SATURDAY'S GAME BASICS
It’s senior day at Lloyd Noble Center as Oklahoma (10-19, 4-17 Big 12) hosts TCU (17-13, 6-11 Big 12) in the Sooners’ final game of the regular season. After hanging close with top-ranked Kansas on Monday, Oklahoma looks to close their home schedule with a win before heading to Kansas City for the 2017 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship. OU will honor the three members of its senior class – forward C.J. Cole, guard Daniel Harper and guard Jordan Woodard. A staple of Sooner basketball in the Lon Kruger era, Woodard’s season ended prematurely when tearing his ACL against Iowa State. Woodard and the rest of the senior trio will be recognized before the game and throughout the evening.
ON THE AIR
Saturday’s contest tips off at 2 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 ESPNEWS with Jason Benetti and Reid Gettys calling the action.
TICKETS
Fans can purchase tickets online on SoonerSports.com. Tickets are being offered for as low as $10 for an adult ticket and $5 for youth tickets - allowing a family of four to attend for a total of just $30. OU students are also being offered free admission, even without student tickets.
THE SENIOR CLASS
• Forward C.J. Cole was born in Kansas City, Mo., before moving to Sperry, Okla., where he attended Sperry High School. In his career with the Sooners, he has appeared in 50 games and has 20 points and 32 rebounds to his credit. A member of the OU President’s Leadership Class scholarship program, Cole graduated last spring with a degree in chemical biosciences with a 3.97 GPA and plans to attend medical school in the fall. He was presented the Elite 90 Award at the 2016 Final Four, given to the student-athlete with the top GPA among Final Four participants. Last week, he was named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team for the second year in a row.
• Born in Norman, guard Daniel Harper attended school at Norman High School before walking on at OU. As a walk on, he has seen action in 20 games for the Sooners. Harper was recently honored by the Big 12 as a member of the conference’s academic second team. He was voted by teammates as the most likely to become a college coach and is pursuing a degree in sports management.
• Senior guard Jordan Woodard came to OU from his hometown of Arcadia, Okla., by way of Edmond Memorial High School. A starter on three consecutive NCAA Tournament teams, including last season’s Final Four team, Woodard saw action in 125 career games in an Oklahoma uniform. He leaves OU ranked in the top 10 of the Sooner records book for numerous career categories. He is fourth in assists, fifth in made free throws, seventh in steals, eighth in free throw percentage and eighth in minutes played. With 1,440 career points, he finishes his career in 14th on OU’s career scoring list and fifth among guards. A 2016 All-Big 12 honorable mention, he is the first player in OU history to finish his collegiate career with more than 400 made free throws at a rate of better than 80 percent. Woodard is expected to graduate this spring with a Bachelor of Arts in administrative leadership.
SERIES HISTORY
• Oklahoma owns an 18-3 all-time record against the Horned Frogs and has won 10 of the last 12 meetings. The Sooners are 7-2 against TCU since the Frogs joined the Big 12 in 2012-13. OU has never lost to the Horned Frogs in Norman, boasting a perfect 9-0 record.
• The Horned Frogs snapped a six-game losing streak in the all-time series by winning the first matchup of the season, 60-57, in Fort Worth on Jan. 3. The Sooners led for over 35 minutes in their second true road game of the year, but the Horned Frogs used a 12-0 run late in the contest to come back and win.
