OOKLAHOMAKLAHOMA 2008-09 MEN’S BASKETBALL GAME 28: NO. 2/2 OKLAHOMA (25-2, 11-1) vs. NO. 15/18 KANSAS (22-5, 11-1) Monday, Feb. 23 8 p.m. CST Norman, Okla. Lloyd Noble Center (12,000) ESPN/ESPNHD
SCHEDULE/RESULTS GAME INFORMATION
N5 OKLA. PANHANDLE STATE (Ex.) W, 90-43 Date...... Monday, Feb. 23 OKLAHOMA SOONERS KANSAS JAYHAWKS N8 CAMERON (Ex.) W, 94-39 Tip ...... 8:05 p.m. CST 2008-09 Record ...... 25-2 2008-09 Record ...... 17-8 Radio ...... Sooner Radio Network Last 10/Streak ...... 9-1/Lost 1 Last 10/Streak ...... 9-1/Won 3 N14 AMERICAN W, 83-54 Flagship ...... KRXO 107.7 FM (OKC) Head Coach ...... Jeff Capel Head Coach ...... Bill Self N17 MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE # W, 94-53 (Bob Barry Sr., Mike Houck) Alma Mater ...... Duke ’97 Alma Mater ...... Oklahoma State ’85 N18 DAVIDSON # W, 82-78 TV ...... ESPN/ESPNHD Career Record ...... 143-70 (7th year) Career Record ...... 371-142 (16th year) N22 GARDNER-WEBB W, 80-76 (Ron Franklin, Fran Fraschilla, Holly Rowe) At Oklahoma ...... 64-29 (3rd year) At Kansas ...... 164-37 (6th year) N26 vs. UAB ^ W, 77-67 Series ...... Kansas leads 133-64 SID ...... Mike Houck SID ...... Chris Theisen N28 vs. Purdue ^ W, 87-82 (OT) Last Meeting ...... Kansas won 85-55 E-Mail ...... [email protected] E-Mail ...... [email protected] D4 USC % W, 73-72 ...... (Jan. 14, 2008, in Lawrence) Web Site...... www.soonersports.com Web Site...... www.kuathletics.com D7 at Tulsa (BOK Center) W, 69-44 D10 MAINE W, 78-52 PROJECTED OKLAHOMA STARTERS (based on last game) D13 UTAH W, 70-52 D20 vs. VCU & W, 81-70 BLAKE GRIFFIN • F NOTES: Averaging a Big 12-high 22.0 points and a nation-leading D22 at Rice W, 70-58 23 6-10 • 251 • So. • Oklahoma City, Okla. 13.8 rebounds (OU record is 13.3) ... Leads country with 22 double- D30 at Arkansas L, 88-96 Oklahoma Christian School doubles and ranks fi fth in FG percentage (.632) ... Coming off 40- point, 23-rebound game ... Owns Big 12 single-season record with PTS REB AST MIN J3 COPPIN STATE W, 93-62 12 games of at least 20 points and 15 rebounds ... Has 13 games of J5 MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE W, 100-64 22.0 13.8 2.4 32.3 at least three assists ... Five-time Big 12 Player of the Week. J10 at Kansas State W, 61-53 J12 TEXAS W, 78-63 NOTES: Ranks fourth on team in scoring (8.9 ppg), second in J17 at Texas A&M W, 69-63 TAYLOR GRIFFIN • F 6-7 • 238 • Sr. • Oklahoma City, Okla. rebounding (5.9 rpg) and blocks (31), and third in FG percentage J21 NEBRASKA W, 72-61 32 Oklahoma Christian School (.515) and FT attempts (101) ... Averaging 15.0 points, 7.0 boards J24 BAYLOR W, 95-76 and 2.5 blocks in four games vs. ranked teams (.697 FG percentage) J26 at Oklahoma State W, 89-81 PTS REB BLK MIN J31 at Iowa State W, 78-68 ... Turned in an 18-point, seven-rebound, four-block game Jan. 24 8.9 5.9 1.1 29.6 vs. Baylor ... Ranks 10th in school history with 93 blocked shots. F4 TEXAS A&M W, 77-71 F7 COLORADO W, 77-72 TONY CROCKER • G NOTES: Averaging 10.2 points a game ... Is 33-for-77 (.429) from 3- F11 at Baylor W, 78-63 5 6-6 • 206 • Jr. • San Antonio, Texas point range over the last 15 games ... Sooners are 18-3 in his career F14 TEXAS TECH W, 95-74 The Patterson School (N.C.) when he scores at least 15 points (13-1 last two years) ... Has made F21 at Texas L, 68-73 PTS REB AST MIN at least fi ve 3-pointers four times this season ... Drained a career- F23 KANSAS 8 p.m. ESPN high seven treys Feb. 7 vs. Colorado (24 points) ... Ranks eighth in F28 at Texas Tech 2:30 p.m. ABC 10.2 3.4 1.2 29.5 school history with 149 3-pointers ... Has started 55 straight games. M4 at Missouri 8 p.m. Big 12 M7 OKLAHOMA STATE 2:30 p.m. ABC WILLIE WARREN • G NOTES: Leads all Big 12 newcomers with his 15.4 points per game M11-14 Big 12 Championship * TBA ESPN/B12 13 6-4 • 207 • Fr. • Fort Worth, Texas ... Has earned six Big 12 Rookie of the Week awards (was last week’s M19-22 NCAA First/Second Rounds TBA CBS North Crowley High School honoree) ... The fi rst OU true freshman since 1983-84 to score at least 30 points in a game (has done it twice) ... Netted a career-high M26-29 NCAA Regionals TBA CBS PTS REB AST MIN A4&6 NCAA Final Four TBA CBS 35 points at Arkansas Dec. 30 (made seven 3-pointers) ... Averaging 15.4 2.1 3.0 31.1 20.0 points in team’s eight road games (28-for-56 on 