SATURDAY’S GAME BASICS
Searching for its first Big 12 win under first-year head coach Lon Kruger, Oklahoma (10-5, 0-3) hosts No. 18/18 Kansas State (12-3, 1-2) Saturday at 12:30 p.m. CT. This will mark the fifth time Kruger has faced his alma mater (he is 2-2 against the Wildcats). OU is coming off a 72-65 loss at Oklahoma State on Monday while Kansas State lost 75-73 at home to No. 4 Baylor on Tuesday. Saturday’s contest will air on the Sooner Radio Network (KOKC AM 1520 in Oklahoma City; KTBZ AM 1430 in Tulsa; Sirius 117) with Toby Rowland and Mike Houck announcing. The game will be televised regionally by the Big 12 Network (KOCB Ch. 34 in OKC; KTUL Ch. 8 in Tulsa; ESPN Full Court) with Brad Sham and Stephen Howard calling the action.
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets are available for $10, $30 and $40 at the OU Athletics Ticket Office and online at SoonerSports.com. Lloyd Noble Center's north and east ticket windows will open at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. OU students may purchase a ticket for $5.
PREVIEWING KANSAS STATE
After going 11-1 in non-conference play, No. 18/18 Kansas State is off to 1-2 start in Big 12 action. The Wildcats have played a difficult league schedule to date, losing at No. 14 Kansas (67-49), beating No. 7 and previously undefeated Missouri (75-59) and losing to unbeaten and fourth-ranked Baylor (75-73). Missouri and Baylor were home contests.
One of the best rebounding teams in the Big 12, Kansas State ranks second in the league in rebounds per game (39.6), offensive rebounds per game (14.7) and offensive rebounding percentage (.413). OU ranks No. 1 in all three categories.
Junior guard Rodney McGruder averages 14.3 points on .476 field goal, .316 (18-for-57) and .761 (35-for-46) free throw shooting. A third-team All-Big 12 selection last year, McGruder scored a career-high 30 points Tuesday against Baylor and leads the league (conference games only) with a 21.7 scoring average. He was 10-for-14 from the field and 8-for-8 from the free throw line vs. BU.
Senior forward Jamar Samuels and sophomore guard Will Spradling each average 11.1 points per contest. Samuels also averages a team-high 6.4 rebounds a game, while Spradling paces the team in assists (2.9 apg), 3-pointers (28) and 3-point percentage (.431).
Frank Martin is in his fifth year as a collegiate head coach, all at Kansas State. He owns a 107-46 (.699) record.
OU-KANSAS STATE SERIES HISTORY
Oklahoma owns a 102-91 series advantage against Kansas State and is 58-25 against the Wildcats in Norman. OU is 10-6 against K-State since the start of the Big 12 in 1996-97 (5-2 in Norman). KSU has won four of the last five overall meetings, including the last two at Lloyd Noble Center (84-82 in 2008 and 83-68 in 2010).
LAST YEAR VS. THE WILDCATS
Down 39-24 at halftime on the road, Oklahoma battled back to within five points (55-50) with six minutes left before Kansas State reeled off 14 straight points in less than two minutes en route to a 77-62 home win in the teams’ only meeting last year (Feb. 19). The Sooners committed 15 turnovers to Kansas State’s 12 and were outscored 21-12 off those miscues. OU senior guard Cade Davis scored 21 points and pulled down a game-high seven rebounds in 30 minutes. He was 8-for-9 from the field and 4-for-5 from 3-point range. Sophomore forward Andrew Fitzgerald went 6-for-7 from the free throw line and finished with 10 points and five boards. Both he and Davis were saddled with second-half foul trouble. Sophomore point guard Carl Blair netted 10 points to go along with four assists and a pair of steals. He also committed six turnovers. K-State senior guard Jacob Pullen scored a game-high 27 points while sophomore guard Rodney McGruder went 5-for-7 from 3-point range en route to a 20-point day.
KRUGER VS. HIS ALMA MATER
A 1975 Kansas State graduate, OU head coach Lon Kruger is 2-2 all-time against his alma mater. The Big Eight Conference Player of the Year his junior and senior seasons (1972-73 and ’73-74), Kruger also coached the Wildcats from the 1986-87 through ’89-90 seasons. As a coach, he led the Wildcats to an 81-46 record and to NCAA Tournament appearances each of his four years in Manhattan, including the Elite Eight in 1988. As UNLV’s head coach, Kruger posted a 1-1 record against KSU (lost 95-80 in 2009-10 in Las Vegas; won 63-59 in 2010-11 in Kansas City). He also notched an 81-48 home win during the 1999-00 season as Illinois’ head coach. His Texas-Pan American team lost a 75-68 contest to the Wildcats during the 1984-85 season in the Runnin’ Rebel Classic in Las Vegas.
