History
1908-1980
The Sooners enjoyed moderate success on the court during this era,
posting only 16 losing records in their first 72 seasons. They were
coached by 9 different coaches during this period, beginning with
Bennie Owen (who also coached the football team), and ending with
Dave Bliss in 1980. The Sooners actually
participated in the very first
Final Four in
1939, and again in 1947, eventually losing 47-58 in the
championship game to
Holy Cross.
1981-1994 (the Billy Tubbs Era)
The program gained national prominence under
Billy Tubbs when he took over the program in
1981. Star players
Wayman Tisdale,
Mookie Blaylock, and
Stacey King helped the Sooners to enjoy several
deep runs in the NCAA Tournament.
In 1988, the Sooners reached the NCAA title
game in Kansas
City
where they fell just four points shy of their first
national title to the 11-loss Kansas
Jayhawks, a team which they had already beaten twice in regular
season play.
Tubbs resigned on April 10, 1994, indicating that "he did not feel
appreciated enough working at a football school" (he has since
reconciled with the administration and now enjoys a healthy
relationship with the school in his retirement). Tubbs base salary
at Oklahoma in his final season was $107,000 annually.
Tubbs, 59 years old at
the time, left to take over the struggling Texas Christian
University
basketball program, signing a 5-year contract worth
between $200,000 and $400,000 per season.
Tubbs' record at OU was 333-132 (0.716) overall, 126-70 (0.643)
conference, with 10 NCAA Tournament Appearances, one Final Four
appearance, and one National Title Game appearance. In the
Big 8, Tubbs had 2 Conference
Tournament Titles and 5 Conference Regular Season Titles.
Tubbs averaged 24 wins per season (24-9) and 9 conference wins
per season (9-5).
1995-2006 (the Kelvin Sampson Era)
Kelvin Sampson became the 11th head
coach at the University of Oklahoma on April 25, 1994. Sampson was
named national coach of the year in 1995 (his first year at OU) by
the
Associated Press,
United States
Basketball Writers Association and Basketball Weekly after
guiding the Sooners to 23–9 overall and 15–0 home marks. It was the
second-best overall record posted by a first-year coach in
Big 8 history. Sampson possesses the highest winning
percentage in Oklahoma history (.719). He guided OU to eight
consecutive 20-win seasons. He averaged 25.0 wins over those eight
campaigns and 26.0 victories over the last six years. He directed
the Sooners to postseason tournament berths in each of his 11
seasons (10 NCAA Tournaments), with a Sweet 16 showing in 1999, a
Final Four appearance in 2002 and an Elite Eight appearance in
2003. His teams have also played in the Big 12 Tournament title
game five times in the past eight years. In 2001, 2002, and 2003
the Sooners won that tournament. Sampson holds the conference's
best Big 12 Tournament record (17–6). Standouts
Eduardo Nájera and
Hollis Price helped the Sooners maintain a
streak of 25 straight post season appearances, the longest in the
nation. Sampson left OU in 2006 to take the head coaching job at
Indiana.
Sampson's record at OU was 279-109 (0.719) overall, 128-60 (0.681)
conference, with 10 NCAA Tournament Appearances, and one Final Four
appearance. In the
Big 12, Sampson
had 3 Conference Tournament Titles and 1 Conference Regular Season
Title. During his final season at OU, Sampson's salary was
approximately $900,000 annually, not including bonuses. Sampson
left OU in 2006 to become the head basketball coach at the
University of Indiana, signing a
7-year, $10,500,000 contract, at $1,500,000 per season.
Sampson averaged 23 wins per season (23-9) and 11 conference
wins per season (11-5).
2007-present (the Jeff Capel Era)
Jeff Capel, the current head coach of
Oklahoma.
On April
11, 2006, Capel was named the 12th head basketball coach at
Oklahoma
, succeeding Kelvin
Sampson. Though the Sooner Nation as a whole greeted
Capel's hiring with optimism, one notable downside of the coaching
change emerged--Sampson's departure caused three of the players who
had signed with OU (once considered a top 5 recruiting class) to
rethink each's decision to attend OU.
Scottie Reynolds went on to
Villanova, and
Damion James to Texas. Capel was originally
signed to a 4-year, $3,000,000 contract, at $750,000
annually.