3-pointers). # Dick’s Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off (Norman) ^ Dick’s Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off (New York, N.Y.) AUSTIN JOHNSON • G NOTES: Jan. 19 Big 12 Player of the Week ... Ranks third on team % Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series 20 6-3 • 176 • Sr. • Amarillo, Texas with 11.3 points per Big 12 game (6.6 prior to league play) ... Is 14- & O’Reilly All-College Classic (Oklahoma City) Palo Duro High School for-26 (.538) on 3’s in six Big 12 road outings ... Scored a career-high 22 points Jan. 26 at OSU (fi ve treys) ... Ranks in top 10 nationally * Oklahoma City PTS REB AST MIN with a 3.0 assist-to-turnover ratio ... Has started the last 53 games Big 12 is Big 12 regional television 8.7 3.0 4.4 30.6 ... OU is 23-1 the last two years when he scores in double fi gures. All times Central and subject to change
PROJECTED KANSAS STARTERS (based on last game) No. Name Position Height Weight Class Points Rebounds Assists Minutes OU ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS 22 Marcus Morris F 6-6 233 So. 7.6 5.0 1.2 18.3 Men’s Basketball Contact: Mike Houck 45 Cole Aldrich C 6-11 245 So. 15.0 10.3 1.0 29.3 Offi ce: (405) 325-8231 Cell: (405) 249-5892 4 Sherron Collins G 5-11 200 Jr. 18.0 2.6 5.0 34.7 E-Mail: [email protected] 12 Brady Morningstar G 6-3 180 So. 7.3 3.2 2.7 30.7 15 Tyshawn Taylor G 6-3 180 Fr. 9.1 2.3 3.0 25.5
OU vs. KANSAS 1 2008-09 OKLAHOMA MEN’S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH JEFF CAPEL PREVIEWING MONDAY’S GAME
eff Capel was named In a battle for sole possession of fi rst place in the Big 12 Conference, No. 2/2 Oklahoma (25-2, 11-1) hosts Kansas (22-5, 11-1) Oklahoma’s 13th men’s Monday at 8 p.m. CST. The Sooners had their 13-game winning streak snapped Saturday at Texas, 73-68, while the Jayhawks Jbasketball head coach on April have won 11 of their last 12 outings and are coming off a 70-53 home win over Nebraska. The game will be nationally televised 11, 2006. Capel, 34, is 64-29 in by ESPN/ESPNHD with Ron Franklin, Fran Fraschilla and Holly Rowe announcing. The contest will air on the Sooner Radio his third year at OU and led the Network (fl agship KRXO FM 107.7 in OKC; KTBZ AM 1430 in Tulsa) with Bob Barry, Sr. and Mike Houck calling the action. Sooners to a 23-12 record and second-round NCAA Tournament FOR STARTERS appearance last year. The Sooners have won 19 straight home games and 10 consecutive Big 12 games at Lloyd Noble Center. Capel compiled a 79-41 (.658) re- At 25-2, Oklahoma is tied with Connecticut and Pittsburgh for the nation’s best record. Utah State is the only other team with 25 cord over four years as head coach wins (the Aggies have three losses). at Virginia Commonwealth prior OU’s record ties as its best ever through the fi rst 27 games of a season (the 1987-88 team that played in the national champion- to arriving in Norman. His VCU squads posted a 50-22 (.694) record in Colonial Athletic Association play and a 47-11 overall ship game was also 25-2 through 27 outings). home record for a staunch .811 winning percentage. The Sooners won their fi rst 11 league games for the Big 12’s second best start ever (Kansas fi nished 16-0 in 2002). OU’s 11-1 conference mark is its best since also beginning 11-1 in the Big Eight in 1985. In 2003-04, VCU’s CAA Tournament championship game victory OU has won at least 11 Big 12 games nine times in the 13-year history of the league. Its best Big 12 record was 13-3 in 2001-02. over George Mason catapulted the Rams to the NCAA Tourna- ment for the fi rst time since 1996. VCU lost in the fi rst round to Wake Forest, but not before putting a major scare into the BODY BY BLAKE fourth-seeded Demon Deacons, 79-78. Capel’s 2004-05 squad, Sophomore Blake Griffi n leads the Big 12 in scoring (22.0 ppg), rebounding (13.8 rpg) and fi eld goal percentage (.632), while which fi nished 19-13, competed in the National Invitation ranking fourth in blocks (1.3 bpg). The 6-10 forward also averages 2.4 assists per contest, more than any other league player taller Tournament, marking just the third time in program history than 6-foot-5. He has recorded at least two assists in 20 of 27 games and at least three in 13 outings. that VCU made consecutive postseason appearances. Nationally, Griffi n ranks fi rst in rebounding and double-doubles (22), second in free throw attempts (9.4 per game), fi fth in fi eld The Rams won at least 18 games each of Capel’s four seasons in goal percentage and 12th in scoring. Richmond, with the 2003-04 squad registering a Capel-era- Griffi n needs seven rebounds to overtake Wayman Tisdale (378 in 1984-85) as OU’s record holder for boards in a season. If best 23-8 record. His fi rst team fi nished 18-10 in 2002-03. In Griffi n accomplishes the feat Monday against Kansas, he’ll have done it in nine fewer games than Tisdale. 