooners trailed by 10 with just over 11 minutes remaining before going on a 10-0 run to tie the game at 66 at the 7:43 mark. Neither team led by more than three the rest of the night.
• Doolittle scored 10 of OU's final 14 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 13.5 seconds remaining.
• Junior guard Austin Reaves scored 22 points - one shy of his career high. Junior forward Brady Manek added 16 points and eight rebounds. Dating back to last season, he has scored in 21 of his last 24 games. Upperclassmen Doolittle, Reaves and Manek combined to score 41 of OU's 46 second-half points.
• Oklahoma has won four straight road non-conference games.
• Oklahoma was the only Big 12 team to claim three wins over teams from a major conference in November.
• The Sooners' four wins away from home this season (three neutral-site, one true road) are the most in the Big 12.
• OU leads the Big 12 in free throw percentage, making 76.5% of its shots from the foul stripe. The Sooners shot their free throws at a 69.7% rate in 2018-19.
• The Sooners are turning the ball over just 10.4 times per game, which ranks first in the Big 12, ninth among all Division I teams and fifth among schools from major conferences.
• Oklahoma is both the only Big 12 school with two players in the conference's top-seven scorers and with three players ranked in the top 15 of the league's scoring leaders. Junior guard Austin Reaves is ranked fourth with 17.6 points per game while senior forward Kristian Doolittle is seventh with 16.0. Junior forward Brady Manek is in 12th averaging 14.0.
• Oklahoma is 29-3 in games played in November and December since the start of the 2017-18 season.
• OU has won four straight true road non-conference games, dating back to the start of the 2018-19 season.
• Oklahoma was the only school in the country with a win over a team from every major conference during 2018-19.
• The Sooners have shot 54.2% during the second half of games - including 41.1% from 3-point range. Oklahoma is outscoring opponents by an average of 9.0 points after halftime.
• Oklahoma has only led by more than one point at halftime in one game this season (12 point lead against Missouri).
• In their seven wins, the Sooners are shooting a whopping 61.8% (55-of-89) from the field and 54.5% (12-of-22) from 3-point range in the final 10 minutes of the game. OU's opponents are shooting 39.0% from the field and 22.9% from deep in the last 10 minutes of OU victories.
• Dating back to last season, Doolittle is averaging 16.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists in his last 16 games. He has registered six double-doubles in that span, highlighted by 24 points and 11 rebounds against Kansas on March 5, 19 points with 15 boards versus Ole Miss in the NCAA Tournament on March 22 and 19 points with 16 rebounds against Oregon State on Nov. 12.
• Doolittle went all of last season without a 3-pointer and only attempted four shots from behind the arc. He is 6-of-8 (.750) from deep this season.
• In the first true road game of the season, Doolittle played the role of senior leader to will the Sooners back from a double-digit second half deficit at North Texas on Dec. 5. Doolittle played all 20 minutes of the second half and shot 7-of-8 from the field (3-of-3 from 3-point range) to score 18 points after halftime. He scored 10 of OU's final 14 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 13.5 seconds remaining. In total, he scored 28 points – one shy of his career high.
• Doolittle's shot was flawless in an OU win over Maryland Eastern Shore on Nov. 21. Doolittle scored 18 points on 7-of-7 shooting from the field and 3-for-3 from the charity stripe. Doolittle's performance is just the third time during the Big 12 era that a Sooner shot 100% from the field on at least seven attempts, joining Buddy Hield (10-for-10 against Oklahoma State in 2015) and Longar Longar (7-for-7 against Coppin State in 2006). Of that trio, Doolittle was the only one to shoot 100% from the foul line in the same game.
• Doolittle was honored with the Big 12 Player of the Week award on Nov. 18 for the first time in his career. He earned the recognition after totaling 19 points, 16 rebounds and four assists against Oregon State on Nov. 12.
• Winner of the Big 12's inaugural Most Improved Player award last season, Doolittle led the Sooners throughout conference play in 2018-19 with team-high Big 12 averages of 13.9 points and 7.8 rebounds to go with 2.1 assists. He was the only Big 12 player to average at least 13.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in league competition. His numbers in conference play came after averaging only 2.9 points and 4.3 rebounds in 2017-18 and 7.2 points and 5.8 boards the non-conference stretch of 2018-19.
• An All-Big 12 Third Team selection in 2018-19, Doolittle finished the season with averages of 11.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 29.1 minutes. He led the team in rebounds and ranked third in points and second in field goal percentage (.502).
• Opposing conference coaches expect Doolittle to continue improving, naming him an honorable mention selection on the Preseason All-Big 12 Team.
• Oklahoma owns a 4-2 lead over the Bluejays and has won four of the last five. The Sooners are making their third trip to face Creighton in Omaha, most recently falling to the Bluejays by two in 2014.
• In addition to being a part of the Big 12/Big EAST Battle, OU's matchup with Creighton also serves as a return trip in a home-and-home series. The Sooners won in Norman, 83-70, last December.
