Sooners Face No. 6 Kansas on CBS

^RVOklahoma

⁶Kansas

Saturday, Jan. 9 / 3:30 p.m. CT / Allen Fieldhouse / Lawrence, Kan.

NORMAN – For the third time in eight days, RV/RV Oklahoma (6-3, 2-2 Big 12) will face a top-10 opponent when it travels to Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday to face No. 6/6 Kansas (9-2, 3-1 Big 12).

The Sooners are on the hunt for their first win inside "The Phog" since 1993 and will rely on a senior-heavy lineup that features Austin Reaves (15.9 points, 5.3 assists) and Brady Manek (13.2 points, 4.4 rebounds).

The Jayhawks are coming off a 29-point road win at TCU on Tuesday and will look to avoid consecutive losses in Lawrence after falling to Texas last weekend.

ON THE AIR

• Saturday's game will tip at 3:30 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.

• Spero Dedes and Bill Raftery have the call on CBS.

THREE POINTERS

• Not one, but two Sooners are high school teammates of Jayhawk players. OU sophomore guard De'Vion Harmon grew up playing with KU redshirt freshman forward Jalen Wilson at Guyer High School in Denton, Texas. Sooner freshman guard Trey Phipps and Kansas freshman guard Bryce Thompson were teammates at Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa.

• Senior guard Austin Reaves is coming off a 19-point performance in OU's loss to No. 2 Baylor on Wednesday. Reaves added seven rebounds and five assists, marking his third game this season in which he produced at least 15 points, five rebounds and five assists. Reaves ranks fourth in the Big 12 in scoring (15.9), third in assists (5.3), 17th in assists (5.2) and second in free throw percentage (88.1%).

• Year after year the Big 12 proves itself to be one of the toughest and deepest conferences in college basketball. Saturday's game in Lawrence closes a four-game stretch in which the Sooners are facing four straight teams ranked in the top 15 of the AP Top 25 poll. This is the first time that the Sooners have ever faced four straight top-15 foes. Oklahoma is facing three straight top-10 teams for just the second time in program history. The only other occurrence took place in the 1957-58 season (No. 8 Oklahoma State, No. 1 Kansas State and No. 7 Kansas).

SERIES HISTORY: KANSAS

• Kansas is the only Big 12 team with a winning all-time record against the Sooners, leading the series 150-68.

• The Jayhawks are 78-16 against the Sooners in Lawrence. Oklahoma is looking for its first win in Allen Fieldhouse since 1993. The Jayhawks have defeated the Sooners in 19 straight games in Lawrence. It's not just the Sooners who have struggled in The Phog; Kansas is 269-15 at home during the Bill Self era.

• Kansas won both matchups in 2019-20 by double figures. Umoja Gibson, Kur Kuath

QUICK HITS

• Oklahoma has won four of its last eight games against ranked teams.

• A win would give Oklahoma its first road win over a top-10 foe since winning at No. 10 TCU on Dec. 30, 2017.

• 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 is reigning Big 12 Player of the Week, Big 12 Newcomer of the Week and NCAA.com National Player of the Week. Gibson poured in 29 points against No. 9 West Virginia last Saturday on 10-of-14 shooting (8-of-11 from 3-point range) while adding five rebounds, two assists and two steals. His 29 points are the second-most off the bench by any major-conference player this season. His career-high eight 3-pointers are tied for the most by a non-starter in any Division I game this season.

• In Oklahoma's nine 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 79.4 points per game rank second in the Big 12.

• Oklahoma's roster holds two of the Big 12's top four 3-point shooters. After his electric peformance on Saturday, Umoja Gibson is now third in the league in 3-pointers per game (2.4). Senior forward Brady Manek is fourth in the conference in 3-point field goals with 2.3 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 13.6 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 12.2 foul shots per game, compared to OU's 19.1 free throw attempts.

• Austin Reaves is second in the Big 12 in free throw percentage (88.1%).

• Oklahoma is committing only 11.3 turnovers per game - the second lowest 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: TCU

• Oklahoma is back home for a Tuesday night matchup against TCU. The Horned Frogs will be the first team the Sooners have faced a second time this season. The Sooners and Frogs tip at 6:30 p.m. CT on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

• 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 (Brady Manek is 7-0 against the Frogs).

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

ON THE AIR

THREE POINTERS

SERIES HISTORY: KANSAS

QUICK HITS

UP NEXT: TCU

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Umoja Gibson

De'Vion Harmon

Kur Kuath

Brady Manek

Trey Phipps

Austin Reaves

Alondes Williams

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics