QUICK PREVIEW
In a three-way tie for third place in the Big 12, Oklahoma (12-4, 3-1) plays just its seventh game of the year at Lloyd Noble Center when its hosts Texas (8-9, 0-4) on Monday at 8:30 p.m. CT. The Sooners, who had their five-game winning streak snapped in a 69-60 loss at No. 16/18 Kansas State on Saturday, are 6-1 at home this year (5-1 at Lloyd Noble Center). Texas enters the week on a four-game losing streak, falling most recently at home to Kansas (64-59) on Saturday. It is 1-7 away from home.
ON THE AIR
Monday's contest will air on the Sooner Radio Network (KOKC 1520 AM in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa; Sirius 91; XM 91) with Toby Rowland and Mike Houck announcing. Compass Media Networks will air the game via national radio with Drew Bontadelli and Mike Wozniak calling the action. The game will be nationally televised by ESPN with Bob Wischusen and Stephen Bardo announcing.
TICKETS
Tickets are available for $10, $30 and $40 at the OU Athletics Ticket Office (800-456-4668) and online
here. Lloyd Noble Center's north and east ticket windows will open at 6:30 p.m. on Monday.
OU students may purchase a ticket for $10.
CHEER LIKE A CHAMPION NIGHT
Monday's game marks "Cheer Like a Champion Night," with all fans receiving a free "Cheer Like a Champion" t-shirt.
PREVIEWING TEXAS
Texas enters Monday's game with an 8-9 record and is winless in four Big 12 games. After starting the season with a 5-2 record, the Longhorns have gone 3-7. Three of their losses on the season have come in overtime and another (vs. UCLA) came by two points. Their defeats in Big 12 play came at Baylor (86-79 in OT), at home to West Virginia (57-53 in OT), at Iowa State (82-62) and at home to Kansas (64-59).
The Longhorns lead the nation in field goal percentage defense and 3-point field goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to shoot just .345 and .248, respectively, on the season. On the offensive end in Big 12 play, Texas ranks seventh out of 10 teams in scoring offense (63.2 ppg), sixth in field goal percentage (.411), ninth in 3-point field goal percentage (.288) and last in free throw percentage (.533). It is getting outrebounded by 3.5 per game in league action.
A nine-game starter on the year (he has come off the bench the last three games), sophomore guard Sheldon McClellan is averaging a team-high 14.5 points in 29.9 minutes per game. He has scored in double figures in 15 of 17 games (once in last three) and is coming off a game-high 18-point performance against Kansas on Saturday in which he was 8-for-18 from the field. McClellan leads the team with his 98 free throw attempts and .806 free throw mark. He is shooting .365 from the floor.
Fellow sophomore guard Julien Lewis is the only other Longhorn averaging double figures in scoring (11.8 ppg). Coming off an 11-point, season-high-tying seven-rebound game against Kansas, Lewis leads the squad with his 25 3-point makes and ranks second with his .385 3-point field goal percentage.
Freshman guard Javan Felix averages 9.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and a Big 12-leading 6.2 assists per game. He also ranks fifth in the league with his 1.5 steals per outing.
Longhorns head coach Rick Barnes is in his 15th season at Texas and owns a 350-146 record there. He is in his 26th season overall and owns a 552-280 career mark. He also coached at Clemson (four years), Providence (six) and George Mason (one).
LAST YEAR VS. THE LONGHORNS
Texas won both meetings last year, 69-58 in Norman and 72-64 in Austin. In the first matchup on Feb. 14, Oklahoma led 33-28 at halftime but was outscored 41-25 after the break in an 11-point loss. OU made four more field goals than the Longhorns (24-20), but was outscored by 19 at the free throw line. Texas was 24-for-29 at the charity stripe while OU was 5-for-8. The Sooners, who held UT to a .385 field goal mark, were also outscored 21-5 off turnovers (19 of the 21 came in the second half). Steven Pledger scored a game-high 18 points while Cameron Clark and Romero Osby netted 13 each. Sam Grooms tied a career high with 10 assists. J'Covan Brown led Texas with 19 points and Sheldon McClellan added 13.
In the rematch in Austin on Feb. 29, OU led 55-50 with 8:15 remaining but was outscored 22-9 down the stretch. The Longhorns went on a 10-2 run over the final 3:15. OU led by as many as 12 in the first half (23-11) and eight in the second (45-37). Texas didn't take its first lead until McClellan hit a 3-pointer with 6:15 remaining. The Longhorns took the lead for the final time with 3:15 left. Over their final 10 possessions, the Sooners went 1-for-7 from the field and committed five turnovers. Texas hit eight of its last 12 shots (four of them 3-pointers). McClellan finished with a career-high 24 points. Osby (14), Pledger (13), Clark (12) and Andrew Fitzgerald (12) all scored in double figures for OU. Clark added a game-high 11 boards.
OU-TEXAS SERIES HISTORY
Oklahoma owns a 47-34 series lead against Texas despite losing each of the last six and 13 of the last 15 meetings. OU is 23-11 against the Longhorns in Norman and 14-8 at Lloyd Noble Center. Since the start of the Big 12 in 1996-97, OU is 18-21 against Texas (9-7 in Norman).