2005-06, VCU fi nished 19-10 overall. Griffi n’s 40 points and 23 rebounds (career highs) against Texas Tech two outings ago marked the fi rst time in Big 12 history a In the summer of 2005, Capel served as an assistant coach on player recorded a 40/20 game, and was the fi rst such outing of any player nationally since at least the 1996-97 season. Only two the gold-medal-winning USA Men’s World University Games previous Sooners have accomplished the feat (Tisdale in 1983-84 and Alvan Adams in 1974-75). Griffi n’s 40 points were the most Team that fi nished 8-0 in Turkey in August. Villanova’s Jay by an OU player in 15 seasons while his 23 rebounds were the most in 20 years. Wright was the head coach while Seton Hall’s Bobby Gonzalez Griffi n’s 22 double-doubles are the most in OU single-season history. Garfi eld Heard (21 double-doubles in 27 games during served as the other assistant. The squad featured, among the 1969-70 season) and Adams (21 in 26 games during the 1973-74 campaign) rank second. others, Midwest City (Okla.) High School and Duke University Griffi n had a streak of eight double-doubles snapped Saturday at Texas. It was the fourth longest double-double streak in OU standout Shelden Williams. history. He has also assembled a pair of six-game streaks this year. Capel began his coaching career as an assistant at Old Griffi n has 110 more points (594) and 71 more rebounds (372) in 27 games this year than he did in 33 games last season. Dominion in 2000 before moving to VCU as an assistant for Griffi n has three games of at least 20 points and 20 rebounds this season. No other Big 12 player has ever recorded more than the 2001-02 season. In 2002, he became the youngest NCAA two such outings in a career. Division I head coach at age 27. Griffi n has recorded 12 games of at least 20 points and 15 rebounds this season, more than any player nationally since at least A four-year starter for Hall-of-Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski the 1996-97 season. Tim Duncan (Wake Forest in 1996-97) and Paul Millsap (Louisiana Tech in 2005-06) registered nine 20/15 at Duke from the 1993-94 through 1996-97 campaigns, Capel games, the second most since the start of the 1996-97 season. earned Atlantic Coast Conference honors each of his seasons in Griffi n has accounted for 27 percent of OU’s points, 38 percent of its rebounds and 40 percent of its defensive boards in 16 percent Durham. The guard, who wore No. 5, averaged 12.4 points, 3.0 of the team’s minutes played. rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.7 3-pointers during his career and started in the 1994 national title game against Arkansas. “NOTE”WORTHY He ranks 22nd in career scoring at Duke (1,601 points), 16th in minutes played (3,774), sixth in 3-pointers (220), seventh in 3- The Sooners 19-game home court winning streak is tied for the fourth longest in the nation. They have won 129 of their last 143 point attempts (553), seventh in 3-point fi eld goal percentage at Lloyd Noble Center (.902). (.398) and 10th in assists (433). OU’s 13-game winning streak that ended Saturday was the fourth longest in school single-season history. The Sooners also won their fi rst 12 games of the year, giving them two of the seven longest single-season winning streaks in school annals. Capel, who graduated from Duke with a bachelor of arts degree in history, and his wife, Kanika, wed in 2003. They have a Kansas is the only Big 12 school with a winning record against Oklahoma (133-64). OU is 40-44 against the Jayhawks in Norman. daughter, Cameron, who was born in April 2007. Oklahoma has used the same starting lineup in all 26 games. Over the last 14 games (13-1 record), the Sooners are outshooting their opponents from the fi eld, .506 to .396. They have shot CAPEL YEAR BY YEAR better than 13 of those 14 foes (Texas outshot them .462 to .443 Saturday). In Big 12 play, Oklahoma ranks fi rst in fi eld goal percentage (.505) and second in 3-point fi eld goal percentage (.405) while rank- Year School Record Pct. ing second in fi eld goal percentage defense (.408) and third in 3-point fi eld goal percentage defense (.335). 