Tip: 7:00 PM CT
Location: Lloyd Noble Center
Television: ESPN+
Notes & Storylines
- The Sooners and Bearkats have faced each other five times and OU has won all five games.
- OU earned the 89-53 victory over Oklahoma City in an exhibition contest at Lloyd Noble Center on Oct. 25. Four Sooners finished with double-figure points. Grant Sherfield scored a team-high 14 points and added four assists. Tanner Groves tallied a double-double, adding 12 points and a team-high 11 rebounds.
- Oklahoma was picked to finish seventh in the Big 12 Preseason Poll.
- The Sooners return 44.1% of their scoring, 52.9% rebounding and 38% assists from the 2021-22 team. Tanner Groves is Oklahoma’s top returning scorer (11.6 PPG) and Jalen Hill is the top returning rebounder (5.9).
Projected Starters
Sam Houston
G – Qua Grant
G – Javion May
G – Donte Powers
F – Tristan Ikpe
F – Kaosi Ezeagu
Oklahoma
G – Grant Sherfield
G – C.J. Noland
F – Jacob Groves
F – Jalen Hill
F/C – Tanner Groves
The Last Meeting (December 17, 1998)
- Oklahoma earned the 75-44 victory over Sam Houston and moved to 5-0 in the all-time series against the Bearkats behind double-doubles by Eduardo Najera and Ryan Humphrey.
- Najera recorded a team-high 18 points and matched Humphrey with a team-best 13 rebounds. Oleg Reztsov poured in 15 points off the bench and Michael Johnson recorded a game-high four assists.
- Oklahoma dominated the boards, outrebounding Sam Houston 57-39. The Sooners also recorded 13 steals on the night.
Scouting The Bearkats
- The Bearkats were picked to finish eighth in the Western Athletic Conference coaches poll and sixth by the media.
- Senior Javion May was selected to the Preseason Coaches’ All-WAC Second Team. May is one of three starters returning from the 2021-22 team. He was named to the 2022 WAC All-Defensive Team and averaged 5.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game.
- Jaden Ray started 30 games last season and averaged 8.3 points per game. Tristan Ikpe started 32 games last season and adds 6.7 points and 5. 7 rebounds per game.
Odds & Predictions
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