SUNDAY'S GAME BASICS
Oklahoma (3-4) plays a Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series game at Arizona (6-1) Sunday at 3 p.m. CT at McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz. The contest will air on the Sooner Radio Network (KRXO FM 107.7 in Oklahoma City; KTBZ AM 1430 in Tulsa) with Tom Dore and Mike Houck announcing. The game will be televised nationally by FSN with Steve Physioc and Steve Kerr calling the action.
NOTEWORTHY
• The Sooners lead the overall series with Arizona 5-1 and won last year’s meeting in Norman, 79-62. The teams have met three times in the NCAA Tournament, with OU winning each contest.
• Eight of OU’s top nine scorers are in their first or second year of Division I basketball. Five of the nine are in their first year.
• Senior guard Cade Davis has scored at least 21 points in three of the last five outings (21 vs. Texas Southern, 23 vs. Kentucky and a season-high 24 vs. Chaminade). He is 19-for-43 (.442) from 3-point range during the five-game stretch (3.8 makes per outing).
• Oklahoma has committed 20 more turnovers than its opponents (61-41) during its four-game losing streak. Foes have outscored the Sooners 72-37 in points off turnovers during the stretch.
PREVIEWING ARIZONA
• Arizona is 6-1 on the year with wins over Idaho State, New Mexico State, Northern Colorado, Bethune-Cookman (all at home), Santa Clara (in Las Vegas, Nev.) and at Rice. The Wildcats’ lone loss was against Kansas (87-79) on Nov. 27 in Las Vegas.
• UA is outscoring its opponents by 24.6 points a game (84.1 to 59.6). It is shooting .512 from the field, .378 from 3-point range (8.9 makes a game) and .783 from the free throw line. Opponents are shooting .397 from the floor and .253 from deep. The Wildcats also own a +11.6 average rebounding advantage.
• Sophomore forward Derrick Williams leads the team with his 20.6 scoring and 7.7 rebounding averages in just 24.4 minutes a game. He is shooting .671 from the floor and .800 from 3-point distance (8-for-10). Williams, who has already attempted 53 free throws (shooting .792), recorded 27 points and 14 rebounds against New Mexico State and 27 points and eight boards versus Kansas.
• Fellow forwards Solomon Hill and Jamelle Horne average 10.0 and 9.4 points per contest. Hill, a sophomore, ranks second with his 5.3 rebounds a game and third with his 2.6 assists average. Horne, a senior, has made a team-high 13 treys (shooting .406).
• Junior guard Kyle Fogg averages 8.7 points and team highs of 3.7 assists and 1.6 steals a game. He’s 11-for-32 from long range (.344).
• Head coach Sean Miller directed Arizona to a 16-15 record last year in his first season at the school. Miller, who compiled a 120-47 (.719) record as head coach at Xavier over five seasons before making the move to UA, is a 1992 Pittsburgh graduate. He coached Xavier to four NCAA Tournament appearances and four 20-win campaigns.
OU-ARIZONA SERIES HISTORY
Sunday’s game will mark the seventh between Oklahoma and Arizona, with the Sooners holding a 5-1 series lead. Both schools are undefeated on their home court, and OU has won all three neutral site games (each in the NCAA Tournament).
LAST YEAR AGAINST THE WILDCATS
• Oklahoma scored the game’s first six points and never trailed in a 79-62 home win over Arizona last Dec. 6. The Sooners committed just one turnover in a first half that saw the Wildcats commit nine and shoot just .333 from the field as OU built a 44-26 lead by intermission.
• A 15-7 run to start the second half pushed the Sooners’ lead to 26 points and they led by at least 15 points the entire second half. For the game, Oklahoma shot .481 from the field, .364 (8-for-22) from behind the arc and .826 (19-for-23) from the free throw line.
• OU committed just seven turnovers to Arizona’s 21 and outscored the Wildcats 21-10 in points off turnovers.
• Willie Warren was 10-for-14 from the field and hit three of his four 3-point attempts en route to a game-high 25 points for the Sooners. Tiny Gallon (14), Tony Crocker (13) and Tommy Mason-Griffin (10) also scored in double figures for OU. Mason-Griffin added six assists without a turnover.
• The Wildcats shot .529 (9-for-17) from 3-point range and outboarded the Sooners 32-28.
• The 17-point defeat for Arizona was its worst regular season non-conference loss since the 2006-07 season.
OU IN THE BIG 12/PAC-10 HARDWOOD SERIES
This marks the fourth consecutive year of the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series and the Sooners are 2-1 in the event. OU lost at USC, 66-55, on Nov. 29, 2007, before winning home games the next two years. The Sooners beat USC by a 73-72 count on Dec. 4, 2008, and Arizona by a 79-62 margin last year on Dec. 6. Through Friday, the Big 12 holds a 25-16 all-time Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series lead and is 6-0 this year. The Big 12 has won 19 of the last 23 matchups.