2002-03 Virginia Commonwealth 18-10 .643 Willie Warren has six games of at least 20 points this year, the most by an OU true freshman since Tim McCalister recorded 2003-04 * Virginia Commonwealth 23-8 .742 nine of them in 1983-84. Warren has registered at least 27 points four times and has broken the 30-point barrier twice. 2004-05 ^ Virginia Commonwealth 19-13 .594 Warren already ranks sixth on OU’s freshman scoring chart (415 points), third in 3-pointers (50), fi fth in free throws made (95), 2005-06 Virginia Commonwealth 19-10 .655 fi fth in assists (80) and sixth in steals (34). He needs nine more treys to take over the top spot from Terry Evans (58 in 1989-90). 2006-07 Oklahoma 16-15 .516 Warren is shooting .500 from 3-point range (28-for-56) in OU’s nine road games but just .284 (19-for-67) in its 15 home games. 2007-08 * Oklahoma 23-12 .657 He’s averaging 20.0 points per road outing and 13.2 per home contest. 2008-09 Oklahoma 25-2 .926 Brothers Blake and Taylor Griffi n are shooting a combined .595 from the fi eld this year and have teamed to pull down 19.6 Totals 143-70 .671 rebounds a game (54 percent of the team’s total). In OU’s four games against ranked opponents this year, Taylor Griffi n is averaging 15.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots. * NCAA Tournament He is shooting .697 from the fi eld in those outings. ^ National Invitation Tournament Junior college transfer Juan Pattillo, who came out of a redshirt season in time for the Jan. 12 Texas game but totaled just four
2 OU vs. KANSAS 2008-09 OKLAHOMA MEN’S BASKETBALL 2008-09 BIG 12 STANDINGS minutes over the next three games, is averaging 8.6 points, 4.1 rebounds (Through Sunday, Feb. 22) and 1.6 blocked shots in an average of 18.8 minutes over the last eight STATISTICAL COMPARISON outings. He is 27-for-44 from the fi eld (.614) and 15-for-18 at the foul Big 12 Overall line (.833) during the stretch. Team W L Pct. W L Pct. OU will play 21 of its 31 regular season games against teams that made CATEGORY Oklahoma 11 1 .917 25 2 .926 the 2008 postseason (15 against NCAA Tournament teams, four against Overall Record 25-2 22-5 Kansas 11 1 .917 22 5 .849 NIT squads and two against College Basketball Invitational teams). As of Points Per Game 80.1 77.0 Missouri 10 2 .833 23 4 .852 Sunday, the Sooners are ranked No. 2 nationally at CollegeRPI.com. Opp. Points Per Game 66.6 64.3 Kansas State 7 5 .583 19 8 .704 Scoring Margin +13.5 +12.7 Texas 7 5 .583 18 8 .692 OFFENSIVE NOTES Rebounds Per Game 39.1 38.9 Oklahoma State 6 6 .500 17 9 .654 Opp. Rebounds Per Game 34.1 31.1 The Sooners have been held under 70 points just four times this season Nebraska 6 6 .500 16 9 .640 Rebounding Margin +5.0 +7.8 (61, 68, 69 and 69). OU is averaging 80.1 points per game on the year. It Texas A&M 5 7 .417 19 8 .704 Field Goal Pct. .489 .485 has not fi nished a season averaging 80.0 or more points a contest since Baylor 4 8 .333 16 10 .615 the 1994-95 campaign. Opp. Field Goal Pct. .393 .381 Iowa State 2 10 .167 13 14 .481 3-Point Pct. .366 .381 Oklahoma is shooting a Big 12-best .489 from the fi eld. The last time Texas Tech 2 10 .167 12 15 .444 OU shot better for an entire season was 21 years ago (.491 in 1988-89). 3-Point Makes Per Game 7.0 6.4 Colorado 1 11 .083 9 17 .346 The Sooners have shot at least .500 from the fi eld in six of the last eight Opp. 3-Point Pct. .344 .326 games (.525 combined over those eight outings). Free Throw Pct. .682 .728 OU has shot .400 or better from 3-point range in eight of the last 11 FT Makes Per Game 17.9 16.2 contests and owns a .409 mark over the span. The Sooners rank second Personal Fouls Per Game 16.9 19.3 in Big 12 play with their .405 3-point mark (Kansas is shooting .406). Assists Per Game 15.0 16.3 Tony Crocker and Willie Warren have combined for 76 treys over the Turnovers Per Game 13.1 14.9 last 17 games. Crocker is 38-for-88 (.432) from deep in those 17 outings Turnover Margin +0.0 -0.9 while Warren is 38-for-87 (.437). Over OU’s fi rst 10 games, each owned a Blocked Shots Per Game 4.6 4.5 .273 season 3-point fi gure (12-for-44). Steals Per Game 7.3 7.0 Warren is shooting .493 from the fi eld on the season to rank sixth in the Big 12 and second among league guards (OSU’s Terrel Harris is OKLAHOMA QUICK FACTS shooting .494). The last OU guard to shoot at least .500 from the fi eld for an entire year was Nolan Johnson (.559) in 1999-00. Offi cial Name: University of Oklahoma In OU’s 15 non-league games, Austin Johnson averaged 6.6 points and was 13-for-47 (.277) from 3-point range. In 12 Big 12 Location: Norman, Okla. games, he is averaging 11.3 points and is 21-for-48 (.438) from long distance. Founded: 1890 Last year, Blake Griffi n became the fi rst player in school history standing at least 6-foot-10 to log three or more handouts in 11 Enrollment: 29,721 games. He has done it in 13 games this season. Nickname: Sooners Despite a modest .682 team free throw percentage (they rank eighth in the Big 12), the Sooners have made 13 more foul shots than their opponents have attempted. OU has shot 239 more free throws than its foes, good for an average of 8.9 more per game. Colors: Crimson and Cream Griffi n has attempted 36 percent of the team’s free throws (255 of its 710). President: David L. Boren Oklahoma has made at least one 3-pointer in 411 consecutive games (last one without a trey was at Memphis on Dec. 23, 1996). Athletics Director: Joe Castiglione Arena: Lloyd Noble Center (12,000) DEFENSIVE NOTES
First Year of Basketball: 1907-08 Oklahoma ranks second in the Big 12 (all games) with its .393 fi eld goal percentage defense. The last time OU held opponents to NCAA Tournament Appearances: 25 a lower collective fi gure for an entire season was 48 years ago (.377 in 1960-61). NIT Appearances: 7 The Sooners have held their fi rst 12 Big 12 opponents to a combined .408 fi eld goal mark, with Kansas State (.327) and Texas All-Time Record: 1,493-938 (.614) (.338 in fi rst meeting) shooting season lows and Baylor (.346 in the fi rst meeting) posting its second worst mark of the season. OU has held 12 of its 27 opponents to a fi eld goal mark under .360. Regular Season Conference Championships: 14 (1928, Oklahoma ranks second in the Big 12 with its 4.6 blocked shots per contest. Juan Pattillo ranks fourth in league play with his 1929, 1939, 1940, 1942, 1944, 1947, 1949, 1979, 1984, 1985, 1.4 rejections per outing, while Taylor Griffi n ranks fi fth (1.2) and Blake Griffi n eighth (1.1). Point guard Austin Johnson has 22 1988, 1989, 2005) blocks in 27 outings on the year for the highest average (0.8) among league guards. Conference Tournament Championships: 7 (1979, 1985, 1988, 1990, 2001, 2002, 2003) Head Coach: Jeff Capel (Duke ‘97) OKLAHOMA NUMERICAL ROSTER Career Record: 143-70 (seventh year) No. Name Position Height Weight Class Hometown (Last School) Oklahoma Record: 64-29 (third year) 1 Ryan Wright F 6-9 234 Jr. Mississauga, Ontario (UCLA) Postseason Appearances: 3 (2004, 2008 NCAA, 2005 NIT) 3 T.J. Franklin G 5-11 161 Fr. Fort Worth, Texas (North Crowley HS) Assistant Coaches: Ben Betts (Roanoke College ’90), Mark 5 Tony Crocker** G 6-6 206 Jr. San Antonio, Texas (The Patterson School [N.C.]) Cline (Wake Forest ’88), Oronde Taliaferro (Wayne State ’94) 11 Omar Leary* G 5-11 173 Sr. Portland, Ore. (Northeastern [Colo.] JC) Director of Operations: Bryan Goodman (Barat College ’96) 12 Juan Pattillo F 6-6 216 Jr. Las Vegas, Nev. (College of Southern Idaho) 13 Willie Warren G 6-4 207 Fr. Fort Worth, Texas (North Crowley HS) Strength and Conditioning Coach: Darby Rich 20 Austin Johnson*** G 6-3 176 Sr. Amarillo, Texas (Palo Duro HS) Video Coordinator: Dionne Phelps 21 Orlando Allen C 6-11 267 So. Cincinnati, Ohio (Paris [TX] JC) Graduate Assistants: Yanni Hufnagel, Kellen Sampson 23 Blake Griffi n* F 6-10 251 So. Oklahoma City, Okla. (Oklahoma Christian School) Athletics Trainer: Alex Brown 32 Taylor Griffi n*** F 6-7 238 Sr. Oklahoma City, Okla. (Oklahoma Christian School) Team Physician: Dr. Brock Schnebel 34 Cade Davis* G 6-5 208 So. Elk City, Okla. (Elk City HS) 41 Ray Willis G 6-6 172 Fr. Atlanta, Ga. (Westlake HS) Offi cial Web Site: SoonerSports.com 45 Beau Gerber** F 6-8 228 Jr. Winfi eld, Kan. (Winfi eld HS) Tickets: (800) 456-4668 or (405) 325-2424 * Denotes letters earned at Oklahoma
