No. 9 OU Hosts Iowa State Saturday

^9/14Oklahoma

Iowa State

Saturday, Feb. 6 / 11 a.m. CT / Lloyd Noble Center / Norman

Tickets / ESPN2 / Radio / Live Stats / Game Notes

NORMAN – After suffering its first loss in six games on Monday, No. 9/14 Oklahoma (11-5, 6-4 Big 12) looks to bounce back on Saturday when it hosts Iowa State (2-10, 0-7 Big 12) at Lloyd Noble Center.

The Sooners are 9-1 at home this season and have won those nine games by an average of 20.1 points. Oklahoma has lost consecutive games on only one occasion this season (on the road at Baylor and Kansas) and a win on Saturday would set the Sooners up in a strong position heading into another grueling portion of their Big 12 schedule.

Iowa State is looking for its first conference win of the season but has been one of the most heavily impacted teams in terms of COVID cases, cancelations and players missing games. The Cyclones expect to be at full strength for the first time in nearly a month on Saturday. Guard Rasir Bolton has led ISU with 15.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists.

ON THE AIR

• The Saturday morning matchup will 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.

• Rich Hollenberg and Robbie Hummel have the call on ESPN2.

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 10 a.m. on Saturday.

• 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 forward Brady Manek continues to climb on numerous lists in the Sooner record book. In Monday's game at Texas Tech, Manek surpassed Mookie Blaylock on the career scoring list to join the top-20 in program history (1,342). Manek has another chance to join elite company on Saturday, entering two treys away from the top-five in career 3-pointers. Manek has sunk 213 triples in the Crimson and Cream and trails only Buddy Hield (349), Terry Evans (259), Steven Pledger (249), Hollis Price (241) and fifth-place Tim Heskett (215).

• Sophomore guard De'Vion Harmon was crowned co-Big 12 Player of the Week on Monday alongside Davion Mitchell of Baylor. This past week, Harmon averaged 15.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting over 50% from the field to lead Oklahoma to wins over two top-10 teams.

• Oklahoma is playing its first home game as a top-10 team when it hosts Iowa State on Saturday. The Sooners checked in at No. 9 in Monday's poll – jumping 15 spots from last week's No. 24 ranking. It's the largest single-week jump in program history and tied for the highest jump by an already-ranked team since the AP Poll expanded to 25 teams in 1989.

SERIES HISTORY: IOWA STATE

• Oklahoma leads the overall series against Iowa State, 117-91. The Sooners hold a 66-24 advantage for games played in Norman.

• The Sooners are looking to reverse a losing trend against Iowa State, with the Cyclones winning six of the last eight meetings.

• OU is 7-14 against Iowa State during the Lon Kruger era, but is 6-3 at Lloyd Noble Center. The Sooners have lost nine straight road games to the Cyclones at Hilton Coliseum. Victor Iwuakor & De'Vion Harmon

QUICK HITS

• The Sooners are coming off one of the toughest months any college basketball team has ever faced. OU faced three-straight top-10 teams on two occassions and became the first team since at least 1996 (as far back as the Stats Inc. database can search) to face six top-10 teams in a calendar month (includes March/postseason).

• Prior to this season, Oklahoma had faced three straight top-10 teams only one time (in 1958). OU faced three straight top-10 opponents on two different occassions in January.

• Oklahoma became the first team since 1974 to win four games against top-10 teams in one calendar month. Three of those top-10 wins came in consecutive games, defeating No. 9 Kansas, No. 5 Texas and No. 9 Alabama in the span of eight days. The Sooners join Iowa (1987) and Michigan (2014) as the only teams in college basketball history to beat three top-10 opponents in back-to-back-to-back games.

• 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. OU's matchup with Iowa State on Saturday will be the Sooners' first game against an unranked team since hosting TCU on Jan. 12 (over three weeks ago).

• The Sooners are 95-15 (.864) at home when facing unranked opponents during the Lon Kruger era. Oklahoma has won 37 of its last 41 home games against unranked foes.

• OU's recent success can be attributed to its commitment to defense and transition to a four-guard lineup that began in a narrow loss to No. 6 Kansas on Jan. 9. In that game, Elijah Harkless made his first start for the Sooners and has provided the "IT Factor" to the lineup since then. After the loss to KU, OU went on a five game winning streak and has beaten three top-10 teams.

• Since being inserted into OU's starting lineup on Jan. 9, Harkless is averaging 2.7 steals per game - the fourth-most among major-conference players during that span.

• Harkless earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Jan. 25, leading the Sooners to a 2-0 week as the team's defensive catalyst with wins over Kansas State and No. 9 Kansas. The 6-3 guard led the conference in steals (six), rebounds (20) and rebounds per game (10.0). He made his pressence known throughout the stat sheet, also averaging 7.5 points, 4.5 assists and 50% shooting.

• Since halftime of OU's game at Baylor on Jan. 6 the Sooners have outscored their opponents in 12 of their 15 halves of basketball.

• The Sooners boast a deep and versatile roster with multiple players who can go off. Three different Sooners have reached at least 29 points in a game with Brady Manek producing 29 points against UTSA (Dec. 3), Austin Reaves scoring 32 at TCU (Dec. 6) and Umoja Gibson totaling 29 versus West Virginia (Jan. 2). 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 six highest-scoring games by Big 12 players this season. Reaves' 32 are the most by a Big 12 player this season. Additionally, De'Vion Harmon has scored at least 22 points on three occassions this season.

• OU boasts three players who have totaled at least 1,000 points in their Division I careers: Brady Manek (1,342 - all at OU), Austin Reaves (1,078) and Umoja Gibson (1,038).

• The Sooners are 7-0 when scoring at least 78 points. Oklahoma is averaging 80.8 points per game in victories and 63.2 in losses.

• The Sooners rank second in the Big 12 in steals (7.9) and third in assists (14.0).

• 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 Dec. 28 - Jan. 3. 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.

• Sometimes the key to victory is as simple as making shots. Over the last two seasons, the Sooners are 25-1 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.

• Oklahoma is committing only 10.6 turnovers per game - the fewest in the Big 12 and 16th best in Division I.

• The Sooners also lead the league in fewest fouls committed per game, fouling an average of 14.4 times - the eighth-fewest in the country. This continues a trend that Oklahoma showed a lot of discipline in last season, commiting 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 13.8 foul shots per game, compared to OU's 18.3 free throw attempts.

• OU is making the most of its trips to the line, leading the Big 12 in free throw percentage with a 74.3% rate. Austin Reaves leads the Big 12 in free throw percentage (86.5%).

• Senior forward Kur Kuath is second in the Big 12 in blocked shots with 21 (1.5 per game). He is averaging 1.8 per game during league play.

UP NEXT: WEST VIRGINIA

• Oklahoma's scheduled game against No. 2 Baylor (Wednesday, Feb. 10) was postponed on Thursday due to positive cases within the Bears' program. The Sooners now expect a week between games, next facing No. 17 West Virginia on Saturday, Feb. 13 in Morgantown. The matchup will tip at noon CT on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

• OU has won four of the last five matchups with the Mountaineers - including three in a row. The Sooners won the first meeting of the season, 75-71, on Jan. 2 in Norman.

• Oklahoma, who is in fourth place in the Big 12, plays the two teams tied for second in the conference standings in its next two matchups. After playing West Virginia, OU returns home to host Texas.

ON THE AIR

TICKETS

GAME DAY POLICIES

THREE POINTERS

SERIES HISTORY: IOWA STATE

QUICK HITS

UP NEXT: WEST VIRGINIA

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Umoja Gibson

Elijah Harkless

De'Vion Harmon

Kur Kuath

Brady Manek

Austin Reaves

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics