Men's Hoops at No. 1 Auburn on Tuesday Night

NORMAN – Winner of three of its last four games, the Oklahoma men's basketball team (16-5, 3-5 SEC) goes in search of its first win against a No. 1-ranked AP opponent since 2002 when it takes on Auburn (20-1, 8-0) on Tuesday at 8 p.m. CT in Auburn, Ala. The game will be played inside 9,121-seat Neville Arena.

The Sooners are coming off a 97-67 win over No. 24 Vanderbilt on Saturday, their second win of at least 30 points in program history over an AP Top 25 opponent. OU outscored the Commodores 61-27 in the second half. It marked the first time since at least the 1996-97 season the Sooners scored 61 in a half against a conference foe.

The Tigers, whose only loss came at then-No. 9/9 Duke (84-78 on Dec. 4), have won 13 straight. They have won their SEC games by an average of 9.1 points (13.3 at home).

Tuesday's game will be televised by SEC Network with John Schriffen (play-by-play) and Daymeon Fishback (analyst) announcing. It 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 (play-by-play) and Kevin Henry (analyst) on the call.

Oklahoma at No. 1 Auburn
Date: Tuesday, Feb. 4
Tip Time: 8 p.m. CT
Location: Auburn, Ala.
Arena: Neville Arena

SECN
Live Stats
Listen
Game Notes

OPENING TIP

• Through Sunday, Oklahoma is the only team nationally to rank in the top 30 in field goal percentage (18th; .490), 3-point field goal percentage (26th; .379) and free throw percentage (8th; .791).

• OU has won seven games against AP No. 1 teams in its history, but not since the 2001-02 season (it knocked off Kansas 64-55 in the Big 12 Tournament championship game). The last time OU played Auburn, the No.1-ranked Tigers won 86-68 (1/29/22 at Auburn).

• Tuesday's game features the top two scorers in SEC play in OU senior forward Jalon Moore (19.1 ppg) and Auburn senior forward/center Johni Broome (18.7 ppg). Moore ranks second in league games by shooting .591 from the field, while Broome ranks first in SEC action in rebounds (10.7 per game), offensive rebounds (4.8 per game) and blocked shots (3.0 per game).

• On the season, Oklahoma is the only team with two players who rank in the top 11 in the SEC in scoring. Moore ranks third (18.2 ppg) and freshman guard Jeremiah Fears ranks 11th (16.1 ppg).

• Over the last nine contests, Moore is averaging team highs of 19.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game while shooting .602 from the field, .520 (13 for 25) from 3-point distance and .800 (44 for 55) from the foul line.

• Oklahoma ranks second in the SEC in league play in 3-point field goal percentage (.404) while Auburn ranks first in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.275).

• In SEC play, OU's Brycen Goodine has made 23 of 43 3-pointers for a league-leading .535 mark (for perspective, the player who ranks second is shooting .475). Goodine, who last Tuesday went 5 for 9 from deep at No. 13/15 Texas A&M (game-high 24 points) is 12 for 20 from 3-point range over the last four games (.600).

• Oklahoma has showcased its individual offensive depth this season, with a nation-leading four players who have scored at least 29 points in a game and an SEC-high-tying six players who have scored 20-plus points.

• OU's Porter Moser and Auburn's Bruce Pearl are two of the six SEC head coaches who have coached in at least one Final Four. The others are Tennessee's Rick Barnes, Ole Miss' Chris Beard, Arkansas' John Calipari and Alabama's Nate Oats.

THE OU-AUBURN SERIES

• Auburn owns a 3-1 series lead against Oklahoma and has won the last two meetings (86-68 at No. 1 Auburn in a Big 12/SEC Challenge game in the 2021-22 season [Porter Moser's first as OU head coach] and 74-70 in Uncasville, Conn., in the 2016-17 season). Bruce Pearl was the Tigers' coach in both meetings. Auburn also posted a 78-70 victory in the Big Sun Classic in St. Petersburg, Fla., in the 1978-79 season.

• OU's victory over the Tigers came under head coach Billy Tubbs in a 1988 NCAA Tournament second-round game in Atlanta, 107-87. Future first-round NBA Draft picks Stacey King and Mookie Blaylock scored 37 and 21 points, respectively, with King adding nine rebounds and Blaylock nine assists and four steals. King's 37 points and the Sooners' 107 marked then-postseason-program highs. Auburn was coached by Sonny Smith.

OU VS. NO. 1

• Oklahoma owns a 7-18 all-time record against teams ranked No. 1 in the AP poll. At one time, that record stood at 7-7, but the Sooners have lost their last 11 such contests. OU's last win against an AP No. 1 squad came in the 2002 Big 12 Tournament championship game when the fourth-ranked Sooners beat Kansas 64-55 at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo. The Jayhawks entered the game as the nation's highest-scoring team (93.2 ppg) but OU held them to .333 field goal and .167 (3 for 18) 3-point shooting, and forced 20 turnovers. Hollis Price scored a game-high 23 points for Kelvin Sampson's Sooners.

• Oklahoma enjoyed a stretch of four straight wins against No. 1 teams from 1987-1990 under Billy Tubbs. The No. 16 Sooners edged UNLV 89-88 on Jan. 17, 1987, in Norman and two seasons later, as the fifth-ranked squad, posted an 82-80 home win over Arizona. In late February during the 1989-90 season, OU posted two victories over No. 1 teams in a span of three days in Norman. The 10th-ranked Sooners beat Missouri 107-90 on a Sunday to climb to No. 5 in the AP poll the next day, and on Tuesday beat Kansas 100-78 to take over the No. 1 spot.

• OU's last game against an AP No. 1 team came last year in Norman. The Sooners dropped an 87-85 contest against Houston.

SOONERS CAN SHOOT

• In SEC play, Oklahoma is the only program to rank in the top five in field goal percentage (first at .496), 3-point field goal percentage (second at .404) and free throw percentage (fifth at .739).

• The Sooners have outshot six of their eight SEC opponents from the field this season.

• OU's top four scorers are shooting at least 80% from the free throw line. Jalon Moore is shooting .828, Jeremiah Fears .835, Duke Miles .854 and Brycen Goodine .800.

ON THE RUN

• Oklahoma has outscored 18 of its 21 opponents in fastbreak points and has tied twice (Georgia and Texas). The only team to outscore OU in transition this season was Oklahoma State (the Sooners won 80-65), and that was by one point (8-7). On the year, OU has outscored foes 287-136 in fastbreak points (13.7-6.5 per game).

LIVING AT THE LINE

• Freshman guard Jeremiah Fears and senior forward Jalon Moore are tied for second in the SEC in free throw makes with 101 each. They both rank in the top 15 in free throw percentage, with Fears shooting .835 (12th) and Moore .828 (15th).