Holiday Hoops at Home Saturday

NORMAN – There's no place like home for the holidays. After a month on the road, NR/RV Oklahoma (7-3, 0-0 Big 12) is finally back at Lloyd Noble Center for its first home game since Nov. 21 when the Sooners host UCF (9-2, 0-0 American).

The matchup is also OU's first Saturday home game of the year and slated for a fan-friendly tip time of 1 p.m. CT.

Oklahoma is looking to bounce back after losing a pair of true road matchups to Wichita State and Creighton while UCF comes to Norman riding a six game winning streak. The Sooners are 3-0 at home this season and boast a 15-game home non-conference winning streak.

ON THE AIR

• The matchup 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.

• Chad McKee, Tom Dore and Jessica Coody will call the action on Fox Sports Oklahoma and Fox College Sports Atlantic. Fans with proper cable verification can stream the game through the Fox Sports Go App.

TICKETS

• OU Athletics is offering a "Student for a Day" promotion where can purchase a lower-bowl general admission ticket for sections LN3-LN6 and receive a bonus t-shirt for just $10. Fans can purchase online here or at the Lloyd Noble Center box office on game day.

• Traditional tickets start at $20 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 11:30 a.m. on Saturday.

• 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 student tickets are also available on a first-come, first-serve basis at the student entrance for $5.

IN THE BONUS

• Fans are encouraged to #ArriveSooner to avoid delays into the gates with enhanced screenings. OU's clear bag policy will also be in effect. For more gameday tips at Lloyd Noble Center, visit the LNC's information page.

• The Sooner Jr. Kids Zone on the southern side of the concourse will include a photo station with Santa, free holiday ornaments (first come, first serve), face painter and balloon artist.

• Saturday's halftime entertainment will be highlighted by student half-court shot contest and the Preston Pirate Jump Rope Team.

THREE POINTERS

• Senior forward Kristian Doolittle is coming off his third straight 20-point game, producing 21 points and 15 rebounds in OU's loss to Creighton on Tuesday. He is the first Sooner to reach 20 points in three consecutive games since Trae Young strung together 18 straight 20-point performances in 2017-18. In the month of December, Doolittle is averaging 23.7 points (leads the Big 12) and 9.7 rebounds (fourth in Big 12).

• The Sooners feature a dynamic scoring duo of Doolittle (17.2 points per game) and leading scorer Austin Reaves (17.7 points). Both Sooners rank in the top four of the Big 12's scoring race as Reaves is second behind Kansas' Devon Dotson (19.6) and Doolittle sits in fourth. Oklahoma is one of only three major-conference teams with two players averaging over 17 points. Not far behind the duo is teammate Brady Manek, averaging 14.3 points.

• After playing three straight true road games and five consecutive games away from home, OU begins a stretch of three straight home contest. Saturday's matchup with UCF is Oklahoma's first home game since Nov. 21 and concludes a 45-day stretch (Nov. 6 through Dec. 20) in which the Sooners played at home only twice. OU is one of only three major-conference teams to play seven of its first 10 games away from home, joined by Seton Hall and Wake Forest.

OKLAHOMA VS. UCF: SERIES HISTORY

• Saturday is the first-ever meeting between the two programs. OU is 5-3 against current members of the American Athletic Conference under Lon Kruger. The Sooners fell to Wichita State, 80-75, earlier this season. Oklahoma is 46-31 all-time against current members of the American.

• Both the Sooners and Knights are coming off NCAA Tournament appearances. UCF and OU both fell in the second round of March Madness in Columbia, S.C.

• The Sooners faced UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins in his senior season at Duke in a top-10 matchup at Cameron Indoor in 1986. Dawkins scored 20-points to lead No. 2 Duke past No. 10 Oklahoma, 93-84.

QUICK HITS

• The Sooners have won 15 straight home non-conference matchups. OU is 47-4 at Lloyd Noble Center against non-conference opponents under Lon Kruger.

• OU leads the Big 12 in free throw percentage, making 78.2% of its shots from the foul stripe. The Sooners, who shot free throws at a 69.7% rate in 2018-19, rank 13th in the country in 2019-20. Kentucky (79.5%) is the only major-conference team with a better free throw percentage.

VThe Sooners are turning the ball over just 9.8 times per game, which ranks third in the nation and first in the Big 12. Only Washington State (9.7) and Notre Dame (9.7) are turning the ball over less.

• Kristian Doolittle continues to evolve his range an confidence behind the 3-point line. After going 0-of-4 from 3-point range all of 2018-19, Doolittle is shooting 12-of-18 (44.9%) from deep this season.

• Brady Manek has combined for six blocked shots and six 3-pointers in his last two games. Manek is the only major-conference player averaging 2.1 3-pointers and 1.4 blocks per game this season.

• Oklahoma is ranked No. 47 in the latest NET Ranking. The Sooners are the only team in the top 64 of the NET who have played three or fewer home 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.

• Oklahoma is both the only Big 12 school with two players in the conference's top-five scorers and with three players ranked in the top 15 of the league's scoring leaders. Junior guard Austin Reaves is ranked second with 17.7 points per game while senior forward Kristian Doolittle is fourth with 17.7. Junior forward Brady Manek is in 11th averaging 14.3.

• Reaves, a transfer from Wichita State, leads all Big 12 newcomers in scoring with 17.7 points per game. Manek and Williams Lead

NON-CONFERENCE DOMINANCE

• Oklahoma has been dominant in non-conference play in recent seasons, boasting a combined 29-6 record in its last 35 non-league regular-season games. In non-conference play since 2017-18, Oklahoma is 12-5 against major conference schools (ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-12, SEC) and 16-6 in games played away from Norman.

• Oklahoma is 29-5 in games played in November and December since the start of the 2017-18 season.

• The Sooners have won 15 straight home non-conference matchups (12 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 139 of its last 146 non-conference games in Norman and is 47-4 at Lloyd Noble Center against non-conference opponents under Kruger.

• OU has won four of its last five 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.

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 15 points and eight rebounds with numbers of 17.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.2 steals. His 17.2 points per game are the fourth most in the Big 12.

• Dating back to last season, Doolittle is averaging 16.9 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists in his last 18 games. He has registered seven 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, 19 points with 16 rebounds against Oregon State on Nov. 12 and 21 points with 15 rebounds at Creighton on Dec. 17.

• Doolittle went all of last season without a 3-pointer and only attempted four shots from behind the arc. He is 12-of-18 (.667) 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.

REAVES IS ROLLING

• Junior guard Austin Reaves has led the Sooners' scoring efforts during his first season in the Crimson and Cream. A transfer from Wichita State, Reaves sat out the 2018-19 season but has quickly made up for lost time.

• Through 10 games he is averaging a team-high 17.7 points along with 5.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists. His 17.7 points per game rank second in the Big 12 and leads the conference's newcomers.

• Reaves has scored in double figures in all 10 games, including a career-high-tying 23 points against UTSA on Nov. 5 and at Creighton on Dec. 17.

• The guard has found success scoring despite only shooting 29.5% from 3-point range. A proven shooter, Reaves led the American Athletic Conference in 3-point percentage during conference play in 2017-18 by shooting at a .451 clip (37-for-82).

NEXT UP: UTRGV

• Following a short holiday break, the Sooners will return to the court on Monday, Dec. 30 to host UTRGV in OU's final game before Big 12 play. The non-conference finale tips at 6 p.m. CT on Fox Sports Oklahoma.

• Oklahoma is 5-0 all-time against UTRGV, although the first four games were against the University of Texas-Pan American, which was consolidated into UTRGV in 2015. The Sooners opened the 2018-19 season on the road at UTRGV, claiming a 91-76 win.

ON THE AIR

TICKETS

IN THE BONUS

THREE POINTERS

OKLAHOMA VS. UCF: SERIES HISTORY

QUICK HITS

NON-CONFERENCE DOMINANCE

DOOLITTLE DOOING LOTS

REAVES IS ROLLING

NEXT UP: UTRGV

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kristian Doolittle

Brady Manek

Austin Reaves

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics