OU Prepares to Play at No. 15 Vanderbilt on Saturday

NORMAN — Oklahoma (11-12, 1-9 SEC) looks for its third straight series win against Vanderbilt (19-3, 6-3) when it meets the No. 15/15 Commodores on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tenn.

Saturday's game will be televised by SEC Network with Kevin Fitzgerald (play-by-play) and Mark Wise (analyst) announcing. It will air on the Sooner Sports Radio Network (KRXO 107.7 FM in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa; Varsity Radio App) with Toby Rowland and Kevin Henry on the call.

Oklahoma is 1-6 in true road games and is seeking its first SEC road victory (lone true road win was at Wake Forest). Vanderbilt is 11-1 at home on the season (4-1 in SEC play).

OU has played three games inside Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, but only one (a loss in 1955-56) was against Vanderbilt. The other two were first- and second-round NCAA Tournament wins in 1989 over East Tennessee State (72-71; OU trailed by 15 in the second half) and Louisiana Tech (124-81) as the Southeast Region's No. 1 seed. Billy Tubbs' Sooners featured first-team All-Americans Stacey King and Mookie Blaylock.

Oklahoma vs. Vanderbilt
Date: Saturday, Feb. 7
Tip Time: 2:30 p.m.
Location: Nashville, Tenn.
Arena: Memorial Gymnasium

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OU GAME NOTES

SCENE SETTERS

• Oklahoma has lost its last nine games but has held a halftime lead in four of the last six. In fact, it has held a double-digit first-half lead in three of the last six outings. In three of the last four contests, the Sooners have led with less than six minutes remaining, including with one second left in regulation and overtime at Missouri (the Tigers hit buzzer-beating 3-pointers in both instances) and with 22 seconds to go against Arkansas.

• OU is the only SEC team and one of just seven out of 361 nationally to start the same lineup every game this season. Its starters have been guards Xzayvier Brown and Nijel Pack, forwards Tae Davis and Derrion Reid and center Mohamed Wague. Vanderbilt has started four different lineups.

• Vanderbilt is in its second year under head coach Mark Byington, who is in his 13th year overall. The No. 15/15 Commodores are 19-3 on the year and 6-3 in the SEC. In their five league home games (4-1 record), they are outscoring opponents 85-77 per game and have limited them to 29% 3-point shooting. They also own a +4.8 average turnover margin in those contests (7.8-12.6), but have been outrebounded by an average of 3.6 per game.

• Vandy guard Duke Miles started all 34 games for OU last season, averaging 9.4 points and shooting 51% from the field, 43% from behind the arc and 83% from the three throw line. In 18 games this season (all starts), Miles is averaging 16.6 points with respective shooting figures of 45%, 34% and 89%. He leads the Commodores with his 94 free throw makes and 106 attempts, and averages 4.3 assists and a league-high 2.8 steals per game.

SERIES HISTORY

• OU is 2-2 all-time against Vanderbilt, with both wins coming in Norman (86-55 under head coach Lon Kruger in 2018-19 in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge and 97-67 last season).

• Vanderbilt won the only meeting in Nashville, 78-69 in the 1955-56 season. The Commodores also won 77-67 in a first-round postseason NIT contest in Norman to end OU's 1993-94 campaign. It marked Billy Tubbs' final game as Sooners head coach.

LAST YEAR VS. THE COMMODORES

• Oklahoma trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half and by four at halftime, but sandwiched a 35-6 run around intermission and outscored No. 24 Vanderbilt 61-27 in the second half in a 97-67 home win on Feb. 1, 2025. It marked just the second time in program history the Sooners beat an AP-ranked team by at least 30 points.

• Freshman guard Jeremiah Fears finished with 21 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals, while senior forward Jalon Moore registered 19 points to pace the Sooners. Freshman guard Dayton Forsythe came off the bench to score a then-career-high-tying 14 points, while also contributing three rebounds, two assists and a career-high three steals. Ten of the 11 Sooners who attempted at least one field goal, including all five starters, shot 50% or better from the field.

• The game marked the first time since at least the 1996-97 season that OU scored 61 points in a half against a conference opponent. The Sooners outshot the Commodores 73% to 30% after halftime. After Vanderbilt scored the opening bucket of the second half, OU went on a 23-0 run to take a 59-42 lead. Vandy trimmed the margin to 10 with 8:38 left, but the Sooners closed the game on a 30-10 run.

• OU, which didn't take its first lead until the 18:21 mark of the second half (44-42), shot 63% from the field, its best figure against a conference foe since the 2004-05 season. It entered the game ranked last in the SEC in rebounding margin in league play (-7.6), but posted a 39-24 advantage on the glass.

