OU Set For Showdown With Texas

TUESDAY'S GAME BASICS

It’s a week of rivalries, and the Sooners have revenge on their minds. Oklahoma (8-16, 2-10 Big 12) opens its week with Texas (10-15, 4-8 Big 12) on Tuesday before heading to Stillwater for the second round of Bedlam on Saturday. Both the Longhorns and Cowboys defeated the Sooners on game-winning 3-pointers in the first meetings of the year. In a season of close games (10 contests decided by six or fewer points), OU aims to take down the Horns for the fifth straight season inside Lloyd Noble Center.

ON THE AIR

Tuesday’s contest tips off at 8 p.m. CT and air on the Sooner Radio Network (KRXO 107.7 FM “The Franchise” in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa) with Toby Rowland and Kevin Henry announcing. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN2 with Jon Sciambi and Miles Simon calling the action.

TICKETS

Tickets to Tuesday's game are still available on SoonerSports.com. The Lloyd Noble Center box office opens at 6:30 p.m.

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

• For the first time since 2013, the Sooners will face Texas without senior guard Jordan Woodard in the starting lineup. After suffering a knee injury against Iowa State on Saturday, tests and evaluations revealed that Woodard tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee. Woodard will undergo surgery and miss the remainder of the season. A starter on three consecutive NCAA Tournament teams, including last season’s Final Four squad, Woodard saw action in 125 career games in a Sooners uniform (124 starts). Woodard ranks in the top 10 of the OU records book for numerous career categories. He is fourth in assists (471), fifth in made free throws (440), seventh in steals (186), eighth in free throw percentage (.812) and eighth in minutes (3,735). With 1,440 points, he sits in 14th on OU’s career scoring list and fifth among guards.

• With 13 points against Iowa State, Kameron McGusty extended his streak of scoring in double figures to 12 consecutive games. His streak is the longest by an OU freshman since Jeff Webster in 1990-91. Webster, who ranks third on Oklahoma’s career scoring list, put together 22 straight double-digit performances in his freshman campaign. The streak is also the longest of any Big 12 freshman this season.

• A pair of Sooner freshmen had a historical performance against the Longhorns during the first meeting of the season. Forward Kristian Doolittle scored a career-high 29 points with 10 boards. Doolittle’s 29 points were the most by an OU freshman since Tommy Mason-Griffin scored 30 in 2010. Doolittle was 10-of-18 from the field, 4-of-5 from 3-point range and a perfect 5-of-5 from the charity stripe. Along with McGusty’s 21 points, the two became the first pair of OU freshmen to both score 20 points in the same game since 1976.

• ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index (BPI) ranks the Sooners’ strength of schedule as the toughest in the nation. This season, OU has faced four teams in the current AP Top 25 - No. 3 Kansas, No. 4 Baylor, No. 11 Wisconsin and No. 9 West Virginia (twice).

• OU continues to show its depth in conference play. Through nine Big 12 games, Oklahoma boasts 21.6 bench points per game in league competition - the second most in the conference. The Sooners are one of only two Big 12 squads to average over 20 bench points in league games.

LOOKING BACK AT IOWA STATE

• Oklahoma (8-16, 2-10 Big 12) fell on the road to Iowa State (15-9, 7-5 Big 12), 80-64, on Saturday at Hilton Coliseum.

• The Sooners outrebounded the Cyclones, 47-32, to tie their largest rebounding margin of the season. In two games against Iowa State this season, Oklahoma has totaled 97 boards. Saturday’s 47 rebounds were the second-most by OU this season, with the season high (50) also coming against the Cyclones on Jan. 21.

• Freshman guard Kameron McGusty extended his streak of double-digit scoring to 12 games by scoring 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting.

• Junior forward Khadeem Lattin produced seven points, 12 rebounds, and three blocked shots. Lattin pulled down a career-high-tying 14 boards in Wednesday’s game against West Virginia. The 26 combined rebounds in the past two games mark the highest two-game total of Lattin’s career.

• Sophomore guard Rashard Odomes scored 11 points for his 14th game of 10-plus points this season. Freshman forward Kristian Doolittle added seven points and nine boards.

• Junior guard Darrion Strong-Moore led OU’s reserves with nine points and a pair of assists. Strong-Moore’s father, Adrian Moore, played for Iowa State from 1986 to 1990.

The Sooners will be without senior guard Jordan Woodard, who will miss the remainder of the season due to knee surgery.

YOUTH GROUP

• One of the youngest teams in both the Big 12 and the nation, Oklahoma has seen its freshmen and sophomores play a large role for the Sooners this season. The Sooner roster boasts 11 underclassmen (freshmen and sophomores) – the most of any OU team in the Lon Kruger era and the most of any Big 12 roster this season. The young Sooners have received ample experience through their first 12 Big 12 contests.

•OU freshmen have played a total of 912 minutes (second most in Big 12), averaging a combined 28.1 points per game and contributing 40.5 percent of OU’s scoring in Big 12 play - the second-highest percentage in the conference. Sooner underclassmen rank second in the Big 12 in total minutes played in conference competition (1,751) and have scored 69.1 percent of Oklahoma’s points in league play (second in Big 12).

SERIES HISTORY

• The Sooners own an all-time record of 53-37 against the Longhorns, including a 27-11 advantage in Norman. OU has won four-straight home games against the Longhorns.

• Oklahoma is 6-5 against Texas under Lon Kruger and has won six of the last nine meetings. OU is 4-1 against UT in Norman during the Kruger era.

• OU’s most recent win over the Horns came on Feb. 8, 2016, when Buddy Hield it a game-winning 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds remaining to give the Sooners a 63-60 victory. The Horns returned the favor in the most recent meeting (Jan. 23, 2017 in Austin) with a game-winning trey by Andrew Jones with 1.3 seconds remaining to win, 84-83.

UP NEXT

• The week of rivalries continues for the Sooners when they head to Stillwater for the second round of Bedlam. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State face off on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. on ESPNU.

• The Sooners have won 17 of the last 25 Bedlam meetings, including seven of the past eight contests. OU owns a 136-96 all-time advantage in the series while OSU leads 62-45 in Stillwater.

• OU is 9-3 against the Cowboys during the Lon Kruger era. Saturday’s meeting with OSU will be the second matchup since Brad Underwood took over as head coach. Underwood’s Cowboys escaped Norman with their first win in the LNC since 2004, thanks to a late 3-pointer by Phil Forte that put OSU up 74-72.