OU vs. KANSAS 3 2008-09 OKLAHOMA MEN’S BASKETBALL AP TOP 25 POLL SATURDAY’S TEXAS RECAP OU ATHLETICS Week 14 (Feb. 16) Playing without Blake Griffi n during the second half due to a fi rst-half concussion, Oklahoma had its 13-game winning streak snapped at Texas, 73-68. OU led 61-56 with AND THE School Record 5:14 to go but was outscored 17-7 the rest of the way. Griffi n played just 11 minutes and NATIONAL POLLS 1. Connecticut (66) 24-1 had two points and three rebounds. Below is a look at where some 2. OKLAHOMA (4) 25-1 The Sooners trailed 34-29 at halftime and fell behind by 12 less than two minutes into of OU’s sports rank in the most 3. North Carolina (2) 23-2 the second half before responding with a 14-0 run to take a 43-41 lead. They issued an recent national polls (highest 4. Pittsburgh 23-2 11-0 run later in the half to go up 61-56 after trailing 56-50. poll rankings are shown for 5. Memphis 22-3 each sport). Willie Warren scored a game-high 27 points (his fourth highest total of the year), 6. Michigan State 20-4 and netted 17 of them in the second half (all 17 between the 16:00 and 5:14 marks). He Sport Rank 7. Louisville 19-5 was 10-for-20 from the fi eld and 6-for-12 from 3-point range while adding six assists. Men’s Gymnastics 1 8. Wake Forest 19-4 Tony Crocker scored 14 points on 6-for-14 shooting and pulled down seven boards for Men’s Basketball 2 9. Duke 20-5 his second highest total of the season. Women’s Basketball 2 10. Marquette 21-4 Austin Johnson fi nished with six points, seven rebounds and six assists without a Football 5 Softball 8 11. Missouri 22-4 turnover. His seven boards were one shy of his career high. Taylor Griffi n logged nine points and a team-high eight rebounds. His 35 minutes Women’s Gymnastics 11 12. Villanova 20-5 were his most in nine games. Wrestling 11 13. Clemson 20-4 Playing his most minutes as a Sooner (20), Ryan Wright had three points (made his Baseball 16 14. Arizona State 20-5 only fi eld goal attempt) and added three rebounds and two blocked shots. 15. Kansas 20-5 Texas’ A.J. Abrams scored 18 of Texas’ fi nal 20 points and fi nished with 23. 16. Xavier 21-4 Both teams had 13 offensive rebounds but Texas scored 17 second-half chance points 17. Gonzaga 19-5 to OU’s nine. GRIFFIN’S 20/15 18. Illinois 21-5 PERFORMANCES 19. Purdue 19-6 SERIES WITH KANSAS A look at Blake Griffi n’s 12 20. UCLA 19-6 games of at least 20 points Kansas is the only Big 12 program with a winning record against Oklahoma. The 21. Butler 22-3 and 15 rebounds this year. No Jayhawks own a 133-64 series advantage and are 44-40 in Norman. The Sooners had player nationally has more than 22. Washington 19-6 won three of the fi ve overall meetings in the series and four of the seven prior to Kansas’ nine in a season since 1996-97. 23. LSU 21-4 current three-game victory streak. OU is 4-12 against the Jayhawks since the formation Pts/Rebs Opponent 24. Syracuse 19-7 of the Big 12 Conference (2-4 in Norman). They have won two of the last three against 24/18 American KU in Norman (won 77-70 in 2003, won 71-63 in 2005 and lost 67-65 in 2007). 25. Dayton 23-3 20/19 Miss. Valley State 25/21 Davidson LAST YEAR AGAINST THE JAYHAWKS ESPN/USA TODAY TOP 25 POLL 35/21 Gardner-Webb Playing without leading scorer and rebounder Blake Griffi n for the game’s fi nal 32/15 vs. UAB (in NYC) Week 14 (Feb. 16) 35 minutes (he sprained the MCL in his left knee at the 15:04 mark of the fi rst half), 20/16 Md. Eastern Shore 29/15 at Kansas State School Record Oklahoma lost at No. 3 Kansas (85-55) on Jan. 14, 2008. Kansas staked itself to a 14-2 lead and was up 40-20 at halftime. 27/18 Nebraska 1. Connecticut (30) 24-1 OU’s Longar Longar scored a game-high 21 points on 9-for-18 fi eld goal shooting 20/17 Baylor 2. OKLAHOMA (1) 25-1 and was 3-for-4 at the free throw line. 26/19 at Oklahoma State 3. North Carolina 23-2 23/15 at Iowa State Starting guard Tony Crocker picked up three early fouls and played just four fi rst- 4. Pittsburgh 23-2 half minutes. He scored all 10 of his points in the game’s fi nal 10:22 and played just 18 40/23 Texas Tech 5. Michigan State 20-4 minutes on the night (he averaged 31.2 minutes per game entering the contest). 6. Memphis 22-3 With the injury to his brother, forward Taylor Griffi n played 34 minutes and fi nished 7. Louisville 19-5 with eight points, eight rebounds and two assists. He was 4-for-4 from the foul line. 8. Wake Forest 19-4 Kansas entered the game forcing 19.6 turnovers per outing, but Oklahoma committed just 11 on the evening. 