OU Set to Face No. 3 Kansas in The Phog

Oklahoma

³ Kansas

Saturday, Feb. 15 / 11 a.m. CT / Lawrence, Kan.

Tickets / ESPN / Radio / Live Stats / Game Notes

NORMAN – Off to a 3-1 start in the month of February and coming off a 29-point win over Iowa State, Oklahoma (16-8, 6-5 Big 12) enters the toughest stretch of its conference schedule, beginning with a trip to Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday.

Awaiting the Sooners in Lawrence is No. 3/3 Kansas (21-3, 10-1 Big 12) – a defensive-minded squad allowing 59.8 points per game (third among major-conference teams) and holding opponents to 37.3% shooting (second).

Saturday's matchup features two of the top three scorers in the Big 12 in KU's Devon Dotson (17.9 points) and OU's Brady Manek (15.9). The Jayhawks held Manek to a 10 points (2-of-9 from 3) in the first meeting while Dotson missed the game to injury.

ON THE AIR

The Saturday matchup will tip at 11 CT and 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.

ESPN will carry the television broadcast with Jason Benetti and Fran Fraschilla on the call. Fans with proper cable verification can stream the game using the Watch ESPN app.

THREE POINTERS

• Oklahoma boasts the top scoring trio in the Big 12 and one of the best in the country in junior forward Brady Manek (15.9 points per game), senior forward Kristian Doolittle (15.0) and junior guard Austin Reaves (14.2). All three Sooners rank in the top 11 of the Big 12's scoring race. Oklahoma and Arkansas are the only major-conference schools with three players averaging over 14 points.

• Coming out of a mini slump, senior forward Kristian Doolittle has strung together a pair of dominant performances by scoring 27 against West Virginia and 20 versus Iowa State on Wednesday. Doolittle has combined to score 47 in his last two outings after totaling 36 points over the previous five games (Jan. 20 – Feb. 4). He ranks seventh in the conference in scoring (15.0 points) and third in rebounding (9.0 boards). Doolittle is one of only three major-conference players averaging at least 15 points, nine rebounds and two assists

• Junior forward Brady Manek is the league's top 3-point shooter during Big 12 play, making a conference-best 34 treys (3.1 per game) at a Big 12-leading 47.2% clip. His shooting success ranks him second in the league in scoring during Big 12 play with 16.3 points per game. Overall on the season, Manek is tied with TCU's Desmond Bane for the most triples in the conference with 64 (2.7 per game). Owning 180 career 3-pointers, Manek already ranks eighth in OU history for made treys. Throughout his career, Oklahoma is 13-4 when he hit four or more 3-pointers.

OKLAHOMA VS. KANSAS: SERIES HISTORY

• Kansas is the only Big 12 team with a winning all-time record against the Sooners, leading the series 148-68. Oklahoma has won two of the last five meetings.

• The Jayhawks are 77-16 against the Sooners in Lawrence. Oklahoma is looking for its first win in Allen Fieldhouse since 1993. The Jayhawks have defeated the Sooners in 18 straight games in Lawrence. It's not just the Sooners who have struggled in The Phog. Kansas owns a 94.9 winning percentage (260-14) in Allen Fieldhouse under Bill Self. The Jayhawks are 10-1 in Allen Fieldhouse this season with their only loss coming to No. 1 Baylor.

• Kansas head coach Bill Self graduated from Edmond Memorial High School in Edmond, Okla. – the same high school as OU senior forward Kristian Doolittle.

• OU freshman guard De'Vion Harmon was high school teammates with KU freshman forward Jalen Wilson at Guyer High School in Denton, Texas. Wilson has sat out since November due to a foot injury.

LOOKING BACK ON WEDNESDAY'S WIN

• The Sooners rolled past Iowa State, 90-61, on Wednesday in Norman. The 29-point win is tied for the largest in series history. Oklahoma also defeated Iowa State by 29 in 1989 (126-97). Iowa State had not lost by 29 or more points in any game since the 2010-11 season. Oklahoma's win marks its largest margin of victory in a conference game since defeating Texas Tech by 45 on Jan. 28, 2015.

• The Sooners' 90 points are the most by OU in conference play since reaching 92 against West Virginia last season (March 2).

• Oklahoma outscored Iowa State by 25 in the second half.

• Six Sooners scored in double figures for the first time since Nov. 11, 2018 against Omaha.

• Senior forward Kristian Doolittle led the Sooners with his sixth 20-point game of the season. Doolittle produced 20 points, six rebound, three steals and three assists. The senior has totaled 47 points over his last two games.

• Junior forward Brady Manek shot 4-of-5 from 3-point range en route to 18 points, five boards and three assists. Manek has scored at least 18 points in six of his last eight games.

• Sophomore guard Jamal Bieniemy stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Also scoring in double figures was junior guard Alondes Williams (14 points, six rebounds), junior guard Austin Reaves (12 points, four assists, four rebounds) and freshman guard De'Vion Harmon (10 points).

• Oklahoma shot 47.7% from the field - including 57.6% in the second half.
02/12/2020 Oklahoma vs Iowa State men's basketball. Photo by Ty Russell

02/12/2020 Oklahoma vs Iowa State men's basketball. Photo by Ty Russell

QUICK HITS

• Oklahoma now shifts to arguably the toughest portion of its schedule. Over the next five games, the Sooners will play at No. 3 Kansas, host No. 1 Baylor, travel to Stillwater for Bedlam, play No. 24 Texas Tech in Oklahoma City and face No. 14 West Virginia at WVU Coliseum.

• Provided that No. 1 Baylor remains in the top three of Monday's AP Top 25, Oklahoma is preparing to face top-three opponents in consecutive games for the fourth time in program history and first time in 30 years. All three previous instances occurred between 1986 and 1990. In 1989, Oklahoma defeated No. 3 Missouri (the famous Billy Tubbs microphone game) and No. 1 Arizona in the course of three days. The following season (1989-90), the Sooners topped No. 1 Missouri on a Sunday and then beat the newly-appointed No. 1 Kansas two days later.

• A win on Saturday would give the Sooners their first three-game Big 12 winning streak since the 2015-16 season.

• Oklahoma ranks second in the Big 12 in scoring during league games, averaging 68.5 points. Only Texas Tech (70.6) is scoring more in conference play.

• The Sooners have a trio of players who could go off on any night. Kristian Doolittle (six), Austin Reaves (five) and Brady Manek (four) all boast at least four games of scoring over 20 points.

• OU boasts a pair of players from Oklahoma who have etched their names into OU's 1,000-point club. Senior forward Kristian Doolittle is the 47th Sooner to score 1,000 points in an OU uniform, eclipsing the milestone in a win over Oklahoma State on Feb. 1. He joins teammate Brady Manek in the premier circle of Sooner scorers with Manek reaching his 1,000 points on Jan. 18 against TCU.

• Doolittle leads the Big 12 in free throw percentage during league play, sinking 36 of his 41 attempts (87.8%).

• Doolittle has pulled down at least 10 rebounds in five of his last six games.

• Junior guard Austin Reaves is third in scoring among Big 12 newcomers with 14.2 points per game.

• Sometimes the key to victory is as simple as making shots. The Sooners are 14-1 this season when they have a better field goal percentage than their opponents. Their only loss when owning a better field goal percentage was on the road at No. 1 Baylor.

• The Sooners have shown discipline in keeping their opponents off the charity stripe. Oklahoma commits only 13.1 personal fouls per game – the second fewest in the country. OU opponents are shooting an average of 12.7 foul shots per game, compared to OU's 17.9 free throw attempts.

• OU leads the Big 12 in free throw percentage, making 77.2% of its shots from the foul stripe. The Sooners, who shot free throws at a 69.7% rate in 2018-19, rank 16th in the country in 2019-20 (fifth among major-conference teams).

• The Sooners discipline is on display on the offensive end as well. Oklahoma is turning the ball over just 10.8 times per game, which ranks fifth in the nation among major-conference teams.

• OU is 15-5 when holding its opponents to under 80 points.

• The Sooners are 3-0 in games decided by two or fewer points.

• Oklahoma is 10-1 when it outrebounds its opponent.

BRADY'S BUNCH OF POINTS

• The Sooners almost always have team success on nights that junior forward Brady Manek is rolling. During his career, OU is 41-17 when Manek scores in double figures, 26-8 when he scores at least 15 points, 8-2 when he scores at least 20 and 13-4 when he hit four or more 3-pointers.

• Dating back to last season, Manek has scored in double figures in 34 of his last 40 games – including 21 of 24 games this season.

• Manek has come alive in Big 12 play, averaging 16.3 points during league play – ranking second in the Big 12. He's connecting on 47.2% of his 3-pointers during conference play.

• He is the only Big 12 player with multiple 30-point games this season.

• Manek enters Saturday's game with 1,123 career points – the 35th most in program history. He has started in 57 straight games for the Sooners.

• The sharpshooter has sunk 181 3-pointers in his career – the eighth most in program history.

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 eighth-leading scorer in the Big 12, averaging 15.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.2 steals.

• Doolittle became the 47th Sooner to score 1,000 career points in an OU uniform, reaching the milestone on Feb. 1 against Oklahoma State. With 1,059 career points, Doolittle ranks 42nd in program history.

• Boasting 728 career rebounds, Doolittle is just the 15th player in OU history to total at least 1,000 points and 700 rebounds in a career with the Sooners.

• The senior went all of last season without a 3-pointer and only attempted four shots from behind the arc. He has made 20 from deep this season.

NEXT UP: BAYLOR

• Oklahoma is back at home for what could be a historic game on Tuesday at Lloyd Noble Center. The Sooners host Baylor, the current No. 1 team in both the AP and Coaches Polls, at 8 p.m. on ESPN2. Should the Bears remain No. 1, it will be the first time since 1997 that the Sooners have hosted a No. 1 team.

• Despite it being OU's first time hosting a top-ranked foe in 23 years, Oklahoma boasts a remarkable 6-2 all-time record against No. 1s in Norman.

• OU owns a 45-18 record over the Bears, including a 23-6 advantage in Norman.

• The Sooners are 8-10 against the Bears during the Lon Kruger era and are looking to snap a four-game losing streak against Baylor. OU last defeated the Bears on Jan. 30, 2018 in Norman.

• The Bears won the first meeting of the season despite a late comeback by the Sooners. Oklahoma junior guard Austin Reaves put up a game-winning 3-point attempt on a fast break in the final seconds, but came just short of making the bucket and taking down No. 1.