OU Welcomes Kentucky to Norman for First Time

NORMAN — Coming off a 93-87 win over No. 21/23 Mississippi State, the Oklahoma men's basketball team (17-10, 4-10 SEC) hosts No. 17/23 Kentucky (18-9, 7-7) on Wednesday at 8 p.m. CT inside Lloyd Noble Center. It will mark the Wildcats' first-ever men's basketball game in Norman.

As of Tuesday morning, the Sooners are in Joe Lunardi's NCAA Tournament field of 68.

Wednesday's contest will be televised by SEC Network with Roy Philpott (play-by-play) and Richard Hendrix (analyst) announcing. It will air on the Sooner Sports Radio Network (KRXO 107.7 FM The Franchise in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa; Varsity Radio App) with Toby Rowland (play-by-play) and Kevin Henry (analyst) on the call.

Oklahoma vs. Kentucky
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 26
Tip Time: 8 p.m. CT
Location: Norman, Okla.
Arena: Lloyd Noble Center

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PROMOTIONS

• OU's two remaining home men's basketball games against No. 17 Kentucky and No. 14 Missouri will feature $2 beers, sodas and popcorn.

• Fans can purchase a ticket to each of OU's two remaining home games for a total of just $25.

OPENING TIP

• Wednesday will mark the first time for Oklahoma to play an eighth AP-ranked team in a nine-game span. In its history, OU has played seven ranked teams in an eight-game stretch on just two occasions (this season and in 2022-23). After the Kentucky game, only one of OU's remaining three opponents is ranked in this week's AP poll (the Sooners host No. 14 Missouri on March 5).

• Kentucky will represent Oklahoma's 11th ranked opponent this season, already two more than it faced in 2023-24.

• A Wednesday OU victory would give the Sooners their first wins in back-to-back games against AP Top 25 teams since winning three games in a row vs. ranked opponents in January 2021 (75-68 vs. No. 9 Kansas, 80-79 at No. 5 Texas and 66-61 vs. No. 9 Alabama).

• On the season, Oklahoma is the only team with two players who rank in the top 15 in the SEC in scoring, and both Sooners rank in the top 10. Jalon Moore ranks eighth (17.0 ppg) and freshman guard Jeremiah Fears ranks 10th (15.9 ppg).

• Kentucky's leading scorer is former Oklahoma guard Otega Oweh, who ranks 12th in the SEC with his 15.7 points per game. Oweh, who played the last two years with the Sooners and averaged 11.4 points per game last season to rank second on the team, is shooting .484 from the field, .339 from 3-point range (21 makes) and .768 from the free throw line (team-high 138 attempts) for the Wildcats. UK's second-leading scorer, guard Jaxson Robinson, hails from Ada, Okla. Robinson is a BYU transfer who is averaging 13.3 points over his 23 contests, all starts.

• Oklahoma guard Kobe Elvis and Kentucky guard Koby Brea were teammates the last three seasons at Dayton. Elvis has played in all 27 of OU's games this season (16 starts) and is averaging 7.8 points per contest while ranking second on the team with 39 3-pointers. Brea has started eight of his 27 games and is averaging 10.9 points per outing. He leads the SEC with his .446 3-point percentage (70 for 157).

• This marks the second straight year for Kentucky head coach Mark Pope to coach against the Sooners in Norman. On Feb. 6 last season, OU posted an 82-66 win at Lloyd Noble Center over Pope's 21st-ranked BYU squad. In a game that featured 12 lead changes, the Cougars led 42-38 before OU outscored them 44-24 over the final 15:45. The teams shot similarly from the field and 3-point range, but the Sooners made 23 of 29 free throws while BYU was 12 for 16.

• Fears, who picked up his third SEC Freshman of the Week honor on Monday, leads SEC frosh in free throws made (130; next most is 89) and free throws attempted (155; next most is 101) and ranks second in scoring (15.9 ppg), assists (4.0 apg), steals (1.6 spg) and free throw percentage (.839) and fourth in rebounds (4.0 rpg).

• Fears leads SEC freshmen in free throws made (119; next most is 85) and free throws attempted (141; next most is 97) and ranks second in scoring (15.5 ppg), assists (3.7 apg), steals (1.7 spg) and free throw percentage (.844) and fourth in rebounds (3.9 rpg).

• OU guard Brycen Goodine, who is shooting .492 from 3-point range in SEC play (32 for 65), would lead the league in the category if he had enough makes to qualify. The first-year Sooner is in his sixth year overall after playing at Syracuse, Providence and Fairfield, and owns a .418 career 3-point field goal percentage. Among the 270 active players nationally who have made at least 100 3-pointers over the last two seasons, Goodine's .458 mark from behind the arc during the period is second best.

• Kentucky is 7-7 in SEC play, with a 5-2 home record and a 2-5 road mark. It has lost its last three road contests and four of its last five. UK's league road wins came at No. 14 Mississippi State on Jan. 11 (95-90) and at No. 8 Tennessee on Jan. 28 (78-73).

OU-KENTUCKY SERIES HISTORY

• Oklahoma has faced Kentucky three times but has yet to beat the Wildcats. The most recent meeting came in a Maui Invitational first-round game in the 2010-11 season in Lahaina, Hawai'i. Terrence Jones logged game highs of 29 points and 13 rebounds for John Calipari's No. 8 UK squad in a 76-64 win. Cade Davis netted 23 points for Jeff Capel's Sooners.

• In a rare non-conference regular season finale, unranked Kentucky edged No. 12 OU 75-74 in Lexington. Guards Ed Davender (21) and Rex Chapman (20) combined for 41 points for the Wildcats, who were coached by Eddie Sutton. Harvey Grant led four Sooners in double figures with 20 points while Darryl "Choo" Kennedy added 18. Billy Tubbs' OU squad finished 24-10 on the year and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16.

• The first meeting came in the 1945-46 season inside UK's Alumni Gymnasium. Adolph Rupp's Wildcats beat Bruce Drake's OU squad 43-33.

FEARS' PHENOMENAL FEAT

• In OU's win over No. 21 Mississippi State on Saturday, freshman point guard Jeremiah Fears became just the second Sooner and just the second SEC player in the last 29 seasons to register at least 27 points, at least 10 assists and at least five rebounds in a game. The other Sooner to accomplish the feat since at least the 1996-97 season was Trae Young (27 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds against Oklahoma State in 2017-18). The other SEC player to do it was Auburn freshman point guard Sharife Cooper (28 points, 12 assists and five rebounds against Georgia during the 2020-21 season).

• Fears is just one of five players nationally this season to accomplish the feat. The other Power Four conference player to do it was Louisville's Terrence Edwards Jr. vs. Miami (Fla.). Edwards also had 27/10/5.

SHOOTING LIGHTS OUT AT LNC

• Oklahoma, which is 11-4 at Lloyd Noble Center this season, has shot extremely well in the building with its .495 field goal, .366 3-point and .802 free throw marks.

• The Sooners have shot over 50% from the field in five of their seven SEC home games (.543 vs. No. 10 Texas A&M, .510 vs. Texas, .560 vs. South Carolina, .632 vs. No. 24 Vanderbilt and .527 vs. No. 21 Mississippi State), combining for a .500 figure in the seven contests. They have also shot .403 from 3-point range and .768 from the free throw line in their seven SEC home outings.

STACKED SEC

• The SEC leads the country with an impressive eight teams ranked in this week's AP Top 25 (including four of the top six and six of the top 14): No. 1 Auburn, No. 3 Florida, No. 5 Tennessee, No. 6 Alabama, No. 12 Texas A&M, No. 14 Missouri, No. 17 Kentucky and No. 24 Mississippi State.

• Oklahoma, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Texas and Vanderbilt have also been ranked in the AP Poll at some point this season.

• The other three power conferences have a combined 13 teams ranked in the AP Top 25. The Big Ten has five, the Big 12 five and the ACC three.