Teams: Oklahoma (12-13, 4-7) at Kansas State (17-9, 5-6)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 19
Tip: 3:01 p.m. CT
Site: Manhattan, Kan. (Bramlage Coliseum)
Radio: Sooner Radio Network (KRXO 107.7 FM in OKC; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa)
TV: Big 12 Network (KOCB Ch. 34 in OKC; KJRH Ch. 2 in Tulsa; ESPN Full Court)
Webcast: ESPN3.com
Series: OU leads 102-90
SATURDAY'S GAME BASICS
Loser of four straight following a four-game winning streak, Oklahoma (12-13 overall, 4-7 Big 12) hits the road for the first of two straight road games when it plays at Kansas State (17-9, 5-6) Saturday at 3 p.m. CT. OU is coming off a 59-58 home loss to Nebraska while K-State dealt No. 1 Kansas an 84-68 defeat on Monday in Manhattan. Saturday’s game will air on the Sooner Radio Network (KRXO 107.7 FM in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa) with Bob Barry Sr. and Mike Houck announcing. It will be televised by the Big 12 Network (KOCB Ch. 34 in OKC; KJRH Ch. 2 in Tulsa; ESPN Full Court) with Dave Armstrong and Jon Sundvold calling the action.
OKLAHOMA'S PROJECTED STARTERS
F 4 Andrew Fitzgerald (6-8, 231, So., 13.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg)
G 2 Steven Pledger (6-4, 212, So., 12.2 ppg, 1.9 apg)
G 14 Carl Blair (6-2, 209, So., 7.6 ppg, 4.5 apg)
G 21 Cameron Clark (6-6, 189, Fr., 9.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg)
G 34 Cade Davis (6-5, 209, Sr., 12.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg)
KANSAS STATE'S PROJECTED STARTERS
F 24 Curtis Kelly (6-8, 239, Sr., 9.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg)
F 32 Jamar Samuels (6-7, 220, Jr., 9.4 ppg, 5.6 apg)
G 0 Jacob Pullen (6-0, 200, Sr., 18.8 ppg, 3.8 apg)
G 1 Shane Southwell (6-6, 220, Fr., 1.5 ppg, 1.7 rpg)
G 22 Rodney McGruder (6-4, 205, So., 10.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg)
PREVIEWING KANSAS STATE
• Ranked No. 3 in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today preseason top-25 polls, Kansas State is tied with Colorado and Nebraska for sixth place in the Big 12 at 5-6. The preseason league favorite is 17-9 overall after its 84-68 home win over No. 1 ranked Kansas on Monday. The Wildcats, who are 13-1 at Bramlage Coliseum this year (only loss came to Colorado), have won three of their last four games after losing five of seven to start conference action.
• In Big 12 play, Kansas State is shooting .421 from the field (ranks 10th in the Big 12), .364 from 3-point range (ranks seventh) and .716 from the free throw line (ranks seventh). Its +3.6 rebounding margin ranks third in the league.
• The Wildcats are allowing 69.5 points per Big 12 game, fifth fewest in the league (they give up just 63.2 per conference home game). Kansas State ranks ninth by allowing conference foes to shoot .461 from the field.
• Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year Jacob Pullen is averaging a team-high 18.8 points per game on the season (ranks third in the league) to go along with 3.2 rebounds and team highs of 3.8 assists and 1.6 steals. The senior guard is coming off a career-high 38-point effort against Kansas in which he went 5-for-6 from 3-point range and 15-for-19 from the free throw line. Pullen has scored at least 20 points 11 times in his 23 games, including eight times in the last 12 outings (he’s averaging 20.9 during the 12-game stretch).
• Sophomore guard Rodney McGruder averages 10.9 points, a team-high 6.3 boards and 1.5 assists a game. He leads the squad with 55 3-pointers and paces regulars with his .404 mark from behind the arc. McGruder has scored in double figures in five of the last six games.
• Junior forward Jamar Samuels and senior forward Curtis Kelly both average 9.4 points per outing. Samuels adds 5.6 rebounds per game while Kelly averages 4.9 boards.
• Frank Martin is in his fourth year as Kansas State’s head coach and owns an 89-41 record at the school.
OU-KANSAS STATE SERIES HISTORY
Oklahoma owns a 102-90 all-time record against Kansas State and is 35-54 in games played in Manhattan. OU is 10-5 against the Wildcats since the formation of the Big 12 Conference and has won nine of the last 12 meetings (K-State’s three wins during the stretch have come over the last four games). The Sooners have won four of the last five times at Bramlage Coliseum, with those four victories coming by a combined 12 points (wins by one point in 2001, two points in 2003, one point in 2005 and eight points in 2009).
LAST YEAR AGAINST THE WILDCATS
• Trailing 50-49 with 14:30 left in the game, Oklahoma watched No. 7 Kansas State go on a 21-6 run over the next 6:20 to take a 71-55 lead in an eventual 83-68 outcome in Norman last February.
• Ahead by just two at halftime (35-33), the Wildcats outscored OU 48-35 after intermission. They shot .581 from the field and .545 (6-for-11) from behind the arc in the second half.
• Oklahoma only had three more turnovers than Kansas State (13-10), but the Wildcats had 23 points off turnovers to OU’s 12.
• The Sooners played without leading scorer Willie Warren (ankle injury).
• Freshmen accounted for 43 of OU’s 68 points on the night (63 percent). Tommy Mason-Griffin led the team with 16 points and five assists, while Andrew Fitzgerald tied career highs with 14 points and five rebounds. Tiny Gallon contributed 10 points, eight boards and a career-high four steals, while Steven Pledger added three points. Senior Tony Crocker finished with 11 points, nine boards and five assists.
• Denis Clemente netted 27 points for Kansas State (he was 5-for-9 from 3-point distance) and added six assists. Jacob Pullen and Curtis Kelly scored 14 points each while Kelly also pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.