In his first year as head coach, the Sooners finished 16–15. After
going a respectable 8–4 in non-conference games, with losses to
Memphis,
Purdue,
Villanova, and
Alabama, the Sooners
started a promising 6–3 in conference play, before losing their
final 7 conference games. After winning only one game in the
Big 12 Conference
Tournament, losing to eventual conference tournament champion
Kansas, this caused the Sooners to
miss any form of postseason play, which snapped the nation's
longest streak of 25 consecutive years in the postseason, starting
with
Billy Tubbs' second year in 1982
and ending with Kelvin Sampson's final year in 2006.
In his second year, after signing
McDonald's All-American Forward
Blake Griffin, the Sooners showed vast
signs of improvement and finished 21–10 during the regular season
(9–7 in Big 12 play) earning them a #4 seed in the Big 12
Tournament, where they won one game before losing to Texas in the
semi-finals. They received a #6 seed in the NCAA Tournament, where
they defeated
St.
Joseph's in the first round before losing to #3 seed
Louisville in the
second round, finishing the season at 23-12, an improvement of 7
wins over the previous season. After this successful second season,
Capel's name began to surface among many head coaching vacancies.
In an effort to keep his young and rising star, OU Athletic
Director Joe Castiglione and the OU Board of Regents extended
Capel's contract through the year 2014, and increased his salary to
$1,050,000 per year.
Player of the Year Candidate Blake Griffin announced he would be
returning for his sophomore season, forgoing a possible
lottery-pick status in the NBA draft. Coupled with the signing of
another McDonald's All-American guard in
Willie Warren, the 2008-2009 season looked to
be promising.
The team experienced one of the best starts in school history at
25-1, until Blake Griffin was sidelined with a concussion during
the first half of the OU-Texas game on 2/21/09. The Sooners went on
to lose consecutive games for the first time all season, losing to
Texas by 5 in
Austin and Kansas by 9 in Norman. Without their star player, the
Sooners fell short.
Griffin returned to the lineup on 2/28/09 and
the Sooners returned to their winning ways defeating Texas Tech by 15 in
Lubbock
on 2/28/09, before losing on the road to Missouri, who was
undefeated at home, and finishing the regular season by sweeping
in-state rival Oklahoma State, who
had won 7 of their previous 8 games. After a first-round bye
in the Big 12 Tournament, the #2 seeded Sooners lost to the #7
seeded Cowboys by 1 point during the final seconds of the
game.
Capel's
Sooners were granted a #2 seed for the NCAA
Tournament, and easily beat #15 seed Morgan
State
in the first round, #10 seed Michigan in the second
round, and #3 seed Syracuse in the Sweet 16, whose vaunted 2-3 zone
defense did nothing to slow down the Sooner's hot shooting from the
perimeter.However, after hitting nine 3-pointers during the
previous game with
Syracuse, the Sooner guards
went 0-15 from beyond the arc during the first 35 minutes of their
Elite 8 game against
North Carolina,
before finally finishing 2-19 in the game. This ultimately led to
their demise by the Tar Heels on March 29th, losing 60-72.
Unanimous All-American Forward and Player of the Year Blake Griffin
finished the tournament with 114 points and 60 rebounds, becoming
the first player to accomplish such a feat in over 40 years.
Griffin, who gave up his final two years of eligibility to enter
the
NBA draft, and was the #1 pick.
The Sooners finished Capel's third season at 30-6, the school's
first 30+ win season since 2002, and 5th overall. Ironically, this
was again an improvement of 7 wins over the previous season.
Even with the loss of starters Austin Johnson,
Taylor Griffin, and Blake Griffin, the
Sooners have two incoming McDonald's All-American recruits in point
guard Tommy Mason-Griffin and center Keith "Tiny" Gallon. Paired
with returning McDonald's All-American guard Willie Warren, guard
Tony Crocker, and former reserve
forward Ryan Wright, the Sooners will have a chance to post yet
another successful season and poised to perhaps make another deep
run into the NCAA Tournament. This would be the first time in the
school's history where they would have 3 McDonald's All-Americans
on the roster at the same time.
Capel's record at OU is currently 69-33 (0.676) overall, 28-20
(0.583) conference, with 2 NCAA Tournament Appearances, and one
Elite Eight appearance. In the Big 12, Capel has yet to win a
Conference Tournament Title or Regular Season Title. As of March
31, 2009, Capel's salary at Oklahoma is $1,050,000 annually, not
including bonuses. In addition, if Capel remains at OU through the
2014 season, he will receive a $600,000 stay bonus -- $100,000 for
each of the next six seasons -- which would make his salary
comparable to those of current Big 12 earnings leaders
Rick Barnes of Texas and
Bill Self of Kansas.
Capel is averaging 23 wins per season (23-11) and 9 conference
wins per season (9-7), so far almost exactly on track with his
predecessors Tubbs & Sampson.
Records
Career Points:
|
Player |
Seasons |
Points |
| 1 |
Wayman Tisdale |
1983-85 |
2,661 |
| 2 |
Tim McCalister |
1984-87 |
2,275 |
| 3 |
Jeff Webster |
1991-94 |
2,264 |
| 4 |
Darryl Kennedy |
1984-87 |
2,097 |
| 5 |
Stacey King |
1986-89 |
2,008 |
| 6 |
Ryan Minor |
1993-96 |
1,946 |
| 7 |
Hollis Price |
2000-03 |
1,821 |
| 8 |
Alvan Adams |
1973-75 |
1,707 |
| 9 |
Eduardo Nájera |
1997-00 |
1,646 |
| 10 |
Don Sidle |
1966-68 |
1,548 |
Record vs. Big 12 Opponents
Oklahoma
vs. |
Overall Record |
at Norman |
at Opponent's
Venue |
at Neutral Site |
Last 5 Meetings |
Last 10 Meetings |
Current Streak |
Since Beginning
of Big 12 |
|
| Baylor |
OU, 33-5 |
OU, 16-2 |
OU, 15-2 |
OU, 2-1 |
OU, 5-0 |
OU, 10-0 |
W 28 |
OU, 24-0 |
| Colorado |
OU, 86-48 |
OU, 45-12 |
CU, 31-26 |
OU, 15-5 |
OU, 3-2 |
OU, 7-3 |
W 1 |
OU, 11-4 |
| Iowa
State |
OU, 107-77 |
OU, 59-21 |
ISU, 45-35 |
OU, 13-11 |
OU, 3-2 |
OU, 6-4 |
W 2 |
OU, 9-5 |
| Kansas |
KU, 133-64 |
KU, 47-40 |
KU, 68-16 |
KU, 20-8 |
KU, 4-1 |
KU, 6-4 |
L 4 |
KU, 12-4 |
| Kansas
State |
OU, 102-89 |
OU, 58-24 |
KSU, 54-35 |
KSU, 11-9 |
OU, 3-2 |
OU, 8-2 |
W 1 |
OU, 10-4 |
| Missouri |
OU, 111-93 |
OU, 63-21 |
MU, 58-29 |
OU, 19-14 |
MU, 3-2 |
tied, 5-5 |
W 1 |
OU, 12-7 |
| Nebraska |
OU, 103-81 |
OU, 59-20 |
NU, 46-37 |
NU, 15-7 |
NU, 3-2 |
OU, 7-3 |
L 1 |
OU, 9-5 |
| Oklahoma
State |
OU, 123-89 |
OU, 76-26 |
OSU, 58-41 |
OU, 6-5 |
OU, 4-1 |
OU, 6-4 |
W 3 |
OU, 13-12 |
| Texas |
OU, 45-27 |
OU, 21-9 |
OU, 16-14 |
OU, 8-4 |
UT, 4-1 |
UT, 7-3 |
W 1 |
OU, 16-14 |
| Texas
A&M |
OU, 26-4 |
OU, 13-1 |
OU, 10-3 |
OU, 3-0 |
TAMU, 3-2 |
OU, 7-3 |
W 1 |
OU, 21-4 |
| Texas
Tech |
OU, 27-16 |
OU, 16-5 |
TTU, 10-9 |
OU, 2-1 |
OU, 4-1 |
OU, 7-3 |
W 3 |
OU, 18-8 |
| *As of end of 2007-08 season. |
Since the inception of the Big 12 in 1996, OU has finished
no lower than 7th place in the league (twice), with 1 First place
finish, 4 Second place finishes, 3 Third place finishes, and 2
Fourth place finishes.
