OU and Texas Clash in Pivotal Home Finale

^RV Oklahoma

^RV Texas

Tuesday, March 3 / 8 p.m. CT / Lloyd Noble Center

Tickets / ESPN2 / Radio / Live Stats / Game Notes

NORMAN – With postseason implications on the line, rivals RV/NR Oklahoma (18-11, 8-8 Big 12) and NR/RV Texas (18-11, 8-8 Big 12) are set to face off in the hardwood edition of the Red River Showdown.

The Sooners aim for their first sweep of the Longhorns since 2015 when they host Texas on Tuesday night at 8 CT.

The rivals bring in the exact same overall and conference record and are tied for fourth place in the Big 12 standings. The Sooners are coming back-to-back double-digit wins over Top 25 teams while Texas is riding a four-game winning streak. Oklahoma will need another big performance from forward Kristian Doolittle (15.7 points, 8.8 rebounds) in his final game at Lloyd Noble Center. The senior has scored at least 18 points in six of his last seven games.

ON THE AIR

Tuesday's 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 Chad McKee 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 just $10 and 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 home game. Students simply need to show their OU ID at the north student entrance.

IN THE BONUS

• The first 5,000 fans in attendance will receive a free rally towel.

• 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.

• Kristian Doolittle's Senior Night ceremony is expected to begin around 7:45 p.m.

• The sensational acrobatic act Red Panda will entertain fans at halftime.

THREE POINTERS

• Hosting its final home game of the season, Oklahoma will honor lone senior Kristian Doolittle in a Senior Night ceremony roughly 15 minutes before tip. A forward out of Edmond, Okla., Doolittle has started in over 90 games for the Sooners, including three NCAA Tournament contests. His 1,153 career points are the 34th most in Sooner history and he is just the 12th player in program history to total over 1,100 points and 750 rebounds in a career. Last season, he was named to the All-Big 12 Third Team and earned the conference's inaugural Most Improved Player Award. This year, he is the only player in the Big 12 to rank in the top five for both points (15.7) and rebounds (8.8). He is expected to graduate this spring with a Bachelor of Arts in human relations.

• The Sooners enter Tuesday's contest coming off two of their biggest wins of the season. Oklahoma defeated No. 22 Texas Tech on Tuesday and at No. 20 West Virginia on Saturday by a combined 25 points. Last week marked the first time OU has beaten ranked foes by double figures in consecutive games since 2015.

• Junior forward Brady Manek is coming off back-to-back games of 15 points. Manek sunk a trio of 3-pointers in Saturday's win in Morgantown, helping him fight off a shooting slump that had held him to 2-of-21 shooting from deep over the previous four games. During his career, Oklahoma is 28-8 when Manek scores at least 15 points.

OKLAHOMA VS. TEXAS: SERIES HISTORY

• Oklahoma and Texas will square off for the 97th time on Tuesday with Oklahoma holding a 56-40 advantage in the all-time series.

• OU holds a 29-12 advantage when hosting the Horns in Norman. The Sooners have won six of their last seven home matchups with Texas.

• The Sooners are 9-8 against Texas under Lon Kruger.

• Oklahoma has won two straight against the Longhorns, including a 72-62 victory earlier this season in Austin. A win would give OU its first sweep of the Horns since 2015.

• Last year's Red River Showdown in Norman ended in dramatic fashion. Holding a two-point lead, OU guard Jamal Bieniemy ended the game by blocking a game-winning 3-point attempt by UT's Matt Coleman at the buzzer. WVU Game

LOOKING BACK AT SATURDAY'S WIN

• The Sooners picked up a crucial road win in their journey to March, defeating No. 20 West Virginia 73-62 at WVU Coliseum. The victory was OU's first road win over a ranked opponent since defeating No. 10 TCU on Dec. 30, 2017.

• The victory gave Oklahoma its first regular-season sweep of West Virginia since 2016. The Sooners lead the all-time series 12-9 and improve to 4-4 all-time in Morgantown.

• Oklahoma was led by senior forward Kristian Doolittle, producing 19 points, seven rebounds and three assists. He was one of four Sooners who scored in double figures.

• Fighting recent shooting woes in the past few games, junior forward Brady Manek sunk a trio of treys to score 15 points with seven rebounds.

