Hoops Hosts TCU Saturday

Oklahoma

^RV TCU

Saturday, Jan. 18 / 1 p.m. CT / Lloyd Noble Center

Tickets / Big 12 Now on ESPN+ / Radio / Live Stats / Game Notes

NORMAN – Big games in the Big 12 continue to roll through Norman on Saturday at 1 p.m. CT when Oklahoma (11-5, 2-2 Big 12) hosts a Horned Frogs squad off to a 3-1 start in conference play. RV/RV TCU (12-4, 3-1 Big 12) enters the LNC looking to snap a four-game Oklahoma winning streak in the all-time series.

Both teams are coming off of midweek losses to ranked teams with the Sooners falling at home to No. 6 Kansas and the Frogs losing to No. 12 West Virginia in Morgantown.

Saturday's showdown features two of the best Big 12 seniors in OU's Kristian Doolittle (16.8 points, 8.8 rebounds) and TCU's Desmond Bane (16.9 points, 2.8 3-pointers).

The Sooners have never lost to the Frogs in Norman, but the series has featured numerous close games in recent memory, including a Doolittle game-winner at the LNC last season.

ON THE AIR

The Saturday 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.

Mark Neely and Lance Blanks will call the action on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. To find out more about streaming games on ESPN+, click here.

TICKETS

• 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 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.

• All students who purchased football season tickets have free access to men's basketball games by scanning their OU student ID. Single-game student tickets are also available on a first-come, first-serve basis at the student entrance for $5.

IN THE BONUS

• The first 500 OU students in attendance will receive a free Top Daug jersey t-shirt

• The celebration of Top Daug's return to the Lloyd Noble Center continues with the halftime act K9s in Flight.

• 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.

THREE POINTERS

• Senior forward Kristian Doolittle is the Big 12's leading scorer in conference games with averages of 17.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 steals in four Big 12 contests. Overall this season, Doolittle is fourth in conference in scoring (16.8 points) and fifth in rebounding (8.8 boards). Doolittle posted two dominant performances against the Horned Frogs last season, totaling 45 points and 20 rebounds on 73.9% shooting in OU's pair of wins over TCU.

• Junior forward Brady Manek is coming off his 50th consecutive game in the OU starting lineup. The Harrah, Okla., native is approaching a pair of major milestones, sitting at 970 career points and 152 career 3-pointers. With 30 more points, Manek will become the 46th Sooner to record 1,000 career points. He is also eight 3-pointers away from joining OU's top-10 list for career 3s. While shooting has always been the bread and butter of Manek's game, he is continuing to evolve on the defensive end. He is the only Division I player averaging 2.3 made 3-pointers and 1.3 blocks per game this season.

• Freshman guard De'Vion Harmon is coming off back-to-back games of double-digit scoring for the second time this season. After scoring 11 points at Iowa State last Saturday, Harmon was reinserted in the OU starting lineup on Tuesday against Kansas, where he produced 13 points and swiped a pair of steals. Since conference play began, the rookie is averaging 9.8 points and 1.8 steals.

SERIES HISTORY

• OU owns a 23-4 all-time record against the Horned Frogs and has won 15 of the last 18 meetings, including the last four in a row. OU leads the series 12-3 since the Frogs joined the Big 12 in 2012.

• TCU will enter Lloyd Noble Center looking for its first-ever win in Norman. The Sooners are 12-0 all-time when hosting the Frogs.

• The Sooners and Horned Frogs faced off in some tight contests over the past few seasons. Two of the last four meetings have been determined by just two points, including a 76-74 Sooner victory in Norman last season off a game-winning jumper from Kristian Doolittle.

• In OU's two games against the Frogs last season, Doolittle has totaled 45 points on 17-of-23 shooting (.739).

• Oklahoma assistant Pooh Williamson served as an assistant coach at TCU in the 2012-13 season. Top Daug

QUICK HITS

• Oklahoma is 6-1 at home this season and has won nine of its last 10 games inside Lloyd Noble Center.

• Oklahoma boasts one of the top scoring groups in the country in Kristian Doolittle (16.8 points per game), Austin Reaves (15.1 points) and Brady Manek (14.3 points). Oklahoma is one of only three major conference teams with three players averaging at least 14 points.

• OU leads the Big 12 in free throw percentage, making 76.6% of its shots from the foul stripe. The Sooners, who shot free throws at a 69.7% rate in 2018-19, rank 24th in the country in 2019-20. OU boasts the fourth best free throw percentage among schools from major conferences.

• In addition to their success at shooting at the foul line, the Sooners have also shown discipline in keeping their opponents off the charity stripe. Oklahoma commits only 13.1 personal fouls per game – the fourth fewest in the country. OU opponents are shooting an average of 13.0 foul shots per game, compared to OU's 19.5 free throw attempts.

• The Sooners are turning the ball over just 10.4 times per game, which ranks fifth in the nation. Virginia Tech (9.6) and Notre Dame (9.8) are the only major-conference teams turning the ball over less.

• Sometimes the key to victory is as simple as making shots. The Sooners are 10-0 this season when they have a better field goal percentage than their opponents.

• OU is 10-2 when holding its opponents to under 80 points.

• Despite being 6-1 at home this season, Oklahoma has led only once at halftime inside Lloyd Noble Center.

• Kristian Doolittle continues to evolve his range and confidence behind the 3-point line. After going 0-of-4 from 3-point range all of 2018-19, Doolittle is shooting 17-of-37 (45.9%) from deep this season.

• Junior guard Austin Reaves is second in scoring among Big 12 newcomers with 15.1 points per game.

• Two OU teammates are just a few games away from reaching 1,000 career points. Brady Manek owns 970 career points while Doolittle sits at 965.

• Sophomore guard Jamal Bieniemy has strung together three solid games to shake off a month of poor shooting. After averaging 2.9 points on 17.3% shooting in his previous nine games, Bieniemy scored 11 points at Texas. 10 at Iowa State and six versus Kansas on a combined 10-of-18 shooting.

• Oklahoma is ranked No. 56 in the latest NCAA NET Rankings. The Sooners are a perfect 8-0 in Quadrant 2-4 games. OU boasts three "Quadrant 1" wins - the eighth most in the nation.

NEXT UP: BAYLOR

• The Sooners will have their only Saturday-Monday turnaround of the Big 12 season when Oklahoma heads to Waco, Texas to face No. 2 Baylor on Big Monday. The matchup tips at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN.

• OU owns a 45-17 record over the Bears, including a 19-9 advantage in Waco. The Sooners are on the hunt for their first win in Waco since 2016.

• The Sooners are 8-9 against the Bears during the Lon Kruger and are looking to snap a three-game losing streak against Baylor. OU last defeated the Bears on Jan. 30, 2018 in Norman.

• The Bears swept the Sooners last season for just the fourth time in program history (OU has swept Baylor 16 times).

• Should the Bears still be ranked No. 2 in Monday's AP Top 25 poll, they will be the highest-ranked team the Sooners have faced since No. 2 Virginia in the second round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Oklahoma's last victory over a team ranked in the top-two of the AP Top 25 was against No. 1 Kansas in the 2002 Big 12 Tournament Championship. The Sooners have never defeated a top-two team in a true road game.

ON THE AIR

TICKETS

IN THE BONUS

THREE POINTERS

SERIES HISTORY

QUICK HITS

NEXT UP: BAYLOR

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jamal Bieniemy

Kristian Doolittle

De'Vion Harmon

Brady Manek

Austin Reaves

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics