Men's Hoops Hosts Central Arkansas on Thursday

NORMAN – No. 12/13 Oklahoma men's basketball hosts Central Arkansas on Thursday, Dec. 28. Tip is at 6:01 p.m. CT inside Lloyd Noble Center. The non-conference contest will air on the Sooner Sports Radio Network (1520 AM, 95.3 FM KOKC; Varsity Radio App) with Chad McKee and Kevin Henry announcing and be broadcast by ESPN+ with John Rooney (PxP) and Bryndon Manzer (analyst) on the call.

Oklahoma vs. Central Arkansas
Date: Thursday, Dec. 28
Tip Time: 6:01 p.m.
Location: Norman
Arena: Lloyd Noble Center
(Lloyd Noble Center doors open one hour prior to tip)

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FOR THE FANS

University of Oklahoma students can attend all 2023-24 men's basketball games for free. Students will need to show their ID at the lower north entrance at Lloyd Noble Center. Fans can purchase tickets for as low as $5 via SoonerSports.com/23Holiday.

OPENING TIP

• Oklahoma is ranked 20th (games through 12/24) overall and sixth in the Big 12 in the NET. Eight Big 12 teams are in the top 50. Central Arkansas is 355th overall and 12th in the ASUN.

•  Junior Javian McCollum ranks seventh among NCAA DI active career leaders in free throw percentage (88.6%). In 62 career games, McCollum has made 156 free throws in 176 attempts.

•  Senior Le'Tre Darthard needs two points to reach 1,000 NCAA DI career points. Darthard tallied 913 points in three seasons at Utah Valley, including 509 points during the 2022-23 campaign.

•  Against North Carolina, sophomore Otega Oweh scored a career-high 23 points and finished 10 for 11 at the free throw line. It marked the third game this season Oweh has scored 20-plus points.

•  OU's 10-0 start is tied with the 1991-92 and 2003-04 seasons for the seventh-best start in program history.

LAST TIME OUT

•  Oklahoma men's basketball dropped its first game of the season 81-69 against then-No. 11/13 North Carolina. Sophomore Otega Oweh tallied 23 points on 6-for-10 shooting and added five rebounds and two steals. The Newark, N.J., product finished 10-for-11 from the free throw line. Junior Javian McCollum tallied 14 points and a team-high three assists. Sophomore Milos Uzan recorded 10 points on 4-for-8 shooting and added five boards.

•  Down 63-48 with 7:52 remaining, the Sooners started chipping away at the Tar Heel advantage. Oweh drained two of his 10 made free throws to start the late push. McCollum buried a 3-pointer, narrowing the UNC lead to 10. After a layup pushed the UNC advantage back to 12, Oweh drained a triple. UNC responded with a 3-pointer before McCollum scored on a driving layup and senior Le'Tre Darthard tallied his second three, cutting the Tar Heel lead to 68-61 with 4:24 left.

•  North Carolina pushed its lead back to nine after a pair of free throws. McCollum answered with a driving layup and Oweh cut the UNC lead to five after a pair of free throws with 3:01 left. UNC stopped the Sooners' momentum with a triple by R.J. Davis, who scored a team-high 23 points. North Carolina scored 11 points to the Sooners' four over the final three minutes.

AP POLL APPEARANCES

• Oklahoma has appeared in the AP Poll 380 times (29.9%), ranking 22nd all-time. Since the 1984 season, the Sooners have appeared in 48.2% (360 times) of AP Polls and have an average rank of 12.2. OU has been ranked in the top 15 of the AP Poll for three consecutive weeks, marking the first time since a four-week stretch during the 2020-21 season.

RANKING SUMMARY (12/26)

• Oklahoma ranks in the top 50 nationally in 10 categories. The Sooners are eighth in scoring margin (19.9 PPG), 12th in three-point percentage defense (27.1%), 14th in field goal percentage (50.1%), 19th in field goal percentage defense (38.1%), 20th in rebound margin (9.7 RPG), 23rd in scoring defense (63.1%), 24th in free throw percentage (76.8%), 29th in effective field goal percentage (56.5%), 37th in scoring offense (83.0 PPG) and 47th in defensive rebounds per game (28.4 RPG).

• Otega Oweh is 11th in NCAA DI and first in the Big 12 in field goal percentage (66.0%), 27th nationally in steals per game (2.4) and 37th in steals (26). Sam Godwin is 15th nationally and first in the conference in offensive rebounds per game (3.7 RPG).

NO PLACE LIKE HOME

• Oklahoma holds a 71-25 record at Lloyd Noble Center since 2017. The Sooners have won 82.8% (604-125) of their games at LNC since the building opened in 1975. OU's winning percentage at Lloyd Noble Center is second in the Big 12 only to Kansas' 87.9% at Allen Fieldhouse (851-117).

UP NEXT

Oklahoma concludes its non-conference slate against Monmouth on Sunday, Dec. 31 at 2 p.m. CT inside Lloyd Noble Center. It will be the first meeting between the two programs.