WEDNESDAY’S GAME BASICS
Following four games outside the state, the Sooners return to Oklahoma for a Wednesday road game against Oral Roberts at the Mabee Center at 7 p.m. CT. OU is 4-1 after beating new Big 12 member West Virginia in Sunday’s third-place game of the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, Fla.
The Golden Eagles, 3-3 on the year, are coming off a 1-2 showing at the Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage, Alaska. They lost 70-67 to Belmont in their most recent game on Saturday.
Wednesday’s contest will air on the Sooner Radio Network (KOKC 1520 AM in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa) with Toby Rowland and Mike Houck announcing. The game will be available for viewing on the Internet via ESPN3 with Chad McKee and Bryndon Manzer calling the action.
PREVIEWING ORAL ROBERTS
Oral Roberts is 3-3 entering Wednesday night’s contest and is coming off a 1-2 performance at the Great Alaska Shootout last week. The Golden Eagles beat Loyola Marymount (75-66) in Anchorage before falling to Charlotte (72-58) and Belmont (70-67). They have played just one home game, a 90-41 win over NAIA opponent St. Gregory’s on Nov. 14 in the second game of the season.
ORU and the Sooners have one common opponent so far this season in UTEP. The Golden Eagles lost by 20 (69-49) in their season opener in El Paso, Texas, while OU posted a 68-61 win over the Miners last week in the Old Spice Classic.
The Golden Eagles are shooting .442 from the field, .417 from 3-point range (rank 18th nationally out of 345 teams) and .761 from the free throw line (rank 36th). Opponents are shooting .440 from the field and .363 from long distance. ORU is outrebounding its opponents by 8.5 a contest but is committing 3.0 more turnovers per game than its foes.
Senior guard Warren Niles and junior forward Steven Roundtree are averaging double figures in scoring. Niles ranks 28th in the country with his 20.8 points per game and ranks fourth with his .606 3-point field goal percentage (20-for-33). He assembled a three-game stretch in which he averaged 29.3 points, which included an 11-for-12 shooting performance (7-for-8 from 3-point range) against St. Gregory’s.
Niles, who also averages 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 35.0 minutes a game, was held to 4 points in 30 minutes last game against Belmont (1-for-4 from the field). Roundtree averages 11.0 points and 7.3 rebounds in 27.3 minutes a contest. Over the last four games, he is averaging 13.5 points and 8.5 boards. He is coming off a 13-point, 16-rebound effort vs. Belmont. Senior forward/center Damen Bell-Holter has recorded double-digit rebounds in four of six games and is averaging 8.3 points and a team-high 9.2 boards in 29.3 minutes.
Head coach Scott Sutton is 253-165 (.605) in his 14th year as a collegiate head coach, all at ORU. He is the school’s career wins leader. Assistant coach Wade Mason was a graduate manager on Oklahoma’s staff last season.
OU-ORAL ROBERTS HISTORY
Wednesday’s game will mark the 14th between Oklahoma and Oral Roberts, with the Sooners owning an 11-2 series advantage and winning each of the last 11 meetings. Ten of OU’s 11 wins in the series have come by double digits. ORU’s two victories against the Sooners came in the 1975-76 (64-58 in Norman) and 1976-77 (68-50 in Tulsa) seasons. The only other meeting in Tulsa occurred in the 1995-96 season, an 87-53 OU win. See page 68 in the Oklahoma media guide for more series information.
LAST YEAR AGAINST THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Oklahoma shot .500 from the field and held Oral Roberts to .367 field goal and .067 (1-for-15) 3-point field goal marks in a 73-59 win Dec. 8 in Norman. The loss for the Golden Eagles, who went on to finish 27-7, wound up as their second worst of the year.
Oral Roberts entered the game with a +6.9 average rebounding margin, but the Sooners won the board battle by a 38-31 count.
Junior guard Steven Pledger led OU in scoring for the third time in his six games with 17 points. He was 6-for-11 from the field and 5-for-5 at the free throw line while adding 3 assists and 2 steals.
One game after scoring a season-high 18 points, sophomore guard Cameron Clark netted 16 points on 5-for-8 field goal and 2-for-2 3-point shooting. He added 8 rebounds and 2 assists in 30 minutes.
Junior forward Andrew Fitzgerald finished with 16 points with the help of a game-high 8 field goal makes.
Dominique Morrison led ORU with 20 points while Damen Bell-Holter added 16 on 7-for-11 shooting. Warren Niles was held scoreless in 26 minutes (0-for-6 shooting).
