Oklahoma basketball: KU’s Allen Fieldhouse has been OU’s House of Horrors

Road games are difficult under any circumstance, but for men’s Oklahoma basketball, playing at Kansas has been a perpetual house of horrors.

The Sooners have lost 19 consecutive games at historic Allen Fieldhouse. Oklahoma has not won at Kansas since 1993 and is 16-78 all-time against the Jayhawks when the game is played in Lawrence, Kansas.

Kansas is virtually always ranked when it tips off against Oklahoma, and this season is no exception. The Jayhawks are currently ranked sixth in the country. They were No. 3 in both major  polls just a week ago before being taken to the shed on their home floor by a very good Texas team that is now the nation’s No. 4 team.

That’s right. There are three Big 12 teams currently ranked in the top six in the country and four in the top-25. That’s what life is like in the Big 12 this season. Little rest for the weary.

Oklahoma (6-3, 2-2) is coming off a 76-61 loss at No. 2 Baylor on Wednesday. Kansas (9-2, 3-1) rebounded from its thrashing by the Longhorns with a resounding 93-64 win at TCU on Tuesday.

It probably is not the best of timing for Oklahoma to be KU’s first home opponent since the embarrassing and uncharacteristic Kansas showing last weekend, but perhaps the Kansas win at TCU earlier in the week will relieve some of the pent-up anger in the awakened, angry giant.

Saturday’s game is scheduled to tip off at 3:30 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on CBS.

What fans need to know about this matchup

• Kansas ranks third in the Big 12 in scoring, averaging 78.2 points a game and an average winning margin of nearly 11 points. The Sooners average 79.4 points and a positive scoring margin of 8.0 points.
• The Jayhawks lead the Big 12 in rebounding (42.2) and are second in the conference in three-point shooting (37.5 percent). While Kansas has been very good shooting the three-ball, the team has struggled shooting the ball in general. The Jayhawks rank seventh in the Big 12 shooting 44 percent from the field.
• Kansas averages 4.4 blocked shots per game, best in the Big 12.
• Kansas is led in scoring by freshman Jalen Wilson, averaging 15.2 and junior Ochai Agbaji, 14.8. Agbaji leads the conference in three-point percentage (42.4) and made three-pointers (2.6 per game).
• Four different Kansas players have led the team in scoring in the last four games.
• Oklahoma’s major scoring threats are senior Austin Reaves, who ranks fourth in the conference, averaging 15.9 points and senior Brady Manek, 13.2. OU’s Umoja Gibson and Manek rank third and fourth, respectively, in made three-balls per game. Gibson made eight treys in the Sooners’ win over West Virginia last Saturday.
• The Sooners lead the Big 12 in free-throw shooting, averaging close to 80 percent as a team.
• Oklahoma is facing three straight top-10 teams (West Virginia, Baylor and Kansas) for just the second time in program history. OU has won four of its last eight games against ranked teams.
• Oklahoma leads the Big 12 in the fewest fouls committed per game and is second in the league in protecting the ball. The Sooners average 11.3 turnovers per game.
• Two OU players were high school teammates of two Kansas players. OU’s De’Vion Harmon and KU’s Jalen Wilson were teammates at Guyer High School in Denton, Texas, and Sooner freshman guard Trey Phipps went to the same high school as Kansas freshman Bryce Thompson, They both played at Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa, the same high school of the late Wayman Tisdale, one of the greatest players in Sooner basketball history.