Oklahoma in the NCAA Tournament (26 bids, 35-26 record
overall)
| Season |
Date |
Opponent |
Score |
Seeds |
Att |
Site |
| 2009 |
3/29/09 |
North
Carolina (Elite 8) |
L 60-72 |
2-1 |
17,025 |
Memphis |
| 2009 |
3/27/09 |
Syracuse (Sweet 16) |
W 84-71 |
2-3 |
TBD |
Memphis |
| 2009 |
3/21/09 |
Michigan |
W 73-63 |
2-10 |
16,000 |
Kansas City |
| 2009 |
3/19/09 |
Morgan State |
W 82-54 |
2-15 |
12,000 |
Kansas City |
|
| 2008 |
3/23/08 |
Louisville |
L 48-78 |
6-3 |
14,606 |
Birmingham |
| 2008 |
3/21/08 |
St. Joseph's |
W 72-64 |
6-11 |
14,315 |
Birmingham |
| 2006 |
3/16/06 |
Wisconsin-Milwaukee |
L 74-82 |
6-11 |
13,722 |
Jacksonville |
| 2005 |
3/19/05 |
Utah |
L 58-67 |
3-6 |
13,751 |
Tucson |
| 2005 |
3/17/05 |
Niagara |
W 84-67 |
3-14 |
13,751 |
Tucson |
| 2003 |
3/30/03 |
Syracuse (Elite 8) |
L 47-63 |
1-3 |
15,207 |
Albany |
| 2003 |
3/28/03 |
Butler (Sweet 16) |
W 65-54 |
1-12 |
15,093 |
Albany |
| 2003 |
3/22/03 |
California |
W 74-65 |
1-8 |
18,462 |
Oklahoma City |
| 2003 |
3/20/03 |
South Carolina State |
W 71-54 |
1-16 |
18,462 |
Oklahoma City |
| 2002 |
3/30/02 |
Indiana (FINAL
FOUR) |
L 64-73 |
2-5 |
53,378 |
Atlanta |
| 2002 |
3/23/02 |
Missouri (Elite
8) |
W 81-75 |
2-12 |
18,040 |
San Diego |
| 2002 |
3/21/02 |
Arizona (Sweet
16) |
W 88-67 |
2-3 |
18,040 |
San Diego |
| 2002 |
3/17/02 |
Xavier |
W 78-65 |
2-7 |
19,951 |
Dallas |
| 2002 |
3/15/02 |
Illinois-Chicago |
W 71-63 |
2-15 |
19,951 |
Dallas |
| 2001 |
3/16/01 |
Indiana State |
L 68-70 (OT) |
4-13 |
9,233 |
Memphis |
| 2000 |
3/18/00 |
Purdue |
L 62-66 |
3-6 |
13,818 |
Tucson |
| 2000 |
3/16/00 |
Winthrop |
W 74-50 |
3-14 |
13,363 |
Tucson |
| 1999 |
3/19/99 |
Michigan
State (Sweet 16) |
L 46-54 |
13-1 |
42,440 |
St. Louis |
| 1999 |
3/14/99 |
North Carolina-Charlotte |
W 85-72 |
13-5 |
18,525 |
Milwaukee |
| 1999 |
3/12/99 |
Arizona |
W 61-60 |
13-4 |
17,972 |
Milwaukee |
| 1998 |
3/12/98 |
Indiana |
L 87-94 (OT) |
10-7 |
19,288 |
Washington D.C. |
| 1997 |
3/14/97 |
Stanford |
L 67-80 |
11-6 |
13,325 |
Tucson |
| 1996 |
3/15/96 |
Temple |
L 43-61 |
10-7 |
|
Orlando |
| 1995 |
3/16/95 |
Manhattan College |
L67-77 |
4-13 |
|
Memphis |
| 1992 |
3/20/92 |
Louisiana-Lafayette |
L 83-87 |
4-13 |
13,116 |
Tempe |
| 1990 |
3/17/90 |
North
Carolina |
L 77-79 |
1-8 |
13,799 |
Austin |
| 1990 |
3/15/90 |
Towson (MD) |
W 77-68 |