• The Sooners are 5-2 against current BIG EAST opponents during the Lon Kruger era, and have won four of its last five games against the conference. Oklahoma is 15-15 all-time against current members of the BIG EAST.
The Sooners lead the Big 12 in wins away from home (four) and are 4-0 in non-conference true road games the past two seasons.
Both teams enter the matchup coming off of road victories. Oklahoma came from behind to win at North Texas while Wichita State utilized a dominant second half to win by 19 points at Oklahoma State.
Saturday's matchup will be played off campus as WSU's annual home game at INTRUST Bank Arena in downtown Wichita. The marquee non-conference matchup is slated for a 5 p.m. CT tip.
ON THE AIR
Saturday's game will 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.Chuckie Kempf and Robbie Hummel will call the action on ESPN2. Fans with proper cable verification can stream the game through the Watch ESPN App.
THREE POINTERS
• The Sooners head to Wichita State behind leading scorer Austin Reaves, who played his first two seasons for the Shockers before transferring to Oklahoma in 2018. It's a rare opportunity in college basketball for a transfer to face his old school, yet the junior guard will face his former squad in Wichita on Saturday. In 66 games as a member of the Shockers, Reaves averaged 6.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists. After sitting out in 2018-19, Reaves has led the Sooners' scoring efforts this season, averaging a team-high 17.6 points along with 5.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists. His 17.6 points per game ranks second in the Big 12 and leads the conference's newcomers.• Senior forward Kristian Doolittle is coming off one of the best games of his career, carrying OU to a win at North Texas with 28 points (11-of-15 shooting), seven rebounds and three assists. Doolittle played all 20 minutes of the second half and shot 7-of-8 from the field (3-of-3 from 3-point range) to score 18 points after halftime - including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 13.5 seconds remaining.
• Reaves (17.6 points per game), Doolittle (16.0) and Brady Manek (14.0) have been one of the highest-scoring trios in the first month of the season. Reaves and Doolittle are one of just three duos from major conferences to both average at least 16 points, while the two plus Manek are one of just five major-conference trios to all produce at least 14 points per game.
SERIES HISTORY
• The Sooners and Shockers are facing off in a downtown arena for the fourth straight season. OU won last year's meeting, 80-48, at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City.• Oklahoma owns a 6-2 series lead all-time and are 2-1 in the Kruger era. The Sooners have won the last two meetings by a combined 40 points.
• Oklahoma is 4-1 all time when facing the Shockers in Wichita.
• OU won its most recent trip to Wichita, topping the then No. 3-ranked Shockers, 91-83, in 2017. The victory was Oklahoma's first road win against a top-three opponent in non-conference play in program history and the first road win over any top-three team since 1949.
• The Sooners are 6-2 against current members of the American Athletic Conference under Kruger.
LOOKING BACK AT OU'S WIN OVER NORTH TEXAS
• The Sooners won their first true road game of the year, topping North Texas last Thurday, 82-80. Oklahoma was led by senior forward Kristian Doolittle with 28 points (11-of-15 shooting), seven rebounds and three assists. Doolittle played all 20 minutes of the second half and shot 7-of-8 from the field (3-of-3 from 3-point range) to score 18 points after halftime.• The Sooners trailed by 10 with just over 11 minutes remaining before going on a 10-0 run to tie the game at 66 at the 7:43 mark. Neither team led by more than three the rest of the night.
• Doolittle scored 10 of OU's final 14 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 13.5 seconds remaining.
• Junior guard Austin Reaves scored 22 points - one shy of his career high. Junior forward Brady Manek added 16 points and eight rebounds. Dating back to last season, he has scored in 21 of his last 24 games. Upperclassmen Doolittle, Reaves and Manek combined to score 41 of OU's 46 second-half points.
The second-leading scorer in the Big 12, Austin Reaves played his first two seasons for Wichita State.
QUICK HITS
• The Sooners are off to their sixth start with a 7-1 record or better during the Lon Kruger era. OU has begun the year at least 7-1 in four of the last five seasons.• Oklahoma has won four straight road non-conference games.
• Oklahoma was the only Big 12 team to claim three wins over teams from a major conference in November.
• The Sooners' four wins away from home this season (three neutral-site, one true road) are the most in the Big 12.
• OU leads the Big 12 in free throw percentage, making 76.5% of its shots from the foul stripe. The Sooners shot their free throws at a 69.7% rate in 2018-19.
• The Sooners are turning the ball over just 10.4 times per game, which ranks first in the Big 12, ninth among all Division I teams and fifth among schools from major conferences.
• Oklahoma is both the only Big 12 school with two players in the conference's top-seven scorers and with three players ranked in the top 15 of the league's scoring leaders. Junior guard Austin Reaves is ranked fourth with 17.6 points per game while senior forward Kristian Doolittle is seventh with 16.0. Junior forward Brady Manek is in 12th averaging 14.0.
NON-CONFERENCE DOMINANCE
• Oklahoma has been dominant in non-conference play in recent seasons, boasting a combined 29-4 record in its last 33 non-league regular-season games. In non-conference play since 2017-18, Oklahoma is 12-4 against major conference schools (ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-12, SEC) and 16-4 in games played away from Norman.• Oklahoma is 29-3 in games played in November and December since the start of the 2017-18 season.
• OU has won four straight true road non-conference games, dating back to the start of the 2018-19 season.
• Oklahoma was the only school in the country with a win over a team from every major conference during 2018-19.
SECOND-HALF SOONERS
• The Sooners are off to a 7-1 start, but have only led at halftime on two occasions this season. Oklahoma is 4-1 when trailing at halftime and 1-0 when tied at the midway break.• The Sooners have shot 54.2% during the second half of games - including 41.1% from 3-point range. Oklahoma is outscoring opponents by an average of 9.0 points after halftime.
• Oklahoma has only led by more than one point at halftime in one game this season (12 point lead against Missouri).
• In their seven wins, the Sooners are shooting a whopping 61.8% (55-of-89) from the field and 54.5% (12-of-22) from 3-point range in the final 10 minutes of the game. OU's opponents are shooting 39.0% from the field and 22.9% from deep in the last 10 minutes of OU victories.
DOOLITTLE DOOING LOTS
• The only senior on the Sooner roster, forward Kristian Doolittle continues to show progress in his game throughout his career in Norman. Doolittle is the only Big 12 player averaging at least 14 points and eight rebounds with numbers of 16.0 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.4 steals.• Dating back to last season, Doolittle is averaging 16.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists in his last 16 games. He has registered six double-doubles in that span, highlighted by 24 points and 11 rebounds against Kansas on March 5, 19 points with 15 boards versus Ole Miss in the NCAA Tournament on March 22 and 19 points with 16 rebounds against Oregon State on Nov. 12.
• Doolittle went all of last season without a 3-pointer and only attempted four shots from behind the arc. He is 6-of-8 (.750) from deep this season.
• In the first true road game of the season, Doolittle played the role of senior leader to will the Sooners back from a double-digit second half deficit at North Texas on Dec. 5. Doolittle played all 20 minutes of the second half and shot 7-of-8 from the field (3-of-3 from 3-point range) to score 18 points after halftime. He scored 10 of OU's final 14 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 13.5 seconds remaining. In total, he scored 28 points – one shy of his career high.
• Doolittle's shot was flawless in an OU win over Maryland Eastern Shore on Nov. 21. Doolittle scored 18 points on 7-of-7 shooting from the field and 3-for-3 from the charity stripe. Doolittle's performance is just the third time during the Big 12 era that a Sooner shot 100% from the field on at least seven attempts, joining Buddy Hield (10-for-10 against Oklahoma State in 2015) and Longar Longar (7-for-7 against Coppin State in 2006). Of that trio, Doolittle was the only one to shoot 100% from the foul line in the same game.
• Doolittle was honored with the Big 12 Player of the Week award on Nov. 18 for the first time in his career. He earned the recognition after totaling 19 points, 16 rebounds and four assists against Oregon State on Nov. 12.
• Winner of the Big 12's inaugural Most Improved Player award last season, Doolittle led the Sooners throughout conference play in 2018-19 with team-high Big 12 averages of 13.9 points and 7.8 rebounds to go with 2.1 assists. He was the only Big 12 player to average at least 13.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in league competition. His numbers in conference play came after averaging only 2.9 points and 4.3 rebounds in 2017-18 and 7.2 points and 5.8 boards the non-conference stretch of 2018-19.
• An All-Big 12 Third Team selection in 2018-19, Doolittle finished the season with averages of 11.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 29.1 minutes. He led the team in rebounds and ranked third in points and second in field goal percentage (.502).
• Opposing conference coaches expect Doolittle to continue improving, naming him an honorable mention selection on the Preseason All-Big 12 Team.
NEXT UP: CREIGHTON
• The Sooners close their road swing on Tuesday, Dec. 17 when they travel to Omaha, Neb., to face Creighton. The game is a part of the inaugural Big 12/Big EAST Battle – a scheduling series that pairs the ten teams from the Big 12 against a Big EAST opponent during the month of December. OU and Creighton will tip at 7:30 p.m. CT on FS1.• Oklahoma owns a 4-2 lead over the Bluejays and has won four of the last five. The Sooners are making their third trip to face Creighton in Omaha, most recently falling to the Bluejays by two in 2014.
• In addition to being a part of the Big 12/Big EAST Battle, OU's matchup with Creighton also serves as a return trip in a home-and-home series. The Sooners won in Norman, 83-70, last December.
• The Sooners are 5-2 against current BIG EAST opponents during the Lon Kruger era, and have won four of its last five games against the conference. Oklahoma is 15-15 all-time against current members of the BIG EAST.
Players Mentioned
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