OU at Missouri game notes
Teams: Oklahoma (12-11, 4-5) vs. No. 19/20 Missouri (18-6, 4-5)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 12
Tip: 12:47 p.m. CT
Site: Columbia, Mo. (Mizzou Arena)
Radio: Sooner Radio Network (KRXO 107.7 FM in OKC; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa)
TV: Big 12 Network (KOCB Ch. 34 in OKC; KJRH Ch. 2 in Tulsa)
Webcast: ESPN3.com
Series: OU leads 112-94
SATURDAY’S GAME BASICS
Two of four teams tied for fifth place in the Big 12, Oklahoma (12-11, 4-5) and No. 19/20 Missouri (18-6, 4-5) meet Saturday in Columbia, Mo., at 12:30 p.m. CT. OU has lost two in a row following a four-game winning streak, while the Tigers have dropped three of their last four after a 3-2 league start. Saturday’s game will air on the Sooner Radio Network (KRXO 107.7 FM in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa) with Bob Barry Sr. and Mike Houck announcing. It will be televised by the Big 12 Network (KOCB Ch. 34 in OKC; KJRH Ch. 2 in Tulsa; ESPN Full Court) with Dave Armstrong and Jon Sundvold calling the action.
OKLAHOMA’S PROJECTED STARTERS
F 4 Andrew Fitzgerald (6-8, 231, So., 13.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg)
G 2 Steven Pledger (6-4, 212, So., 12.3 ppg, 2.0 apg)
G 14 Carl Blair (6-2, 209, So., 7.8 ppg, 4.3 apg)
G 21 Cameron Clark (6-6, 189, Fr., 9.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg)
G 34 Cade Davis (6-5, 209, Sr., 12.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg)
MISSOURI’S PROJECTED STARTERS
F 10 Ricardo Ratliffe (6-8, 240, Jr., 11.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg)
F 21 Laurence Bowers (6-8, 210, Jr., 11.0 ppg, 5.7 apg)
G 1 Phil Pressey (5-10, 168, Fr., 6.9 ppg, 4.1 apg)
G 3 Matt Pressey (6-2, 185, Jr., 7.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg)
G 12 Marcus Denmon (6-3, 185, Jr., 16.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg)
NOTEWORTHY
• Oklahoma holds a 112-94 series lead against Missouri but trails 59-29 in games played in Columbia (the Sooners have lost the last four there). OU posted a 66-61 win last season in Norman.
• The Sooners are 11-2 at home this year and 1-9 away from Lloyd Noble Center. Their lone road win came Jan. 29 at Iowa State (82-76 in overtime).
• Starters have accounted for 391 of Oklahoma’s 432 points (91 percent) over the last six games (four wins). Each of the five starters is averaging double figures in scoring during the stretch.
• Starters are also averaging 34.7 minutes per game over the last six.
• A big key for OU in its wins this year has been its positive assist-to-turnover ratio. In 12 victories, the Sooners have 189 assists to 167 turnovers. In its 11 losses, Oklahoma has accumulated 112 assists and 152 turnovers (49 and 61 in Big 12 defeats).
• The Sooners committed more turnovers than their opponent in 10 of their first 17 games. That trend has reversed itself the last six games, however, as OU has totaled fewer turnovers than each of its last six foes. It is averaging just 10.5 turnovers over the last four outings.
• Freshmen and sophomores have accounted for 72 percent of OU’s points this year (1,119 of 1,553) and 77 percent of its points during the team’s recent four-game winning streak. The Sooners have one senior in Cade Davis.
• Sophomore guard Steven Pledger, who turned in a career-high 38-point performance Jan. 29 at Iowa State, has scored in double figures in 10 of OU’s 12 wins and is averaging a team-high 16.2 points in the team’s victories (compared to 8.1 in losses). He is shooting .415 from 3-point range in wins (.260 in defeats).
• After averaging 15.0 points and 6.0 rebounds during OU’s four-game winning streak, freshman Cameron Clark is averaging 1.0 point and 3.5 boards over the last two outings (both losses). Clark was held scoreless last Saturday at Oklahoma State and tallied two points Wednesday against Texas. He has played at least 40 minutes six times over the last 15 games, including four times in the last eight outings.
• In OU’s 12 wins, point guard Carl Blair has totaled 57 assists and 27 turnovers. In the team’s 11 losses, Blair has 34 assists and 41 turnovers. The sophomore went 16-for-26 (.615) from the free throw line over his first 15 games, but is 40-for-49 (.816) over the last six outings.
INDIVIDUALS UPDATE
• Sophomore forward Andrew Fitzgerald has scored at least 16 points 10 times this season, including five times in OU’s nine conference games. He leads the team with his 13.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game on the year, and ranks sixth in the Big 12 with his .515 season field goal percentage. His free throw percentage (.727) is up significantly from last year (.638). Fitzgerald has led the Sooners in scoring in each of the last two games, scoring 18 at Oklahoma State and 16 versus Texas.
• A career .332 3-point shooter entering the year, senior guard Cade Davis is shooting a career-best .359 from behind the arc this season and is averaging 2.1 treys per game (ranks 10th in the Big 12). Going back to last year, he has made 77 treys over his last 34 games. Davis ranks eighth on OU’s career 3-point field goals list with 163 and needs four to tie Brent Price for seventh place.
• The 6-foot-5 Davis has been effective on the boards over his last nine games, leading the team on the glass in six of those outings.
• Sophomore guard Steven Pledger has scored in double figures in five of the last six games and is averaging 15.8 in those six. Included was a career-high 38-point effort at Iowa State on Jan. 29 in which he registered career highs in field goals (12), 3-point field goals (7) and free throw makes (7). Pledger scored 17 of OU’s final 21 points of the game, including the team’s first 10 in overtime.
• Freshman Cameron Clark’s top seven scoring games have all come over the last 15 outings. Clark, who finished with a career-high 26 points Dec. 30 against Central Arkansas, also netted 25 versus Baylor last week, 17 against Oral Roberts, 16 at Baylor, 14 against Maryland Eastern Shore and 13 versus Gardner-Webb and Colorado. In OU’s wins, he is averaging 13.2 points while shooting .549 from the field and .457 from 3-point range (16-for-35). In losses, he’s averaging 5.6 points while shooting .386 from the field and .176 from deep (3-for-17).
• Sophomore point guard Carl Blair has rebounded nicely from a slow start to the year by averaging 9.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists over the last 15 games. In his first six games, Blair averaged 4.0 points, 0.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists. He ranks fifth in the Big 12 with his 4.3 assists per contest (third in league games at 4.7) and has led OU in the category in 11 of the last 15 outings.
• OU’s first player off the bench, junior forward C.J. Washington is shooting .700 from the field (14-for-20) over the last 11 games. On the year, Washington leads OU in rebounds per minute (averaging 12.0 per 40 minutes).
• Freshman forward Tyler Neal has provided a spark off the bench the last two games, averaging 6.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in 16.0 minutes per contest against Oklahoma State and Texas. His 40-minute projected averages of 14.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game rank third and second on the team, respectively, this season.
PREVIEWING MISSOURI
• Ranked No. 19 in the AP poll and No. 20 in the ESPN/USA Today version, Missouri owns an 18-6 overall record and a 4-5 Big 12 mark. The Tigers are 14-0 at home this year (they’ve won those games by an average of 23.8 points) and have won 49 of their last 51 at Mizzou Arena. After starting Big 12 play with a 3-2 record, MU has lost three of its last four. Its average home victory margin in four Big 12 games against Nebraska, Kansas State, Iowa State and Colorado is 18.3 points.
• In Big 12 play, Missouri is shooting .440 from the field (ranks fourth in the Big 12), .350 from 3-point range (ranks seventh) and .731 from the free throw line (ranks sixth). Its -4.7 rebounding margin ranks ninth in the league.
• The Tigers lead the Big 12 in conference play with their 8.8 steals per game and their +3.7 average turnover margin.
• Junior guard Marcus Denmon leads five Tigers who average double figures in scoring on the year. Denmon ranks seventh in the Big 12 with his 16.5 points per game, second in steals per contest (2.2), third in 3-point field goal percentage (.452) and sixth in 3-pointers per game (2.4). He also contributes 3.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists an outing.
• Junior forward Ricardo Ratliffe averages 11.8 points and a team-high 6.6 rebounds per game while ranking second in the Big 12 with his .598 field goal percentage. The two-time junior college All-American has scored in double figures in eight of nine league games and is shooting a conference-best .662 from the floor against Big 12 competition.
• Junior forward Laurence Bowers scored a team-high 19 points on 8-for-11 shooting in a 103-86 loss at Kansas on Monday and averages 11.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and a team-high 2.1 blocks per game.
• Mike Anderson is in his fifth year as Missouri’s head coach and owns a 106-52 record there.
OU-MISSOURI SERIES HISTORY
Oklahoma holds a 112-94 series lead against Missouri but trails 59-29 in games played in Columbia. The Sooners, who are 13-8 against the Tigers since the formation of the Big 12 Conference, have lost six of the last 10 in the series after winning nine straight. Missouri has won six of the last eight regular season meetings, including the last four in Columbia (OU’s last win there came in 2001 on Jameel Heywood’s buzzer-beater at the Hearnes Center). Since the start of the Big 12 in 1996-97, OU is 13-8 against Missouri (2-5 in Columbia). Jeff Capel is 2-2 against the Tigers as OU’s head coach. The Sooners lost 72-68 in Columbia in 2007 and 73-64 in 2009. Seven of the last nine overall meetings and 10 of the last 15 have been decided by five or fewer points.