• Junior guard Austin Reaves added 13 points, five rebounds and four assists while sophomore guard Jamal Bieniemy chipped in 12 points, six boards and three dimes.

QUICK HITS

• OU has won its final home game of the season in 14 of the last 16 campaigns and is 9-0 in such games since 2011.

• Oklahoma is 12-2 at home this season with its only two losses coming to Kansas and Baylor, who are both ranked in the top five of the current AP Poll.

• The Sooners enter March after going 5-4 in February. OU's five wins are the second-most in February during the Lon Kruger era. OU had won five total games in February over the previous three seasons.

• Oklahoma boasts the top scoring trio in the Big 12 and one of the best in the country in senior forward Kristian Doolittle (15.7 points per game), junior forward Brady Manek (14.9) and junior guard Austin Reaves (13.9). All three Sooners rank in the top 11 of the Big 12's scoring race. The Sooners are 10-2 in games that all three players reach double-digit scoring.

• Any member of OU's "Big Three" could go off on any night. Doolittle (seven), Reaves (six) and Manek (four) all boast at least four games of scoring over 20 points. Manek is the only Big 12 player to reach 30 points in multiple games this season.

• Oklahoma, who is ranked No. 40 in the latest NET Rankings, is looking for another big win to add to its resume. The Sooners are pursuing their seventh NCAA Tournament appearance in the last eight years. OU has reached the Big Dance six times since 2013. Duke, Kansas, Michigan State, North Carolina and Villanova are the only major-conference schools who have made it to more NCAA Tournaments in that span.

• Despite holding a .500 conference record of 8-8, only four of OU's Big 12 games this season have been determined by less than 10 points, with the closest being a four-point loss at No. 1 Baylor on Jan. 20. OU has won six Big 12 games by double figures.

• Oklahoma ranks third in the Big 12 in scoring during league games, averaging 67.6 points. Only Kansas (70.3) and Texas Tech (69.5) are scoring more in conference play.

• 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. Both rank in the top 35 among OU's top career scorers. Both players are quickly approaching the top 30 of OU's all-time scoring list.

• Brady Manek is one of the league's top 3-point shooter during Big 12 play, making 39 treys (2.4 per game) during conference play - good for second in the Big 12. Manek is fourth in the Big 12 in 3-point percentage, making his long shots at 39.0% clip during league play.

• Kristian Doolittle has recorded 27 points and 12 rebounds in two of his last seven 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 has scored at least 18 points in six of his last seven games.

• Junior guard Austin Reaves is third in scoring among Big 12 newcomers with 13.9 points per game.

• Oklahoma is 6-1 this season when sophomore guard Jamal Bieniemy scores at least 10 points.

• Sometimes the key to victory is as simple as making shots. The Sooners are 16-1 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 then-No. 1 Baylor.

• The Sooners have shown discipline in keeping their opponents off the charity stripe. Oklahoma commits only 13.4 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 17.7 free throw attempts.

• OU leads the Big 12 in free throw percentage, making 76.8% of its shots from the foul stripe. The Sooners, who shot free throws at a 69.7% rate in 2018-19, rank 17th in the country in 2019-20 (fourth among major-conference teams).

• The Sooners discipline is on display on the offesnive end as well. Oklahoma is turning the ball over just 11.1 times per game, which ranks sixth in the nation among major-conference teams.

• OU is 17-6 when holding its opponents to under 80 points.

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

• Oklahoma is 11-1 when it outrebounds its opponent.

UP NEXT: TCU

• Oklahoma closes out the regular season by heading to Fort Worth on Saturday. The Sooners face TCU at 5 p.m. CT on ESPN2. This will be the fifth time in the last eight seasons that OU has faced TCU in the last game of the regular season.

• The Sooners are 9-8 against Texas under Lon Kruger.

• OU owns a 24-4 all-time record against the Horned Frogs and has won 16 of the last 19 meetings, including the last five in a row. OU leads the series 13-3 since the Frogs joined the Big 12 in 2012.

• Oklahoma leads the series 10-2 for games played in Fort Worth. OU has won five of its last six games at TCU with the only loss in that span coming in 2017.

• The Sooners won the first meeting of the year, 83-63, in Norman. Junior forward Brady Manek sunk a career-best seven 3-pointers and scored a career-high 31 points - the most by a Big 12 player this season.