University of Oklahoma Athletics
Saturday, December 19
Norman
4:00 PM
University of Oklahoma
vs
Houston Baptist
Photo by: Ty Russell
OU Hosts Houston Baptist on Saturday
December 18, 2020 | Men's Basketball
Oklahoma
Houston Baptist
Saturday, Dec. 19 / 4 p.m. CT / Lloyd Noble Center / Norman
NORMAN – Oklahoma (4-1, 1-0 Big 12) continues its five-game homestand on Saturday when it hosts Houston Baptist (1-6, 0-0 Southland) at Lloyd Noble Center.
The matchup is the final non-conference game before OU returns to Big 12 competition, which begins with four straight games against teams in the current AP Top-25, including three in the top eight.
The Sooners are 3-0 in Norman this season and have won their home matchups by an average of 30 points.
ON THE AIR
• Saturday's home game will tip at 4 p.m. CT and air on the Sooner Sports Radio Network (KOKC 1520AM in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa; Tune In Radio App) with Chad McKee announcing.• Jessica Coody and Kevin Henry have the call on Fox Sports Southwest and the Fox Sports Go app.
TICKETS
• Tickets start at $10 can purchased at the OU Athletics Ticket Office (800-456-4668) and SoonerSports.com/Tickets. Lloyd Noble Center's east ticket windows will open at 3 p.m. on Saturday.• Digital ticketing will be implemented for 2020-21 to allow fans to seamlessly access or transfer tickets to others via the SoonerSports2Go app. Step-by-step instructions and additional information on how to access and transfer tickets is available at SoonerSports.com/digitaltickets.
GAME DAY POLICIES
• Appropriate cloth or surgical-style masks that cover the nose and mouth completely will be required at all times while on campus and inside Lloyd Noble Center. Other face coverings including clear face shields, gaiters/buffs, bandanas or masks with valves are not permitted.• OU will continue its clear-bag policy this season. The approved clear plastic tote size is a maximum of 12 inches x 6 inches x 12 inches or a one-gallon clear plastic freezer bag. Even those bags are subject to search.
• Arena doors will open to the public one (1) hour prior to tip off. The general public can utilize the north and east entrances.
• Full details on OU's game day policies at Lloyd Noble Center can be found here.
THREE POINTERS
• Saturday will be senior forward Brady Manek's first game as a college graduate. Manek is receiving his Bachelor of Business Administration (majored in management) from OU's Price College of Business this weekend. Manek completed his coursework a semester early while maintaining over a 3.5 GPA. The Harrah, Okla., native has shown a strong work ethic in the classroom throughout his time at OU, earning Academic All-Big 12 First Team honors as both a sophomore and junior (freshmen are not eligible for the honor). He was one of 41 NCAA Division I men's basketball student-athletes named to a 2020 CoSIDA Academic All-District Team. He will begin grad school at OU next month.• Senior guard Austin Reaves continues to put up versatile numbers since taking over as the starting point guard this season. Reaves is averaging 17.4 points (third in Big 12), 6.4 assists (second in Big 12) and 5.6 rebounds (15th in Big 12) while shooting 50% from the field, 40% from 3 and 87.5% from the foul line. Despite being the third-leading scorer in the league, Reaves is almost averaging more assists (6.4) than field goal attempts (8.8). He is one of only two major-conference players averaging at least 16 points, six assists, five rebounds and 50% shooting.
• After starting the season shooting 2-of-13 from behind the arc, junior guard Umoja Gibson has sunk seven of his last 11 3-pointers. Gibson, who sunk 189 3-pointers over two seasons at North Texas, is coming off a 14-point performance against Oral Roberts on Wednesday.
SERIES HISTORY: HOUSTON BAPTIST
• This will be the first-ever meeting between the Sooners and Huskies in men's basketball.• The Sooners are 11-1 against current members of the Southland Conference under Lon Kruger. OU's lone Kruger-era loss to a Southland member came on Dec. 18, 2012 to Stephen F. Austin (55-56).
LOOKING BACK AT WEDNESDAY'S WIN
• Oklahoma defeated in-state foe Oral Roberts, 79-65, on Wednesday inside Lloyd Noble Center. The Sooners have now won 16 straight games against Oral Roberts - their longest active winning streak over a single opponent.• Oklahoma played one of their best defensive halves of the season in the opening frame, holding the Golden Eagles to 22 points on 21.2% shooting (7-of-33). ORU was held to 2-of-16 shooting from 3-point range.
• Senior guard Austin Reaves led the Sooners in points (18), rebounds (10) and assists (seven) in his near-triple-double performance. Reaves produced his second career double-double and first of the season. The guard went without a bucket in the first half, but still tallied six rebounds and five dimes before halftime.
• Senior forward Brady Manek sunk a trio of 3-pointers en route to a 17-point outing. Manek added nine rebounds and a pair of blocks.
• Junior guard Umoja Gibson put together his best game as a Sooner, providing a scoring spark off the bench with 14 points and four 3-pointers (on seven attempts).
• The Sooners shot a season-low 42.2% from the field.
QUICK HITS
• Oklahoma's 85.6 points per game rank second in the Big 12. The Sooners are joined by Baylor (90.8) as the only Big 12 teams averaging over 80 points.• The Sooners rank in the top three of the Big 12 in all three shooting categories: field goal shooting (47.6%, second), 3-point shooting (38.8%, third) and free throw percentage (81.0%, first).
• Sophomore guard De'Vion Harmon is shooting 14-of-15 from the foul line this season. His 9.3% shooting is the best in the Big 12. Teammate Austin Reaves is second in the league for free throw shooting at 87.5% (35-of-40).
• Senior forward Brady Manek leads the Big 12 in both 3-pointers per game (3.4) and 3-point field goal percentage (48.6%).
• Austin Reaves' 32 points against TCU (Dec. 6) are the most by a Big 12 player this season. Brady Manek's 29 points against UTSA (Dec. 3) are the third-most by a league player.
• Oklahoma has been dominant in non-conference play the last three seasons, boasting a combined 35-7 record in its last 42 non-league regular-season games.
• In non-conference play since 2017-18, Oklahoma is 13-6 against major conference schools (ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-12, SEC) and 17-7 in games played away from Norman.
• The Sooners have won 21 straight home non-conference matchups (18 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 144 of its last 151 non-conference games in Norman and is 52-4 at Lloyd Noble Center against non-conference opponents under Lon Kruger.
• OU is 35-6 in games played in November and December since the start of the 2017-18 season.
• The Sooners are 92-15 (.860) at home when facing unranked opponents during the Kruger era. Oklahoma has won 34 of its last 38 home games against unranked foes.
• With 183 victories at Oklahoma, head coach Lon Kruger is closing in on surpassing Hugh McDermott (185 wins from 1922-38) on the Sooners' all-time wins list. Only three OU head coaches compiled more than 185 victories: Billy Tubbs (333), Kelvin Sampson (279) and Hall-of-Famer Bruce Drake (200).
• Lon Kruger returns a veteran-heavy team which returns over 70% of its scoring from last season's squad that claimed the No. 3 seed in the Big 12 Championship.
• Kruger utilized a starting lineup with four seniors on opening night in Austin Reaves, Alondes Williams, Brady Manek and Kur Kuath. It was the first time since the 1992-93 season that Oklahoma started at least four seniors in the first game of the season.
UP NEXT: TEXAS TECH
• The Sooners shift focus to Big 12 play when they host No. 14 Texas Tech on Tuesday at 6 p.m. on ESPN2. Oklahoma owns a 40-27 lead in the all-time series and is 25-8 against the Red Raiders at home.• The matchup with Tech is the first contest in a challenging stretch against four straight teams currently ranked in the top 15 of the latest AP Top 25 poll. Following the Red Raiders, Oklahoma will face No. 8 West Virginia at home before road games at No. 5 Kansas and No. 2 Baylor. Should all four teams remain ranked, it will be just the third time in program history that Oklahoma has played four straight regular-season games against ranked opponents (most recently in 2015). The Sooners have never faced four straight top-15 foes.
• The Sooners are 10-8 against Tech in the Lon Kruger era (7-2 at home). OU won the most recent meeting, topping the Red Raiders 65-51 in a home game played at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City. Brady Manek produced 15 points and seven boards despite going 0-of-5 from 3-point range.
• The home team has won nine of the last 10 meetings.
• Oklahoma has won six of its last seven Big 12 home openers.
• OU assistant coach Pooh Williamson served as an assistant coach at Texas Tech under Tubby Smith from 2013 to 2016.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballNBA Draft: Jeremiah Fears R1, P7 – Pelicans
Thursday, June 26
Make Your Case: Kobe vs Steph
Monday, June 02
MBB: It's Time to Dance
Friday, March 21
Porter Moser Selection Sunday
Sunday, March 16
