Showdown vs. No. 1 Baylor Tuesday

Oklahoma

¹ Baylor

Tuesday, Feb. 18 / 8 p.m. CT / Lloyd Noble Center

Tickets / ESPN2 / Radio / Live Stats / Game Notes

NORMAN - For the first time in 23 years, Oklahoma (16-9, 6-6 Big 12) will host a top-ranked team at Lloyd Noble Center when No. 1/1 Baylor (23-1, 12-0 Big 12) comes to town Tuesday.

History has been on the Sooners' side when hosting top teams in Norman, as Oklahoma boasts a remarkable 6-2 all-time home record against No. 1s.
The Sooners are 11-1 at home this season with their lone loss coming to Kansas (currently ranked No. 3 in the AP Top 25) while Baylor is riding a 22-game winning streak. The Bears' only loss of the season came over 100 days ago on Nov. 8.

The Sooners have won their last four games at Lloyd Noble Center by double figures and will need another hot shooting night and a raucous crowd to take down No. 1.

ON THE AIR

The Tuesday matchup will tip at 8 p.m. 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.

ESPN2 will carry the television broadcast with Jon Sciambi and Fran Fraschilla on the call. Fans with proper cable verification can stream the game using the Watch ESPN app.

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 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

• Home court advantage starts with the energy from the BoomSquad student section. OU is making it even easier for students to pack the LNC by offering free student tickets for the final trio of home games. Students simply need to show their OU ID at the north student entrance.

• Fans looking to catch all three of OU's remaining games can save on tickets by purchasing the March to Madness Mini Plan. The ticket package comes with a ticket to all three games and starts at just $30.

IN THE BONUS

• The first 500 OU students in attendance will receive a free BoomSquad flag.

• 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

• Oklahoma boasts the top scoring trio in the Big 12 and one of the best in the country in junior forward Brady Manek (15.6 points per game), senior forward Kristian Doolittle (15.5) and junior guard Austin Reaves (14.1). All three Sooners rank in the top 11 of the Big 12's scoring race. Oklahoma, Alabama 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 three straight dominant performances by scoring 27 against West Virginia (Feb 8), 20 versus Iowa State on Wednesday and 27 at Kansas on Saturday. Doolittle has combined to score 74 in his last three outings after totaling 36 points over the previous five games (Jan. 20 – Feb. 4). His efforts earned him his third Big 12 Player of the Week honor of the season. He ranks fifth in the conference in scoring (15.5 points) and third in rebounding (9.1 boards). He enters Tuesday's matchup averaging 24.7 points and 10.0 rebounds over his previous three games.

• Oklahoma has been nothing short of dominant at Lloyd Noble Center over the last month. The Sooners have won four straight in the building, winning by an average of 18.0 points on 49.1% shooting. Junior forward Brady Manek has been a catalyst for the Sooners over those four games, averaging 22.5 points and 7.0 rebounds while shooting 21-of-35 (60%) from 3-point range. That's an average of 5.3 treys a game.

SERIES HISTORY VS. BAYLOR

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

• Oklahoma has won 20 of the last 24 meetings 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.

OU VS. NO. 1

• OU is 7-13 all-time against teams ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25. A victory on Tuesday would be OU's first win over a No 1 since defeating Kansas in 2002 (64-55 in the Big 12 Championship in Kansas City). The Sooners have lost six straight against No. 1 teams since then.

• Since 1987, the Sooners are 6-8 against AP No. 1s.

• Oklahoma boasts a remarkable 6-2 all-time record against No. 1-ranked teams in Norman, with its last home win coming in 1995 against Kansas.

• OU is 1-10 against No. 1s when the Sooners are unranked in the AP Poll. The lone win over a top-ranked opponent by an unranked Sooner squad came against Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State) in 1951. OU has lost 10 straight such games since then.

• Oklahoma is 0-4 against No. 1s under Lon Kruger, with all four games came away from home (Michigan State in 2013 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, at Kansas in 2016 and 2017 and at Baylor in 2020).
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

• Tuesday's game is the second matchup in the toughest portion of it OU's schedule. In a five game stretch, the Sooners play at No. 3 Kansas, host No. 1 Baylor, travel to Stillwater for Bedlam, play 2019 NCAA Runner-Up Texas Tech in Oklahoma City and face No. 17 West Virginia at WVU Coliseum.

• Oklahoma's game against No. 1 Baylor, paired with Saturday's game No. 3 Kansas, marks the fourth time in program history that OU has faced top-three opponents in consecutive games. 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.

• Oklahoma ranks second in the Big 12 in scoring during league games, averaging 68.6 points. Only Texas Tech (70.6) and Kansas (68.7) are scoring more in conference play.

• The Sooners have a trio of players who could go off on any night. Kristian Doolittle (seven), 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.

• Brady Manek is one of the league's top 3-point shooter during Big 12 play, making 35 treys (2.9 per game) during conference play - good for second in the Big 12. Manek is also second in the Big 12 in 3-point percentage, making his long shots at 44.9% clip. His shooting success ranks him fourth in the league in scoring during Big 12 play with 15.5 points per game.

• Kristian Doolittle has recorded 27 points and 12 rebounds in two of his last three games. No other Big 12 player has reached those numbers in a game this season while Doolittle has accomplished it twice in a three-game stretch. Blake Griffin is the only other Sooner to ever produce 27 points and 12 rebounds in a Big 12 game.

• Doolittle leads the Big 12 in free throw percentage during league play, sinking 42 of his 49 attempts (85.7%).

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

• Junior guard Austin Reaves is third in scoring among Big 12 newcomers with 14.1 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 13.0 personal fouls per game – the second fewest in the country. OU opponents are shooting an average of 12.8 foul shots per game, compared to OU's 17.5 free throw attempts.

• OU leads the Big 12 in free throw percentage, making 77.6% of its shots from the foul stripe. The Sooners, who shot free throws at a 69.7% rate in 2018-19, rank 12th in the country in 2019-20 (second among major-conference teams).

• The Sooners discipline is on display on the offensive end as well. Oklahoma is turning the ball over just 10.7 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.

UP NEXT: OKLAHOMA STATE

• The Sooners are back on the road for a rivalry showdown against Oklahoma State on Saturday in Stillwater, Okla. The second edition of this year's Phillips 66 Bedlam Series tips at 3 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

• Oklahoma owns a 140-99 all-time advantage in the series and is 22-11 in Bedlam games since 2006. The Sooners are 12-6 against the Cowboys games under Lon Kruger.

• Oklahoma State owns a 64-46 all-time advantage in Bedlam games played in Stillwater, but Oklahoma has won four of the last six meetings at Gallagher-Iba Arena.

• A win on Saturday would give Oklahoma its eighth Bedlam sweeps since 2006. Oklahoma State has swept the Sooners just once in that span.

• Oklahoma won the season's first meeting, 82-69, in Norman behind an offensive attack by junior forward Brady Manek. The Harrah, Okla., native produced 30 points - one shy of his career-high. Manek tied his carer-best of seven 3-pointers (on 13 attempts) and shot 11-of-18 from the field. He set the tone early by shooting 8-of-12 (6-of-9 from 3) during the first half en route to 22 points before the break.

ON THE AIR

TICKETS

IN THE BONUS

THREE POINTERS

SERIES HISTORY VS. BAYLOR

OU VS. NO. 1

QUICK HITS

UP NEXT: OKLAHOMA STATE

Players Mentioned

Kristian Doolittle

Brady Manek

Austin Reaves

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics