Sooners Open Big 12 Tournament Against TCU on Wednesday

NORMAN – -/RV Oklahoma opens the 2024 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship on Wednesday, March 13. Tip is at 2:03 p.m. CT inside T-Mobile Center. The Big 12 conference contest will air on the Sooner Sports Radio Network (KRXO 107.7 FM The Franchise in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa; Varsity Radio App) with Toby Rowland and Kevin Henry announcing and be broadcast by ESPN+ with Rich Hollenberg (PxP) and Chris Spatola (analyst) on the call.

-/RV Oklahoma vs. TCU
Date: Wednesday, March 13
Tip Time: 2:03 p.m.
Location: Kansas City, Mo.
Arena: T-Mobile Center

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Game Notes

OPENING TIP

• Oklahoma is ranked 43rd (games through 3/10) overall and tenth in the Big 12 in the NET. Ten Big 12 teams are in the top 45. TCU is 40th overall and eighth in the conference.

•  Junior Javian McCollum ranks sixth among active career leaders in free throw percentage (90.1%). In 80 career games, McCollum has made 219 free throws in 243 attempts. Senior Sam Godwin is 15th among NCAA DI active career leaders in field goal percentage, making 63.3% (267-422) of his shots.

•  McCollum needs 10 points to reach 1,000 NCAA DI career points. The Fort Myers, Fla., product scored 590 points in two seasons at Siena and tallied 400 points this season.

•  Oklahoma is 17-4 this season when scoring 70 or more points and 16-2 when holding its opponents to 70 points or less.

•  Juniors Javian McCollum and Jalon Moore earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention accolades, as announced by the conference office on Sunday, March 11.

•   Senior Rivaldo Soares matched his career with 21 points on 7-for-9 shooting at Texas. Over the last 11 games, Soares is averaging a team-best 14.5 points per outing and shooting 68.4% (52-76) from the floor and 59.4% (19-32) from deep.

LAST TIME OUT

•  Oklahoma dropped its regular-season finale 94-80 at Texas on Saturday, March 9 at Moody Center. Senior Rivaldo Soares matched his career high, scoring 21 points on 7-for-9 shooting and burying three 3-pointers. Sophomore Milos Uzan finished with 12 points and a team-best seven assists. Moore scored 16 points and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds. Senior Le'Tre Darthard added 10 points.

•  Down 20-13 with 7:58 left in the opening frame, Oklahoma put together a 7-0 run over the next two minutes. Soares opened the scoring spurt with a 3-pointer before sophomore Otega Oweh scored on a driving layup. Soares capped the run with a fastbreak layup, tying the game at 20-all. Disu was fouled behind the arc on UT's next possession and buried his three free throw attempts. Uzan responded, burying a three and tying the score for the final time. The Longhorns went on a 10-3 run and held a 33-26 advantage with 2:35 remaining.

•  Texas entered the break up 40-35. The Longhorns tallied the first eight points of the second frame, pushing its advantage to double figures for the first time. Texas did not let its lead dip below 11 for the remainder of the contest.

CHASING RECORDS

• Junior Javian McCollum has made 94.3% (82-87) of his free throw attempts this season, ranking first ahead of Hollis Price's 92.9% set in 2003. Senior Sam Godwin has made 60.3% (73-121) of his shots, ranking sixth in program history for a single season.

• After missing his first free throw attempt at Kansas State (Jan. 30) with 5:39 left in the first half, McCollum buried his next nine tries and finished 9 for 10 from the charity stripe. The Fort Myers, Fla., product has rattled off 39 consecutive free throws over a nine-game stretch, eclipsing the previous program record for most consecutive free throws made by Nate Carter (37 in 2007). Carter topped the previous record of 36 set by Hollis Price during the 2002-03 season. Colorado's Corey Higgins set the Big 12 record (45) during the 2008-09 campaign.

KENPOM RANKINGS (3/11)

• OU is eighth in three-point percentage defense (29.7%), 32nd in adjusted defensive efficiency (98.4) and 34th in defensive effective field goal percentage (47.3%). Senior Sam Godwin ranks first in NCAA DI in offensive rebounding percentage (20.9%). Among role players (16-20% of possessions used), senior Rivaldo Soares ranks 18th in two-point field goal percentage (69.5%).

BILLY BALL

• Former Oklahoma and TCU head men's basketball coach Billy Tubbs coached the Sooners for 14 seasons and compiled a 333-132 record and is the all-time winningest coach in program history. Following his run with the Sooners, Tubbs spent eight seasons leading the Horned Frogs, amassing a 156-95 overall record.

BIG 12 HONORS

•  Juniors Javian McCollum and Jalon Moore earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention accolades after their first season in the Crimson and Cream, as announced by the conference office on Sunday evening.

•  McCollum averaged a team-high 13.3 points per game and shot 40.4% (132-327) from the field. The Fort Myer, Fla., product made 31.4% (54-172) of his shots behind the arc and tallied a team-high 54 3-pointers, including a team-best five threes against Central Arkansas and TCU. He recorded 21 games with 10-plus points and led the Sooners in scoring on 11 occasions. His 23-point outing against Central Arkansas tied for the team lead for points in a single game. McCollum made 94.3% (82-87) of his shots from the free throw line, ranking first in the Big 12 and fourth in NCAA Division I. In conference action, he missed only three free throw attempts, making 95.4% (62-65) of his shots and ranking first in the league. After missing his first attempt from the charity stripe against K-State, he has drained a program-record 39 consecutive free throws. In addition to his shooting prowess, McCollum dished out 3.4 assists per outing, ranking second on the team. He added 2.6 rebounds and 0.8 steals per contest.

•  Moore averaged 11.0 points per outing and team highs in rebounds (6.6) and blocks (1.1) per game. The Birmingham, Ala., product led the Sooners on the glass on 13 occasions and boasted a team-best three double-doubles, ranking third in the conference in Big 12 play. In league competition, he finished third in rebounds per outing (7.5). Moore's 14-rebound performance at Oklahoma State was the most boards by a Sooner this season and tied for the most rebounds in a game in the Porter Moser era. Against OSU in Norman, Moore swatted four shots, marking the most by a Sooner in 2023-24. On the offensive end, he shot 52.2% (117-224) from the field and 41.4% (24-58) from deep. Moore's 23-point performance at K-State is tied for the most points by a Sooner in a single game this season.

UP NEXT

With a win against TCU, Oklahoma will face No. 1 seed Houston on Thursday, March 14 at 2 p.m. CT inside T-Mobile Center.