Kansas Men's Hoops to Host No. 18 Oklahoma Sunday at Noon on CBS

Feb. 2, 2006

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As Kansas (14-6, 5-2) embarks on four Big 12 games in eight days, here are some notes about KU’s match up with No. 19/18 Oklahoma (14-4, 5-2), Sunday at noon in Allen Fieldhouse:
–Both teams enter with four-plus winning streaks – Kansas at four games, Oklahoma at five.
–Kansas and Oklahoma tied for last season’s Big 12 regular-season championship with 12-4 records.
–Preseason prognosticators selected OU second in the 2006 Big 12 race and KU third. Both teams currently stand tied for second at 5-2, one game behind conference leader Texas at 6-1.
–As the Big 12 celebrates its 10th year anniversary in 2005-06, Kansas ranks first in Big 12 regular-season victories with 123 and Oklahoma is second at 105.
–Since the 1999-2000 season, and prior to 2005-06, Kansas ranks third nationally in average season victories at 26.7 wins per year. Oklahoma is sixth at 26 victories per season. Winning percentage in that span is Kansas sixth nationally at 78 percent, while Oklahoma is seventh at 77.6 percent.

About Kansas
Kansas is 11-2 in its last 13 games after its 86-52 win against Texas Tech on Monday. The Jayhawks (14-6, 5-2) have won four straight games – all in Big 12 play – by an average of 24 points (90 to 66). KU ranks first nationally in field goal percentage defense at 35.8 percent and has made 50 percent or better from the field each of its last five games. The Jayhawks also lead the league in assists with 18.5 per game. Kansas averages 77.7 points on the season and 82.3 in Big 12 play. Brandon Rush has led the Big 12 freshmen class in scoring all season, currently at 14.6 points per game. Rush has taken over the team lead in rebounds as well with six boards per game. He is also the team leader in three-point field goals made (31) and three-point field goal percentage at 52.5 percent. Fellow freshman Mario Chalmers is next in scoring at 9.5 points per game. He is second in the Big 12 in steals with 2.65 per game and his 4.1 assists per game lead KU and are among the top 10 in the conference. Sophomore Sasha Kaun is next in scoring at 9.2 ppg and sophomore Russell Robinson is next at 8.9. Sophomore Darnell Jackson is scoring 8.3 points per game and is second on the team in rebound average at 5.9. Kaun is at 5.8 rebounds per contest.

About Oklahoma
After losing its first two Big 12 games of the season, Oklahoma has rattled off five straight wins including victories over then-No. 4 Texas (82-72) Jan. 28 and Texas A&M (71-63) last Wednesday. The Sooners (14-4, 5-2) lead the Big 12 in rebound margin at +12.1. OU opponents are averaging just 25.9 rebounds per contest. Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year Taj Gray leads the team in scoring at 15.1 points per game – 12th in the Big 12 – and rebounding at 7.8 rpg – fourth in the league. The senior also leads OU in field goal percentage at 60.8 – third in the conference – and blocked shots with 25. Senior Terrell Everett is next in scoring at 12.1 points per game and he leads the team in assists at 6.33 – second in the league – and steals with 30. Senior Kevin Bookout is next in scoring at 11.8 ppg and is second on the team in rebounding at 7.3 rpg. Junior Michael Neal is also averaging double figures with 11.3 points per game.

The Series
Kansas leads the overall series with Oklahoma 129-64. The Jayhawks own a 66-16 advantage in games played in Lawrence, including a 39-7 mark in Allen Fieldhouse. KU has won the last seven meetings with OU in Allen Fieldhouse dating back to 1994. Oklahoma won last season’s game 71-63 in Norman and has won three of the last four match ups and four of the last six in the series, which includes two meetings in the Big 12 Championship. The series dates back to 1920 when Kansas won the first nine meetings. The most notable meeting between the two schools was in 1988 when the Jayhawks downed the Sooners, 83-79, to win the NCAA national championship in Kansas City’s Kemper Arena. It was the 50th Anniversary of the Final Four and the halftime score was 50-50.

Up Next
Kansas hits to road to Nebraska on Feb. 8. Tip time from the Devaney Center is set for 6:30 p.m. (Central) and the game will air on Jayhawk TV. The Jayhawks defeated the Cornhuskers 96-54 on Jan. 21 in Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas returns home to host Iowa State Feb. 11 at 3 p.m. That game will air on ESPN+ as part of the Big 12 television package.