Oklahoma basketball: Do Sooners own any NCAA records?
By Chip Rouse
When it comes to NCAA records and the University of Oklahoma, your first thought is likely the flagship Sooner football program or perhaps the world-class men’s and women’s gymnastics teams. Oklahoma basketball probably would be far down the list.
A number of Oklahoma athletic programs have achieved national championship status. Football has claimed seven national titles, men’s gymnastics owns 12 national championships and 51 individual national champions and the Sooner softball program has won the Women’s College World Series four times, all since 2000.
Oklahoma men’s basketball has been close several times — five Final Four appearances and twice a national championship runner-up — but has never raised a national championship trophy.
You might be surprised to learn, however, that Oklahoma basketball does have a place in the NCAA Division I basketball record book.
Between 1989 and 1991, Billy Tubbs’ run-and-gun Sooners held the NCAA record for the most points scored in a game. Oklahoma tallied 173, defeating U.S. International (now known as Alliant International University) by 72 points (also a record at the time) in the season-opener to the 1989-90 season.
Although the points-scored record now belongs to 1991 Loyola Marymount (which scored 186 against the same school), several records still stand from the 1989 OU-U.S. International barnburner: Field goal attempts (147 by OU) and field goals made in a half (47 by OU in the first half against U.S. International).
Oklahoma also holds the record for the most field goals attempted (3,094) and made (1,533) in a single season, the work of the 1987-88 Sooners, who lost to Kansas in the national championship game that season. That OU team also was coached by Billy Tubbs.
The 2012-13 Sooners are tied with two other Division I schools for the best free-throw percentage in a single game (minimum of 32 attempts. Oklahoma was a perfect 34 of 34 from the line in a game against Iowa State that season.
Oklahoma also holds the NCAA record for the most steals in a game (32 versus Centenary in 1987. Mookie Blaylock had 13 steals in that game.
This is probably more than you ever wanted to know, but I bet it is something you didn’t know, nonetheless.