TUESDAY’S GAME BASICS
Oklahoma (11-5 overall, 1-3 Big 12) goes for its second straight win when it hosts Texas Tech (7-9, 0-4) Tuesday at 7 p.m. CT. The Sooners snapped a three-game losing streak by beating No. 18 Kansas State 82-73 on Saturday in a game they led throughout and were ahead by as many as 18. Texas Tech has lost four straight to start league play and is coming off a 67-54 defeat at Texas A&M on Saturday. Tuesday’s contest will air on the Sooner Radio Network (KOKC AM 1520 in Oklahoma City; KTBZ AM 1430 in Tulsa; Sirius 137) 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 Dave Armstrong and Bryndon Manzer 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 5 p.m. on Saturday.
OU students may purchase a ticket for $5.
PREVIEWING TEXAS TECH
Texas Tech returned one starter and three letterwinners from last year’s 13-19 team that tied Oklahoma for 10th place in the Big 12 (5-11). The Red Raiders, who are under the direction of first-year head coach Billy Gillispie, are the only Big 12 team with a losing record this season (7-9). They have lost each of their four league games (67-59 at Oklahoma State, 73-60 to Baylor, 81-46 to Kansas and 67-54 at Texas A&M). Tech is 1-7 away from home, with its lone victory coming at Texas A&M Corpus Christi on Dec. 1 (61-54).
In conference play, Texas Tech ranks last in scoring (54.8 ppg), ninth in field goal percentage (.360), ninth in 3-point field goal percentage (.296) and third in free throw percentage (.753). It leads the league in defensive rebounding percentage (.724).
Freshman forward Jordan Tolbert leads the team and all Big 12 freshmen in scoring (13.5 ppg), rebounding (6.3 rpg) and field goal percentage (.596). His 81 field goals are 35 more than the Red Raider with the second highest total. Tolbert has five performances of at least 20 points on the year, including four in a row in December (averaged 24.3 during the four-game stretch). He is averaging 7.8 points and 6.8 boards in Big 12 play.
Junior guard Ty Nurse ranks second on the team with his 9.3 points per game despite being held scoreless over the last two outings (0-for-8 shooting). He leads the squad with his 22 treys and is shooting .373 from deep. He ranks second in the Big 12 with his .915 season free throw mark (43-for-47).
Sophomore guard Javarez Willis averages 8.7 points and 2.1 assists per outing. He has made his last 25 free throw attempts and is shooting .865 (32-for-37) on the season.
Gillispie, who also coached at UTEP, Texas A&M and Kentucky, is in his eighth year overall and owns a 147-94 career record.
OU-TEXAS TECH SERIES HISTORY
Oklahoma owns a 30-19 series lead over Texas Tech and has won six of the last nine meetings. OU is 18-6 against the Red Raiders in Norman and is 12-4 at Lloyd Noble Center. Since the start of the Big 12 in 1996-97, OU is 21-11 against Texas Tech (11-4 in Norman). The Sooners posted a 4-2 record against Texas Tech head coach Billy Gillispie while he was head coach at Texas A&M.
