MONDAY'S GAME BASICS
For the 232nd time, Oklahoma (8-12, 2-6 Big 12) and Oklahoma State (13-8, 2-6 Big 12) will meet on the hardwood for Bedlam basketball. The Sooners look to continue protecting home court in the Bedlam series and earn their 13th straight win over OSU in Norman.
OU is 9-2 against the Cowboys during the Lon Kruger era. Monday’s meeting with OSU will be the first matchup since Brad Underwood took over as head coach. Both Kruger and Underwood played collegiately at Kansas State.
ON THE AIR
Monday’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 ESPN with Bob Wischusen and Fran Fraschilla calling the action. This is the second week in a row OU has been featured on ESPN Big Monday and its third-striaght game televised on ESPN.
MONDAY'S GAME BASICS
For the 232nd time, Oklahoma (8-12, 2-6 Big 12) and Oklahoma State (13-8, 2-6 Big 12) will meet on the hardwood for Bedlam basketball. The Sooners look to continue protecting home court in the Bedlam series and earn their 13th straight win over OSU in Norman.
OU is 9-2 against the Cowboys during the Lon Kruger era. Monday’s meeting with OSU will be the first matchup since Brad Underwood took over as head coach. Both Kruger and Underwood played collegiately at Kansas State.
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
• Freshman guard Kameron McGusty has scored at least nine points in every Big 12 game and has registerd double figures in the past eight outings. His eight games of double digits is the longest such streak of any Sooner this season. His January resume includes 20 points against Kansas State (Jan. 7), 19 points versus Iowa State (Jan. 21), a 17-point performance at West Virginia (Jan. 18) and a career-best 21 at Texas (Jan. 23). McGusty is averaging 15.0 points per game during league play - the second highest scoring average among Big 12 freshman.
• Both McGusty and fellow freshman Kristian Doolittle have seen a rise in their scoring as the season progresses. After combining for 15.0 points in November, the duo has averaged 27.0 per game in January.
• ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index (BPI) ranks the Sooners’ strength of schedule as the second toughest in the nation, behind only Wake Forest. Four of Oklahoma’s last nine games have been against teams ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll at the time of competition. (No. 2 Kansas, No. 2 Baylor, No. 7 West Virginia, No. 25 Florida).
• This is the eighth Bedlam battle for senior guard Jordan Woodard, who is averaging 11.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.4 steals in his career against OSU.
• Doolittle's older brother, Kameron, played wide receiver at Oklahoma State in 2014 and 2015.
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 eight Big 12 contests.
• OU freshmen have played a total of 584 minutes (second most in Big 12), averaging a combined 25.9 points per game and contributing 39.9 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 (1,216) and have scored 70.5 percent of Oklahoma’s points the past eight games (second in Big 12).
SERIES HISTORY
• The Sooners have won 17 of the last 24 Bedlam meetings, including the past seven contests. OU owns a 136-95 all-time advantage in the series and boasts an 84-26 lead when played in Norman.
• Oklahoma has won 15 of the last 16 Bedlam battles in Norman, including the last 12 meetings. The Sooners have not lost a Bedlam game at home since 2004.