LAST YEAR AGAINST THE TIGERS
• Despite not scoring for the game’s first six minutes (it fell behind 10-0), Oklahoma posted a 66-61 Jan. 16 home win over Missouri last year.
• The Sooners used a 12-2 run to tie the game at 14-14, but trailed 32-27 at halftime. Still behind 44-38 midway through the second half, OU outscored Missouri 28-17 the rest of the game. A Willie Warren free throw on a 3-point play with 6:59 left put OU ahead for good.
• Despite receiving IV treatment before the game and at halftime due to being ill, junior guard Cade Davis recorded his first career double-double with 15 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. His previous rebound high was five.
• Warren was 3-for-7 from 3-point range and 8-for-8 from the free throw line en route to 21 points.
• Steven Pledger played 38 minutes and finished with 10 points and five rebounds.
• OU committed a season-high 20 turnovers compared to Missouri’s 10, but the Sooners scored nine points off turnovers to MU’s seven.
• The Sooners won despite the fact their second- and third-leading scorers on the year (Tony Crocker and Tiny Gallon) were held scoreless. Crocker turned his ankle two-and-a-half minutes into the game and played just five minutes.
• Laurence Bowers was the only Missouri player to score in double figures (15 points). OU held the Tigers to .359 field goal and .238 (5-for-21) 3-point shooting.
WEDNESDAY’S TEXAS RECAP
• Oklahoma shot a season-low 32.1 percent from the field and lost for just the second time at home this year as No. 3 Texas posted a 68-52 win at Lloyd Noble Center on Wednesday.
• OU suffered its worst defeat in six games despite committing a season-low-tying eight turnovers. It was OU’s lowest total in 17 games.
• Starters scored all 68 points for Texas and each finished in double figures. The quintet combined to shoot 62.5 percent from the field.
• With 16 points, forward Andrew Fitzgerald led OU in scoring for the eighth time this year. He added five rebounds in 38 minutes.
• Guard Steven Pledger was the only other Sooner in double figures in scoring with his 13 points. He was 3-for-4 from 3-point range to up his team-high trey total to 50 on the year. Pledger was held scoreless in the first meeting on Jan. 15 in Austin.
• Freshman forward Tyler Neal came off the bench to register six points and a career-high seven boards. His 20 minutes of playing time were his most since seeing 24 minutes vs. Virginia on Nov. 23.
• Texas posted a 38-27 rebounding advantage and outscored the Sooners 28-14 in the paint.
UP NEXT
Oklahoma returns home to host Nebraska on Wednesday at 8 p.m. CT. The game will be nationally televised by ESPNU.
How Oklahoma basketball coach Jeff Capel is spending his summer ‘vacation’
USA Basketball gave Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel a nifty way to get away from it all. He’s coaching U.S. under-18 national team that will play in the FIBA Americas U18 Championships for Men starting this weekend in San Antonio.
The team is headlined by Kyrie Irving, the Gatorade National Player of the Year. Irving will play point guard next season at Duke, giving he and Capel, himself a former Blue Devil point guard, a lot to talk about. For Capel, the whole experience is a change of subject after months of being at the center of an imploding basketball program now under NCAA investigation.
University of Oklahoma men's head basketball coach Jeff Capel smiles during a news conference in Norman, Okla., Friday, April 16, 2010. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
“This is great,” Capel told the San Antonio Express-News’ Jerry Briggs. “It’s always great to be able to coach during the summer.”
Who knows whether Capel needed rejuvenating. He’s kept a low-profile in recent months. But Team USA guard Austin Rivers, himself the son of a high-energy coach, has noticed during practices that Capel is “really into it.”
“I expected nothing less from him. He goes hard,” said Rivers, son of Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers. “You can tell he loves the game. You can tell he knows exactly what he’s talking about.”
Here’s the Team USA roster: Vander Blue (James Madison Memorial H.S. / Madison, Wis.); Trevor Cooney (Sanford H.S. / Wilmington, Del.); Abdul Gaddy (Washington / Tacoma, Wash.); Joshua Hairston (Montrose Christian School (Md.) / Fredericksburg, Va.); Kyrie Irving (St. Patrick’s H.S. / Elizabeth, N.J.); Quincy Miller (Quality Education Academy / Winston-Salem, N.C.); Tony Mitchell (L.G. Pinkston H.S. / Dallas, Texas); LeBryan Nash (Lincoln H.S. / Dallas, Texas); Jereme Richmond (Waukegan H.S. / Waukegan, Ill.); Austin Rivers (Winter Park H.S. / Winter Park, Fla.); Amir Williams (Detroit Country Day / Detroit, Mich.); and Patric Young (Providence School / Jacksonville, Fla.).