9. Duke 20-5 KU was led in scoring by Darnell Jackson (17 points), Brandon Rush (16), Darrell Arthur (14) and Mario Chalmers (13). All 10. Missouri 22-4 four are now in the NBA. 11. Marquette 21-4 12. Arizona State 20-5 13. Clemson 20-4 14. Villanova 20-5 CAPEL SIGNS FIVE; GROUP RANKED FOURTH BY ESPN 15. UCLA 19-6 Third-year Oklahoma men’s basketball head coach Jeff Capel signed a fi ve-man list of high school seniors in November, giving OU 16. Illinois 21-5 the fourth-rated class nationally by ESPN. Headlining the group are McDonald’s All-Americans Tommy Mason-Griffi n (Houston, 17. Xavier 21-4 Texas/Madison HS) and Keith “Tiny” Gallon (Houston, Texas/Oak Hill [Va.] Academy). Scout.com lists Mason-Griffi n as the third 18. Kansas 20-5 best point guard in the 2009 class while ESPN rates Gallon as the country’s third best center. Joining them as Sooners next year will 19. Washington 19-6 be forward Andrew Fitzgerald (Baltimore, Md./Brewster [N.H.] Academy), forward Kyle Hardrick (Oklahoma City, Okla./Putnam 20. Gonzaga 19-5 City HS) and guard Steven Pledger (Chesapeake, Va./Atlantic Shores Christian School). 21. Purdue 19-6 Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown Note 22. Butler 22-3 Andrew Fitzgerald F 6-8 260 Baltimore, Md. Rated No. 63 nationally by ESPN and No. 85 by Scout.com 23. Utah State 24-2 Keith “Tiny” Gallon C 6-9 300 Houston, Texas Rated No. 21 nationally by ESPN (No. 3 center) 24. LSU 21-4 Kyle Hardrick F 6-8 230 Oklahoma City Four-star recruit by Scout.com (No. 22 center) 25. Syracuse 19-7 Tommy Mason-Griffi n G 5-10 205 Houston, Texas Rated No. 24 nationally by Scout.com and No. 37 by ESPN OU opponents in bold Steven Pledger G 6-4 190 Chesapeake, Va. Rated No. 92 nationally by ESPN
4 OU vs. KANSAS 2008-09 OKLAHOMA MEN’S BASKETBALL
OU OPPONENT SEASON TRACKER MORE BLAKE (Through Saturday, Feb. 21) CURRENT Lost in Blake Griffi n’s gaudy scoring and rebounding statistics are some pretty im- CONSECUTIVE Overall Conf. AP/Coaches pressive assist numbers. The forward ranks third on the team with 2.4 assists per game Opponent Record Record Rank this season and has registered at least one handout in 26 of 27 outings (did not have one WINNING SEASONS American 19-7 11-1 in his 11 minutes against Texas Saturday). Last season, Griffi n became the fi rst Sooner (Entering 2008-09) Miss. Valley State 5-22 5-9 standing 6-foot-10 or taller to ever dish at least three assists in a game 11 times. He has School No. Davidson 22-6 15-2 recorded at least three assists 13 times already this year. 1. Syracuse 38 Gardner-Webb 11-16 7-9 Griffi n (13.8 rpg and .632 FG%) is on pace to shatter the single-season OU records for 2. Oklahoma 27 UAB 19-8 9-3 rebounding average and fi eld goal percentage. The standards of 13.3 boards per game 3. Kansas 25 Purdue 21-6 10-4 19/21 and .627 from the fi eld were set by Alvan Adams in 1974-75 and Al Beal in 1978-79. 4. Arizona 24 USC 16-10 7-7 Griffi n is also averaging 9.4 free throw attempts a game (ranks second nationally), a fi g- 5. Connecticut 21 Tulsa 18-9 8-4 ure that would break Stacey King’s 1988-89 school record of 8.9 foul shots per outing. Murray State 21 Maine 9-17 4-9 Griffi n owns three of the six longest double-double streaks in school history, with all 7. Oklahoma State 20 8. Kentucky 18 Utah 19-7 10-2 three of those coming this year. He has assembled a pair of six game streaks and had an eight-game streak (fourth longest in OU history) snapped Saturday at Texas. 9. Gonzaga 17 VCU 19-9 12-4 Griffi n has 70 dunks on the season, good for an average of 2.6 per game. He has 122 10. Maryland 15 Rice 8-18 3-9 slams in 60 career games. Stanford 15 Arkansas 13-12 1-11 Griffi n owns the best vertical leap (no step) on the team at 37.5 inches, as well as the Utah State 15 Coppin State 11-16 8-5 best max leap (no limit on steps) by reaching 27 inches above the rim. He also owns an 13. Duke 13 Md. Eastern Shore 7-19 3-10 84.5-inch wingspan (seven feet and one-half inch). 