SUNDAY'S GAME BASICS
The No. 7/6 Sooners host the Wisconsin Badgers on Sunday, Nov. 29, inside the Lloyd Noble Center at 1:30 p.m. OU, which went 24-11 last season (12-6 Big 12; T/2nd place) and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16, is in its fifth season under head coach Lon Kruger. The Badgers, coached by Bo Ryan, went 36-4 last season and advanced to the NCAA national title game (lost to Duke 68-63). They are 4-2 this season.
Sunday’s contest will air on the Sooner Radio Network (KRXO 107.7 FM “The Franchise” in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa) with Toby Rowland and Scott Thompson announcing. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN2 with Jon Sciambi and Fran Fraschilla calling the action.
SCOUTING THE BADGERS
Wisconsin went 36-4 last season, setting a school record for most wins. As a No. 1 seed, UW earned the school’s fourth trip to the NCAA Final Four where it eventually lost to Duke 68-63 in the title game.
UW returns just 38 percent of its minutes played from last season, but welcomes back a pair of Wooden Award candidates in juniors Nigel Hayes and Bronson Koenig. Hayes, who was ninth in the AP Preseason All-American voting, has scored in double figures in all six games, averaging 14.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg and 4.2 apg.
Junior Bronson Koenig entered the season with a single-game career high of 19 points. He has already topped that twice in 6 games this season, leading UW with 17.3 ppg. On Sunday vs. VCU, Koenig scored a game-high 22 points, including the game-winning basket with 5.9 seconds remaining.
With back-to-back double-doubles in the 2K Classic in New York, Ethan Happ became the first UW freshman to post consecutive double-doubles since Mike Wilkinson in the 2001-02 season.
No team in the nation has more freshmen than Wisconsin (8) and a quartet of the Badgers’ newcomers are having an immediate impact. Ethan Happ, Alex Illikainen, Khalil Iverson and Charlie Thomas are combining to average 23.9 points and 15.3 rebounds per game. Freshmen have played 32.9 percent of UW’s minutes.
The winningest coach in Wisconsin history (361-127, .740), Bo Ryan currently ranks ninth in conference history with 172 career Big Ten wins. With a career record of 172-68 (.717), Ryan owns the highest Big Ten winning percentage in conference history.
UW is 38-9 (.809) away from home over the last two seasons (21-3 last season), owning the most road/neutral wins and the best win percentage away from home among major conference teams.
Sunday will mark the eighth overall meeting between the Sooners and Badgers. Wisconsin leads the all-time series 4-3 (series is tied 1-1 in Norman). The teams last met on Nov. 28, 2014 at the Battle 4 Atlantis (Bahamas), where UW prevailed 69-56 in the championship final.
GAMEDAY STORYLINES
Wisconsin leads the all-time series between the two schools, 4-3 (series is tied 1-1 in Norman). The teams last met on Nov. 28, 2014 at the Battle 4 Atlantis (Bahamas), where UW prevailed 69-56 in the championship final.
Through three games this season, Oklahoma is holding its opponents to .340 shooting (72 of 212) from the field (ranks 14th in the country), including .241 (19 of 79) from 3-point range (ranks 8th nationally). OU’s 35.7 defensive rebounds per game ranks fifth nationally (No. 9 in total rebounds with 48.7 rpg). In 2014-15, OU ranked 11th nationally by holding opponents to a collective .386 season field goal mark. It was the lowest OU opponent figure since the 1960-61 season.
OU returns 75 percent of its scoring, 69 percent of its rebounding and 83 percent of its assists from last season’s NCAA Sweet 16 squad. Picked to finish second in the Big 12 by league coaches, the Sooners return four starters, including 2015 Big 12 Player of the Year Buddy Hield (averaging 25.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.7 spg).
Oklahoma is ranked No. 7 in the AP and No. 6 in the USA Today Coaches top-25 polls. The No. 7 AP ranking is the highest for the Sooners since the conclusion of the 2008-09 season (finished No. 7).