“I like the make-up of our team,” Capel told the Express-News. “We have really good talent. We have versatility. We have guys who can really defend. We have good athleticism, guys who can score. I’m excited about coaching this group. I’m excited about seeing what we can become over these next few days.”
Capel’s Team USA opens at 7 p.m. Saturday against the U.S. Virgin Islands. Here’s the team’s schedule.
And here’s the entire San Antonio News-Express article.
Ode to Joy: Behind the scenes with the OU women’s basketball team
One of the many things followers of OU women’s basketball love about the Sooners is how they remind you that sports are supposed to be fun. It’s rare when they don’t play with a smile on their face. Of course, winning helps. And the same can be said of many women’s college athletic teams. You’ll certainly see that on display this weekend in Oklahoma City at the Women’s College World Series. The Oklahoman’s columnist Berry Tramel has called it an “Ode to Joy.”
Anyway, it sure looks like this year’s Final Four edition of Sooner basketball was having fun in this behind-the-scenes video I stumbled across today. Check it out:
Sam Bradford ‘focused on shoulder’ not NFL destination
He’s focused on his healing shoulder not his future NFL home. And he’s “move past” being the quarterback at Oklahoma.
That’s what former OU’s Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford said during his Super Bowl interview rounds in South Florida. Bradford appeared Tuesday on the Dan Patrick Show and the Jim Rome Show. Here’s an excerpt of his conversation with Dan Patrick. You can listen to the entire interview at danpatrick.com:
Dan Patrick: How are you health wise?
Sam Bradford: Pretty good, the shoulder feels great. I throw three days a week and doctor says it looks great. I am ahead of schedule.
Patrick: Is the shoulder injury re-occurring?
Bradford: No, it should not be. They went in and reconstructed the AC joint and after the rehab is finished my shoulder should be stronger than it was before.
Patrick: If there was a national title game for Oklahoma would you have played?
Bradford: Probably not. I had surgery halfway through the season. There is no way I could have made that game.
Patrick: If you could throw it right now how far could you throw?
Bradford: I don’t know. Right now I am on a throwing program. My last throwing session was throwing 30 balls for 50 yards.
Patrick: What’s it like when you watch those mock drafts and you see your name. It doesn’t take long when it gets to your name. Are you checking out real estate is any areas?
Bradford: No, I am not checking out real estate. I try to not pay to much attention to it. I am just focused on my shoulder.
Patrick: When you go into those interviews what do you think is the first thing they are going to ask you?
Bradford: I don’t know. I got a question this morning someone told that I would probably be asked and it was if I could be a tree what kind of tree would I be.
Patrick: Are you competitive?
Bradford: Extremely. I probably could have beaten you in H-O-R-S-E. The challenge hasn’t been issued so now isn’t the time.
Patrick: You played high school basketball. Were you good?
Bradford: I did. I was pretty good.
Patrick: Could of you have played college?
Bradford: I think so, maybe not at Oklahoma,
Patrick: And you played with Blake Griffin?
Bradford: I did, that was not high school but AAU ball.
Patrick: Do you still feel like you are still the Oklahoma quarterback?
Bradford: No, I have kind of moved past that.
Patrick: If you look at the other quarterbacks if it was Tebow or Colt McCoy, how can you not nit-pick what they do when it comes to comparing you to other quarterbacks around the country?
Bradford: I think we all have our own playing styles and everyone is different. My dad taught me that you never compete with anyone else you always compete with yourself. I have always tried to do just that and focus on bettering myself.
Patrick: Why do you think you should be the No. 1 quarterback taken?
Bradford: I think I am extremely accurate and extremely competitive. I don’t think you are going to meet anyone who works harder than me.
Patrick: I hear you are working for Gatorade. What exactly are you doing?
Bradford: Today we were down to the Gatorade testing facility. They put us through some tests to monitor our breathing on a stationary bike for a new Gatorade drink called the G-Series. There is three new drinks being tested; one for before, one for during, and one for after the workouts.
Patrick: Could you beat up Jimmy Clausen?
Bradford: Ha-ha. No comment.
Patrick: I heard great things while at a Oklahoma State football game. People telling me how great your father and grandfather are. You should feel proud that people even at Oklahoma State say good things about you.
Bradford: (No response).
Patrick: Welcome to Buffalo…. No you are going to the Redskins, you’re you okay with that?
Bradford: We’ll see.
Live blog: OU vs. North Carolina
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Talk with OU beat writer Jake Trotter, 9 a.m. Tuesday
