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http://www.soonersports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/022511aab.html
Teams: Oklahoma (12-15, 4-9) vs. No. 3/2 Kansas (26-2, 11-2)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 26
Tip: 3:05 p.m. CT
Site: Norman, Okla. (Lloyd Noble Center)
Radio: Sooner Radio Network (KOKC 1520 AM in OKC; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa; Sirius 122; XM 143)
TV: ESPN
Webcast: ESPN3.com
Series: Kansas leads 135-64
SATURDAY'S GAME BASICS
Looking for its first win since Feb. 2, Oklahoma (12-15 overall, 4-9 Big 12) hosts No. 3/2 Kansas (26-2, 11-2) Saturday at 3 p.m. CT. OU’s 61-47 loss at No. 21/17 Texas A&M on Wednesday was its sixth straight. Kansas has won eight of its last nine games and is coming off a 92-65 home victory over Oklahoma State on Monday. Saturday’s game will air on the Sooner Radio Network (KOKC 1520 AM in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa; Sirius 122; XM 143) with Bob Barry Sr. and Mike Houck announcing. It will be televised by ESPN with Bob Wischusen and Fran Fraschilla calling the action.
KANSAS' PROJECTED STARTERS
F 21 Markieff Morris (6-10, 245, Jr., 13.4 ppg, 8.4 rpg)
F 22 Marcus Morris (6-9, 235 Jr., 17.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg)
G 12 Brady Morningstar (6-4, 185, Sr., 6.4 ppg, 3.1 apg)
G 14 Tyrel Reed (6-3, 193, Sr., 9.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg)
G 15 Elijah Johnson (6-4, 195, So., 3.9 ppg, 2.0 apg)
OKLAHOMA'S PROJECTED STARTERS
F 4 Andrew Fitzgerald (6-8, 231, So., 13.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg)
G 2 Steven Pledger (6-4, 212, So., 11.4 ppg, 2.2 rpg)
G 14 Carl Blair (6-2, 209, So., 7.6 ppg, 4.4 apg)
G 21 Cameron Clark (6-6, 189, Fr., 9.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg)
G 34 Cade Davis (6-5, 209, Sr., 13.0 ppg, 5.2 rpg)
PREVIEWING KANSAS
• Ranked No. 3 in the AP poll and No. 2 in the ESPN/USA Today version, Kansas is 26-2 overall and in second place in the Big 12 at 11-2. Since a 16-point loss at Kansas State on Feb. 14, the Jayhawks have posted home wins over Colorado by 26 points and Oklahoma State by 27. They are 7-1 in true road games this year, with a +9.6 average scoring margin. Their only other loss came at home to Texas (74-63).
• In Big 12 play, Kansas is averaging a league-high 83.2 points per game and is shooting a conference-best .517 from the field. The Jayhawks rank second in field goal percentage defense (.426) and average rebounding margin (+5.8). They have reached the 80-point mark eight times in their last nine games. On the season, KU’s .521 field goal percentage leads the nation.
• Junior forward Marcus Morris leads three Jayhawks who score in double figures. Morris averages 17.1 points (ranks sixth in Big 12), 6.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game while shooting a Big 12-best .603 from the field and .355 from 3-point range (22 makes). He leads the team with his 152 free throw attempts and is shooting .658 from the foul line. Morris has scored in double figures in all but two games.
• Junior forward Markieff Morris averages 13.4 points and a league-high 8.4 rebounds in just 24.0 minutes per game. He ranks second in the Big 12 with his .600 field goal percentage and two games ago against Colorado recorded 27 points and 15 boards.
• Freshman guard Josh Selby contributes 10.7 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists in his 16 games (11 starts). He’s shooting .395 from the field, .386 from 3-point distance (27-for-70) and .828 from the foul line (24-for-29). Selby is averaging 5.0 points over the last three games.
• Senior guards Tyrel Reed (9.8 ppg) and Brady Morningstar (6.4 ppg) have combined to make 83 3-pointers on the year. Reed has made a team-high 54 treys and is shooting .388 from behind the arc. Morningstar has 29 makes and is shooting .420. In Big 12 games, he is shooting a league-high .524 from long range.
• Bill Self is in his eighth year as Kansas’ head coach and owns a 228-45 record. He’s in his 18th year overall.
OU-KANSAS HISTORY
Kansas is the only Big 12 program with a winning record against Oklahoma. The Jayhawks own a 135-64 series advantage and are 45-40 in Norman. The Sooners had won three of the five overall meetings in the series and four of the seven prior to Kansas’ current five-game victory streak. OU is 4-14 against the Jayhawks since the formation of the Big 12 Conference (2-5 in Norman). They have won two of the last four against KU in Norman (won 77-70 in 2003 and 71-63 in 2005; lost 67-65 in 2007 and 87-78 in 2009).
LAST YEAR AGAINST THE JAYHAWKS
• Oklahoma began last year’s game at No. 1 Kansas by going 0-for-11 from the field and fell behind 9-0. Afterward, the Sooners shot .500 from the field and were outscored by just four in an 81-68 loss. OU outscored the Jayhawks 39-37 in the second half.
• The Sooners trailed 37-28 late in the first half but watched Kansas score six straight to lead 44-29 at halftime. KU led by as many as 23 points just past the midway point of the second half before OU drew to within 12 multiple times in the final minutes.
• Forward Andrew Fitzgerald played a career-high 37 minutes and finished with then-career highs of 16 points and six rebounds.
• Guard Cade Davis contributed 13 points, a team-high eight boards and three assists.
• The Sooners scored eight fast break points while not allowing any.
• Kansas freshman Xavier Henry led Kansas with 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting. Senior Sherron Collins added 17 points and six assists.
NOTEWORTHY
• Kansas is the only Big 12 program with a winning record against Oklahoma. The Jayhawks own a 135-64 series advantage and are 45-40 in Norman.
• The Sooners are 11-3 at home this year with their losses coming to top-25 foes Texas A&M and Texas, and to Nebraska by one point. Oklahoma is 64-15 (.810) at Lloyd Noble Center under fifth-year head coach Jeff Capel.
• Kansas is Oklahoma’s third straight Saturday opponent that played its previous game on the Monday prior to its game against OU. The Sooners played Wednesday games each of the last three weeks.
• Starters have accounted for 583 of OU’s 660 points (88 percent) over the last 10 games. Each is averaging between 9.8 and 13.8 points during the stretch.
• Starters are also averaging 34 minutes per game over the last 10.
• A big key for OU in its wins this year has been its positive assist-to-turnover ratio. In 12 victories, the Sooners have 189 assists to 167 turnovers. In its 15 losses, Oklahoma has accumulated 154 assists and 208 turnovers.
• During their four-game Big 12 winning streak, the Sooners averaged 26.5 free throw attempts per game. In six losses since, OU is averaging just 15.5 attempts.
• Eight of OU’s top nine scorers are in their first or second year of Division I.
• Freshmen and sophomores have accounted for 72 percent of OU’s points this year. The Sooners have one senior in Cade Davis.
• Davis is averaging 18.3 points and 7.3 rebounds over the last three games. He registered team highs of 21 points and seven boards in each of the last two outings at Kansas State and at Texas A&M. He is 10-for-20 from 3-point range over the last three.
• Sophomore guard Steven Pledger, who turned in a 38-point performance Jan. 29 at Iowa State, has scored in double figures in 10 of OU’s 12 wins and is averaging a team-high 16.2 points in the team’s victories compared to 8.1 in losses. He averaged 18.3 points during the team’s four-game Big 12 winning streak but is averaging 8.0 over six games since, all defeats.
• After averaging 15.0 points and 6.0 rebounds during OU’s four-game winning streak, freshman Cameron Clark is averaging 6.8 points and 3.2 boards over the last six games (all losses). Clark has attempted just two free throws during the losing streak.
• In OU’s 12 wins, point guard Carl Blair has totaled 57 assists and 27 turnovers. In the team’s 15 losses, Blair has 54 assists and 54 turnovers. The sophomore attempted 37 free throws during the team’s four-game winning streak (9.3 average) but has attempted just 13 in six losses since (2.2 average).