1-16 |
10,680 |
Austin |
| 1989 |
3/23/89 |
Virginia (Sweet 16) |
L 80-86 |
1-5 |
22,314 |
Lexington |
| 1989 |
3/18/89 |
Louisiana
Tech |
W 124-81 |
1-9 |
10,413 |
Nashville |
| 1989 |
3/16/89 |
East Tennessee State |
W 72-71 |
1-16 |
12,226 |
Nashville |
| 1988 |
4/4/88 |
Kansas
(NATIONAL TITLE GAME) |
L 79-83 |
1-6 |
16,392 |
Kansas City |
| 1988 |
4/2/88 |
Arizona (FINAL
FOUR) |
W 88-78 |
1-1 |
16,392 |
Kansas City |
| 1988 |
3/26/88 |
Villanova |
W 78-59 |
1-6 |
11,218 |
Birmingham |
| 1988 |
3/24/88 |
Louisville |
W 108-98 |
1-5 |
16,816 |
Birmingham |
| 1988 |
3/19/88 |
Auburn |
W 107-87 |
1-8 |
16,500 |
Atlanta |
| 1988 |
3/17/88 |
Tennessee-Chattanooga |
W 94-66 |
1-16 |
10,500 |
Atlanta |
| 1987 |
3/20/87 |
Iowa (Sweet
16) |
L 91-93 |
6-2 |
|
Seattle |
| 1987 |
3/15/87 |
Pittsburgh |
W 96-93 |
6-3 |
|
Tucson |
| 1987 |
3/13/87 |
Tulsa |
W 74-69 |
6-11 |
|
Tucson |
| 1986 |
3/15/86 |
Depaul (IL) |
L 69-74 |
4-12 |
|
Greensboro |
| 1986 |
3/13/86 |
Northeastern (MA) |
W 80-74 |
4-13 |
|
Greensboro |
| 1985 |
3/24/85 |
Memphis (Elite
8) |
L 61-63 |
1-2 |
|
Dallas |
| 1985 |
3/21/85 |
Louisiana
Tech |
W 86-84 (OT) |
1-5 |
|
Dallas |
| 1985 |
3/16/85 |
Illinois State |
W 75-69 |
1-9 |
|
Tulsa |
| 1985 |
3/14/85 |
North Carolina A&T State |
W 96-83 |
1-16 |
|
Tulsa |
| 1984 |
3/17/84 |
Dayton |
L 85-89 |
- |
|
Salt Lake City |
| 1983 |
3/20/83 |
Indiana |
L 49-63 |
- |
|
Evansville |
| 1983 |
3/18/83 |
UAB |
W 71-63 |
- |
|
Evansville |
| 1979 |
3/12/1979 |
Indiana State |
L 72-93 |
- |
|
Cincinnati |
| 1979 |
3/10/79 |
Texas |
W 90-76 |
- |
|
Dallas |
| 1947 |
3/25/47 |
Holy Cross (MA) (NATIONAL TITLE GAME) |
L 47-58 |
- |
18,445 |
New York City |
| 1947 |
3/22/47 |
Texas (FINAL
FOUR) |
W 55-54 |
- |
|
Kansas City |
| 1947 |
3/21/47 |
Oregon
State |
W 56-54 |
- |
|
Kansas City |
| 1947 |
3/18/47 |
St. Louis |
W 47-41 |
- |
|
Kansas City |
| 1943 |
3/27/43 |
Washington |
W 48-43 |
- |
|
Kansas City |
| 1943 |
|
Wyoming |
L 50-53 |
- |
|
Kansas City |
| 1939 |
3/21/39 |
Oregon (FINAL
FOUR) |
L 37-55 |
- |
|
San Francisco |
| 1939 |
3/20/39 |
Utah State |
W 50-39 |
- |
|
San Francisco |
| 1939 |
3/15/39 |
Oklahoma
State |
W 30-21 |
- |
|
Oklahoma City |
See also
References
-
http://www.soonersports.com/sports/m-baskbl/archive/111908aae.html
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