SATURDAY'S GAME BASICS
Oklahoma (6-9, 0-4 Big 12) plays its second game at Lloyd Noble Center in five days when it hosts Texas Tech (13-3, 2-2 Big 12) for a Saturday night conference showdown. The Sooners will look for continued production out freshman Kameron McGusty, who is leading the team in scoring during Big 12 play with 13.3 points per game. Senior Jordan Woodard returned to action against Kansas on Jan. 10 and is expected to see an increase of minutes against the Red Raiders.
ON THE AIR
Saturday’s contest tips off at 7:30 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 ESPNU with Jason Benetti and Reid Gettys calling the action.
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
• OU continues to show its depth in conference play, most recently outscoring No. 2/2 Kansas in bench points, 29-5. Through four Big 12 games, Oklahoma boasts a conference-best 29.3 bench points per game in league competition. The Sooners are one of only four Big 12 squads to average over 20 bench points in league games as the conference averages 17.2 per contest. The Sooners boast a Big 12-leading eight players averaging five or more points in conference play.
• 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 four Big 12 contests. OU freshmen have played a total of 327 minutes (second most in Big 12), averaging a combined 25.0 points per game, contributing 41.7 percent of OU’s scoring in Big 12 play - the highest percentage in the conference. Sooner underclassmen rank second in the Big 12 in total minutes played in conference competition (605) and have scored 75.8 percent of Oklahoma’s points the past four games (second in Big 12).
• Jordan Woodard returned to action on Tuesday, posting seven points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals. His performance brought his career scoring total to 1,331 and pushed him into the top 20 of OU's all-time scoring list. Woodard also ranks seventh in the Sooner record book in assists (451), eighth in free throws (412) and ninth in steals (171).
• In six previous games against Texas Tech, Woodard has posted averages of 12.3 points, 3.0 assists, 2.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals. In his most recent game against the Red Raiders, Woodard scored 25 points on 7-of-14 shooting.
• Khadeem Lattin blocked five shots again Kansas earlier this week, bringing his career block total to 140 (fourth most in school history). The last time the Sooners hosted Tech, Lattin swatted a career-high eight shots.
SERIES HISTORY
• Oklahoma leads the all-time series, 37-22, and is 22-7 against the Red Raiders in Norman. The Sooners have won the past two games at LNC by a combined 69 points (91-67 in 2016, 81-36 in 2015).
• OU and Tech split the 2015-16 series with the home team winning each contest.