PACK MENTALITY

• Nijel Pack, a first-year Sooner who is in his sixth year overall (only played nine games last season at Miami), is one of just three active players with 2,000 career points (2,109; Gonzaga's Graham Ike has 2,338 and Indiana's Tucker DeVries has 2,301 through Wednesday). Over the last four games, Pack is averaging 19.0 points and has made 16 3-pointers on 33 attempts (48%).

• Prior to Wednesday's game at Kentucky, Pack scored over 20 points in three straight games, matching his longest career streak (also in 2022-23 with Miami and 2021-22 with Kansas State).

• Pack ranks second in the SEC with his 3.2 treys per game and fourth with his .424 3FG percentage.

• Pack has made at least one 3-pointer in 21 of 23 games, at least three in 14 contests and at least four in 10 outings. He buried at least three treys in six consecutive games between Nov. 11 and Dec. 2, the first Sooner to accomplish the feat since consensus national player of the year Buddy Hield during OU's 2015-16 Final Four campaign.

OU'S 'X' FACTOR

• Junior guard Xzayvier Brown has scored at least 13 points in 13 of the last 14 games and at least 18 points in 10 of those 14 outings. He is averaging 18.6 in the 14 contests on 49% field goal, 41% (32-for-79) 3-point and 93% (52-for-56) free throw shooting. Included were five 20-point games in SEC play (23 in a win over Ole Miss, a season-high 24 against No. 19 Florida, 21 vs. No. 18 Alabama, 22 at South Carolina and 21 at Kentucky).

• Brown leads the SEC by shooting 92% from the free throw line (76 for 83). His streak of 27 makes ended Jan. 13 vs. Florida but he has made 54 of his last 58 attempts (93%).

• After scoring at least 20 points in 14 of 35 games last year at Saint Joseph's, Brown has a team-high 10 games of 20-plus in 23 outings this season (Nijel Pack ranks second with six such efforts). Brown has 30 career games of at least 20.

MORE OU NOTES AND NUGGETS

• Oklahoma has led for at least 22 minutes in four of the last six games, all losses. It led for over 30 minutes Saturday against Texas.

• OU's 82.6 scoring average is its highest through a season's first 23 games since 2017-18 and fifth highest in the last 32 years. Similarly, its 9.7 3-pointers per game are its third most through 23 contests in the 40-year 3-point era.

• The Sooners have scored at least 85 points in 11 of their 23 games, already their most 85-point efforts in a season since 2017-18. For comparison, OU's last four teams scored 85-plus a combined 21 times in 133 games (16%; nine times last year, six in 2023-24, two in 2022-23 and four in 2021-22).

• Oklahoma has committed single-digit turnovers 12 times, already its most such outings for an entire season in 11 years (12 times in 2014-15). OU averages just 10.1 turnovers per contest.

• OU's top four scorers are all transfers in their first year in the program. Xzayvier Brown averages a team-high 16.4 points per game, while Nijel Pack (15.8), Tae Davis (12.7) and Derrion Reid (11.9) also average double figures. Mohamed Wague rounds out the starting five with his 6.3 per contest.

• Reid has scored at least 11 points in each of the last five games. He is averaging 12.6 points (53% field goal shooting) during the stretch.

• Wague (3.0) and Davis (2.5) rank third and eighth in the SEC in offensive rebounds per game. Davis surpassed 1,000 career points and 500 rebounds this season and has 1,174 and 566.

• Davis went 41 for 66 (62%) from the free throw line over OU's first 17 games but is 18 for 20 (90%) over the last six.

• OU announced Dec. 28 the signing of 23-year-old Kirill Elatontsev (pronounced kee-REEL EE-el-uh-tahn-suv), a 6-11, 240-pound center from Russia who is averaging 5.4 points and 2.9 rebounds in 16.5 minutes per contest over his 11 games. He is shooting 56% from the field, 42% (8 for 19) from 3-point range and 69% (11 for 16) from the free throw line. He has made at least one 3-pointer in five of the last seven games.

• Long Beach State transfer Jadon Jones is averaging 5.4 points in 18.9 minutes per game over his 19 outings. He has also drawn 10 fouls while attempting a 3-pointer. The 2021-22 Big West Conference Defensive Player of the Year has 10 steals and eight blocks over the past six games.

• Redshirt freshman forward Kuol Atak ranks third on the team with his 29 3-point makes (shooting 40%) despite averaging just 12.4 minutes over his 18 games. He is 19 for 39 (49%) from long distance in home contests, including 10 for 19 (53%) over his last three outings at Lloyd Noble Center. Prior to Wednesday's contest at Kentucky in which he scored nine points on 3-for-7 3-point shooting in 16 minutes, he had played in just one of the last five games (one minute at South Carolina).

• Nine of the 15 players on OU's roster are new in 2025-26, and three more were on last year's team but redshirted.

UP NEXT

• OU is off until hosting Georgia on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT. The game will be televised by SEC Network.