Oklahoma basketball: What fans should know about OU-Central Arkansas
By Chip Rouse
Men’s Oklahoma basketball took it on the chin last weekend against 9th-ranked Arkansas, but the Sooners get a shot at redemption against another school from the Natural State when it hosts Central Arkansas on Saturday.
The Sooners take a 7-3 record into the contest with the Bears of Central Arkansas, who come in with a season mark of 5-5. This will be the third ever meeting between these two schools, with Oklahoma prevailing in the previous two games.
The last time the two teams played was in 2015, Buddy Hield’s senior season, a 111-65 OU win with five Sooners scoring in double figures. That Sooner team advanced the NCAA Tournament Final Four.
Central Arkansas head coach Anthony Boone is in his fourth season with a 30-56 overall record. Three Bears score in double figures led by Camren Hunter’s 16.8 points per game and Eddy Kayouloud’s 15.4.
The Bears ranks 32nd in the nation in offensive rebounds, which of course leads to second-chance scoring opportunities, and 34th in three-point attempts.
Grant Sherfield, the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week, continues to lead the Sooners in scoring, averaging 17.6 points per game and a Big 12-best 55 percent in three-point field goals.
Oklahoma leads the Big 12 in both three-point shooting percentage (38.9) and three-point defense (27.4).
The Central Arkansas game is set for 2 p.m. at Lloyd Noble Center and will be televised on ESPN+. Chad McKee and Pooh Williamson will call the game.
The Sooners have one more non-conference game after Central Arkansas, against Florida on Tuesday in the inaugural Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte, North Carolina, before the Big 12 schedule tips off.