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Source: SoonerSports.com
Teams: Oklahoma (11-7, 2-2) at Texas Tech (13-5, 1-3)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 23
Tip: 7:05 p.m. CST
Site: Lubbock, Texas (United Spirit Arena)
Radio: Sooner Radio Network (KOKC 1520 AM in OKC; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa; Sirius 127; XM 102)
TV: Sooner Sports Network (KWTV Ch. 9 in OKC; KQCW Ch. 19 in Tulsa; ESPN Full Court)
Webcast: ESPN360.com
Series: OU leads 29-16
SATURDAY'S GAME BASICS
Oklahoma (11-7 overall, 2-2 Big 12) plays its second of back-to-back road games when it takes on Texas Tech (13-5, 1-3) Saturday at 7:05 p.m. CST in Lubbock. The Sooners, who are coming off a 65-62 loss at Texas A&M on Tuesday, are 1-3 on the year in true road contests. Texas Tech, which beat Iowa State 78-71 Wednesday in Lubbock, is 11-1 at home. Saturday’s contest will air on the Sooner Radio Network with Bob Barry Sr. and Mike Houck announcing. It will be televised by the Sooner Sports Network with Toby Rowland and Charlie Spoonhour calling the action.
NOTEWORTHY
• Oklahoma is 29-16 all-time against Texas Tech and 10-10 in Lubbock. OU has won five straight overall meetings and four of the last five at United Spirit Arena.
• Big 12 teams are a combined 123-6 (.953) at home this year.
• OU has held its foes to sub-.400 field goal shooting in five of the last six halves.
• Oklahoma is averaging a Big 12-high 8.3 3-point makes per game. The school record for average treys per contest in a season is 8.5 (in 1998-99).
• In its wins, Oklahoma is giving up 62.5 points a game and is holding opponents to .386 shooting from the field. In its losses, OU is surrendering 83.7 points and allowing foes to shoot .505 from the floor.
• Oklahoma ranks second in the Big 12 with its .737 free throw mark. The Sooners have made 283 free throws while their opponents have attempted 287.
• Junior guard Cade Davis is averaging 11.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals over the last three games and shot .500 from the field in each. Davis’ 31 steals on the year are 13 more than his closest teammate. He ranks sixth in the Big 12 with his 1.7 steals per contest.
• Senior guard Tony Crocker, who has started 84 consecutive games, has recorded his only five career double-doubles over the last 12 games.
• Crocker needs 23 rebounds to become just the second Sooner to ever record 1,000 points, 500 boards and 150 3-pointers in a career (Ryan Minor is the other).
• Sophomore guard Willie Warren is averaging a team-high 17.6 points (ranks fifth in Big 12) as well as 4.4 assists (ranks sixth) per game.
• Over the last three games (all decided by five points or less), Warren is 8-for-8 from the foul line in the last two minutes of regulation and in overtime.
• Freshman forward Tiny Gallon ranks sixth in the Big 12 with his 8.9 rebounds per game. Gallon, who is shooting .547 from the field (.442 over the last five games, however), has six double-doubles to rank fourth in the conference.
• Tommy Mason-Griffin has made at least one 3-pointer in 17 of 18 games this year, and at least two treys in 11 of the last 14 outings. The freshman ranks second in the league in 3-point field goal percentage (.442), fourth in assists (4.8 apg), 10th in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.1) and 13th in 3-pointers per game (1.9).
• In OU’s four conference games, Mason-Griffin is shooting .524 (11-for-21) from 3-point distance. The rest of the team is shooting .219 (14-for-64).
• With 12 regular season games remaining, Mason-Griffin already ranks sixth on OU’s all-time freshman list in assists (81) and seventh in 3-point makes (31). No Oklahoma freshman has ever shot better from 3-point range for a season than Mason-Griffin’s current .442 mark.
PREVIEWING TEXAS TECH
Texas Tech, which is 11-1 at home (its only loss was to Missouri Jan. 13 in overtime), owns a 13-5 overall record and a 1-3 mark in Big 12 play. It started the year 9-0 (peaked at No. 16 in the Dec. 14 AP poll) but is 4-5 since. The Red Raiders are coming off a 78-71 home win over Iowa State on Wednesday, a game in which they went 10-for-20 from 3-point range. Tech is shooting .446 from the field (ranks ninth in Big 12), .356 from 3-point range (ranks seventh) and .716 from the free throw line (ranks fourth). It is holding opponents to .415 field goal shooting (ranks ninth) and to a .342 mark from behind the arc (also ranks ninth).
Three Red Raiders average double figures in scoring, while three more average more than 7.0 points a contest. Junior forward Mike Singletary leads the way with his 14.9 points per game, and ranks second on the team with his 6.7 rebounds an outing. Singletary, who scored 43 points against Texas A&M in last year’s Big 12 Championship first round (including 29 straight for Tech), is shooting .475 from the field and .727 from the free throw line (team-high 7.3 attempts per game). Junior guard John Roberson averages 14.2 points and 5.3 assists (ranks second in Big 12). Roberson is shooting .393 from 3-point range (team-high 35 makes) and .802 from the free throw line. Another junior, guard David Tairu comes off the bench to supply 10.9 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. Tairu is shooting a team-high .469 from behind the arc (15-for-32). Guard Nick Okorie averages 8.9 points per game, forward D’walyn Roberts 7.7 and forward Brad Reese 7.3.
Pat Knight is in his third season as Texas Tech’s head coach and owns a 31-31 (.500) record.
OU-TEXAS TECH SERIES HISTORY
Oklahoma owns a 29-16 series advantage against Texas Tech and has won the last five meetings. OU is 10-10 against the Red Raiders in Lubbock and has won the last two and four of the last five at United Spirit Arena. Since the start of the Big 12 in 1996-97, OU is 20-8 against Tech (9-4 in Lubbock). Jeff Capel is 5-1 against the Red Raiders as OU’s head coach (2-1 in Lubbock).
LAST YEAR AGAINST THE RED RAIDERS
The Sooners swept the regular season series with Texas Tech last year, winning 95-74 in Norman and 78-63 in Lubbock (box scores on page 13 of these notes). Blake Griffin owned the Red Raiders, averaging 30.0 points and 20.5 rebounds over the two meetings. In the first matchup, the sophomore forward was 16-for-22 from the field and finished with 40 points, 23 rebounds, two assists, a block and two steals in 31 minutes. Griffin became the first player in Big 12 history and third in OU annals to register at least 40 points and 20 rebounds in a contest. His 40 points were the most by a Sooner in 15 years and his 23 boards marked OU’s most in 20 seasons. He recorded double-doubles in each half. In the rematch, Griffin returned from a concussion to record 20 points and 18 rebounds, while his brother, Taylor Griffin, netted a career-high 22 points and plucked eight boards. Nick Okorie averaged 18.5 points in the two meetings for Texas Tech (scored 24 in Norman), while John Roberson averaged 13.0 points and 8.5 assists and Mike Singletary averaged 12.0 points.
