Hoops Back at Home to Face TCU Tuesday

Oklahoma

TCU

Tuesday, Jan. 12 / 6:30 p.m. CT / Lloyd Noble Center / Norman

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

NORMAN – After falling on the road to a pair of top-10 teams last week, Oklahoma (6-4, 2-3 Big 12) is looking to bounce back when it hosts TCU (9-4, 2-3 Big 12) at Lloyd Noble Center on Tuesday. The matchup with the Horned Frogs is OU's first of four straight games played in the state of Oklahoma.

Tuesday's contest features an exciting showdown of high-scoring guards. TCU's RJ Nembhard leads the Big 12 in scoring average (17.8 per game) while OU's Austin Reaves tops the league's conference game scoring race (19.4 points in Big 12 games).

Reaves - who scored 41 and 32 in his last two games against TCU - will need another big performance on Tuesday to help the Sooners sweep the Frogs.

ON THE AIR

• Tuesday's game will tip at 6:30 p.m. CT and air on the Sooner Sports Radio Network (KRXO 107.7 FM The Franchise in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa; Tune In Radio App) with Toby Rowland and Kevin Henry announcing.

• Chuckie Kempf and Bryndon Manzer have the call on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

TICKETS

• Tickets start at $20 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 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

• 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

• Senior guard Austin Reaves combined for 39 points in a pair of road games against top-six teams last week, including a 20-point, nine-rebound outing at Allen Fieldhouse in a close loss to Kansas. Reaves is leading the league with 19.4 points per game in Big 12 play. He's also second in the Big 12 with 4.6 assists per conference game. He is the only Division I player averaging at least 16 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists. He's had massive success against the Horned Frogs, scoring a combined 73 points in his last two games against TCU. His 32 points in Fort Worth on Dec. 6 remain the most by a Big 12 player this season.

• Oklahoma will be without forwards Brady Manek and Jalen Hill for the second straight game due to COVID-19 protocol. Saturday's game against Kansas was the first time Manek missed a game in his collegiate career. He had played in OU's previous 106 contests. The Sooners' second-leading scorer, Manek is averaging 13.2 points and 4.4 rebounds. Also missing Hill – who would normally replace Manek off the bench – Oklahoma will rely on a guard-heavy rotation.

• Tuesday will be Oklahoma's first time hosting TCU since the passing of legendary head coach Billy Tubbs in November. Tubbs spent a combined 22 seasons coaching the two programs, including 14 at the Sooners' helm (1981-94). Tubbs racked up a 333-132 (.716) record at OU and won regular season Big Eight titles four times in a six-season stretch. He also spent eight seasons as head coach at TCU, highlighted by a 27-6 season in 1997-98 that resulted in a Western Athletic Conference title and TCU's first NCAA Tournament appearance in over a decade.

SERIES HISTORY: TCU

• OU owns a 26-4 all-time record against the Horned Frogs and has won 18 of the last 21 meetings, including the last seven in a row. Oklahoma has never lost to the Frogs when playing in Norman.

• No member of the OU roster has lost to TCU in their collegiate career.

• OU leads the series 15-3 since the Frogs joined the Big 12 in 2012.

• Oklahoma may be dominant in the win column against TCU, but many recent matchups with the Frogs have come down to crunch time. Five of the last seven meetings have been decided by five or fewer points, including three games decided by one or two points.

• The last two matchups featured epic performances by senior guard Austin Reaves. In the 2019-20 finale, the Sooners overcame an 18-point halftime deficit to fight back and win 78-76 thanks to the game-winning bucket by Reaves with 0.5 seconds remaining. Reaves scored 41 points that night (25 in the second half) - the most by a Big 12 player since Trae Young scored 44 against Baylor on Jan. 30, 2018. Reaves scored 32 in OU's 82-78 victory earlier this season. Harmon Action

QUICK HITS

• Oklahoma is coming off a stretch in which it played four straight games against teams in the top 15 of the AP Top 25 poll, including three in a row versus top-10 opponents. OU's matchup with TCU on Tuesday will be the Sooners' first game against an unranked team since hosting Houston Baptist on Dec. 19 (over three weeks ago).

• The Sooners are 93-15 (.861) at home when facing unranked opponents during the Lon Kruger era. Oklahoma has won 35 of its last 39 home games against unranked foes.

• With 185 victories at Oklahoma, head coach Lon Kruger is now tied with Hugh McDermott (1922-38) for the fourth on the Sooners' all-time wins list. Only three OU head coaches compiled more victories than Kruger: Billy Tubbs (333), Kelvin Sampson (279) and Hall-of-Famer Bruce Drake (200).

• Junior guard Umoja Gibson was named Big 12 Player of the Week, Big 12 Newcomer of the Week and NCAA.com National Player of the Week for games played Jan. 4-10. Gibson poured in 29 points against No. 9 West Virginia on Jan. 2 on 10-of-14 shooting (8-of-11 from 3-point range) while adding five rebounds, two assists and two steals. At the time of the game, his 29 points were the second-most off the bench by any major-conference player this season. His career-high eight 3-pointers were tied for the most by a non-starter in any Division I game this season.

• In Oklahoma's 10 games this season, three different Sooners have reached at least 29 points in a game. Brady Manek produced 29 points against UTSA (Dec. 3) and Austin Reaves scored 32 at TCU (Dec. 6). Oklahoma is the only team in the country with three different players boasting 29-point performances this season. The OU trio's scoring milestones account for three of the five highest-scoring games by Big 12 players this season.

• Oklahoma's 77.4 points per game rank second in the Big 12.

• Oklahoma's roster holds two of the Big 12's top four 3-point shooters. Both Umoja Gibson and Brady Manek are averaging 2.3 treys per game. Both Gibson and Manek have sunk eight 3-pointers in a game this season.

• Sometimes the key to victory is as simple as making shots. Over the last two seasons, the Sooners are 22-1 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 last season.

• The Sooners also lead the league in fewest fouls committed per game, fouling an average of 13.9 times - the fifth-fewest in the country. This continues a trend that Oklahoma showed a lot of discipline in last season, committing only 13.4 personal fouls per game in 2019-20 – the third fewest in the country. This year, OU opponents are shooting an average of 12.9 foul shots per game, compared to OU's 18.2 free throw attempts.

• OU is making the most of its trips to the line, leading the Big 12 in free throw percentage with a 78.6% rate. OU's free throw percentage ranks 15th in the nation and fourth among major-conference teams. Austin Reaves is second in the Big 12 in free throw percentage (88.9%).

• Oklahoma is committing only 11.1 turnovers per game - the fewest in the Big 12.

• 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) and Umoja Gibson's 29 vs. West Virginia (Jan. 2) are the third-most by a league player.

• 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: OKLAHOMA STATE

• Next up for the Sooners is a Saturday night rivalry game when they head to Stillwater to face Oklahoma State. The Bedlam matchup tips at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

• Oklahoma owns a 140-100 all-time advantage in the series and is 22-12 in Bedlam games since 2006. The Sooners are 12-7 against the Cowboys games under Lon Kruger. OU has won three of the last four meetings.

• Oklahoma State owns a 64-47 all-time advantage in Bedlam games played in Stillwater, but Oklahoma has won four of the last seven meetings at Gallagher-Iba Arena.