14. Michigan State 12 Kansas State 19-8 7-5 UNLV 12 Texas 18-8 7-5 UNDERRATED AUSTIN Xavier 12 Texas A&M 19-8 5-7 Nebraska 16-9 6-6 A Sooner who tends to get lost among OU’s higher-profi le players is senior point guard Baylor 16-10 4-8 Austin Johnson. The 6-3, 176-pounder ranks fi fth on the team with his 8.7 points per outing but ranks among the Big 12’s Oklahoma State 17-9 6-6 leaders in several other categories. Johnson leads the league (ranks in the top 10 nationally) in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.0-to-1), Iowa State 13-14 2-10 seventh in assists (4.4) and 14th in blocked shots (0.8). No other league guard averages as many blocks as Johnson. Colorado 9-17 1-11 Texas Tech 12-15 2-10 AWARDS CENTRAL Kansas 22-5 11-1 15/18 Blake Griffi n couldn’t be off to a better start in terms of turning his Big 12 Preseason-Player-of-the-Year honor into the league’s Missouri 23-4 10-2 11/10 postseason player-of-the-year award. The sophomore forward has been named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week a league- record-tying fi ve times, including each of the season’s fi rst three weeks. He picked up his fourth and fi fth honors Jan. 12 and Feb. 16. Griffi n is only the second player in conference history to earn the weekly honor three straight times (Texas Tech’s Andre Emmett did OKLAHOMA BY THE NUMBERS it during the 2003-04 campaign). Similarly, freshman guard Willie Warren has been named Phillips 66 Big 12 Rookie of the Week six out of a possible 14 times (Nov. 24, Dec. 1, Dec. 29, Jan. 5, Feb. 2 and Feb. 16). Warren was the unanimous choice as Big 12 Preseason .743 OU’s combined winning percentage since 2000, Freshman of the Year. Senior guard Austin Johnson picked up his fi rst career Big 12 Player of the Week honor Jan. 19. ninth best in NCAA Division I (through Saturday). 1 Number of times Oklahoma has missed postsea- son play over the last 27 years. 4 Number of Final Four appearances by Oklahoma (1939, 1947, 1988 and 2002). 21 Number of NCAA Tournaments for OU over the last 26 years (seventh most nationally). OU BASKETBALL TRADITION 23.5 OU’s average number of victories since the start of the 2000-01 season (not including this year). This is the 102nd season of Oklahoma varsity basketball (the program’s fi rst game was Nov. 26, 1907). OU owns a 1,493-938 (.614) all-time record, ranking it 30th in NCAA Division I in wins and 40th in winning percentage. 24 Number of 20-win campaigns for the Sooners Oklahoma has participated in four NCAA Final Fours (1939, 1947, 1988 and 2002) and in two NCAA championship games (it lost over the last 28 seasons (including this year). to Holy Cross in 1947 and to Kansas in 1988). OU has made 25 NCAA Tournament appearances and seven postseason NIT showings. Its 21 NCAA Tournament appearances over 25 Number of Oklahoma’s all-time NCAA Tourna- the last 26 years rank as the seventh most in the nation. ment appearances. No team in the country has made more postseason appearances over the last 27 years than Oklahoma’s 26. The Sooners have won 14 regular season conference championships (most recently in 2005) and seven conference tournament 34 Age of OU head coach Jeff Capel, making him the titles (including the 2001, 2002 and 2003 crowns). fi fth youngest head coach in NCAA Division I. The Sooners posted the eighth-best NCAA Division I winning percentage (.731) in the 1980s and own the ninth-best winning percentage (.745) in the 2000s. Number of times Oklahoma has won in its last 129 Nineteen different Sooners have earned All-America honors a total of 29 times. They have earned consensus fi rst-team All- 143 home games (.902 winning percentage). America acclaim eight times and consensus second-team honors on four occasions. Wayman Tisdale was a three-time consensus fi rst-team All-American during his three seasons at OU (1983-85). The year OU played its fi rst varsity game, 1907 Oklahoma players have earned fi rst-team all-conference accolades a total of 72 times. making this the 102nd season of Sooners The Sooners own a winning record against 10 of the other 11 members of the Big 12 Conference (Kansas is the only league basketball. program with a series lead against OU). OU has played its home games in four different venues: the OU Gymnasium (1907-1919), the R.O.T.C. Armory (1919-1928), the OU Field House (1928-75) and Lloyd Noble Center (1975-present).
OU vs. KANSAS 5 2008-09 OKLAHOMA MEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYER NOTES 1 RYAN WRIGHT (6-9, 234, JUNIOR, FORWARD) 21 ORLANDO ALLEN (6-11, 267, SOPHOMORE, CENTER)