Oklahoma

No. 9 Oklahoma bids for first win at No. 3 Kansas in 21 years

Published

2 years ago

January 12, 2024

No. 9 Oklahoma bids for first win at No. 3 Kansas in 21 years

After a two-day stretch brought losses for all three of the Big 12 teams ranked in the top 10 including his third-ranked Kansas squad, Jayhawks coach Bill Self said the importance of this weekend’s games is elevated.

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“The depth of the league’s great,” Self said. “You’re going into Week 2 (of Big 12 play) and there’s must-win games. Who would’ve ever thought in a 19-game season you’d have must-win games going into Week 2, but that’s kind of how it feels right now for not only us but for others as well.”

Saturday, Self’s No. 3 Jayhawks take on No. 9 Oklahoma in Lawrence, Kan.

Both teams are looking for bounce-back games after Wednesday road losses.

Kansas fell to Big 12 newcomer UCF 65-60 to snap a nine-game winning streak while Oklahoma’s three-game winning streak ended with an 80-71 loss at TCU.

For the Sooners (13-2, 1-1 Big 12), Saturday’s game is a chance to break their long losing streak to the Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse before Oklahoma makes the move to the SEC next season.

The Sooners haven’t won in Lawrence since 1993, dropping 22 consecutive games in the historic venue.

Saturday’s game will be the third the teams have played in Lawrence as top 10 opponents during that streak.

In 2016, the top-ranked Jayhawks beat No. 2 Oklahoma 109-106 in triple overtime. In 2002, No. 4 Kansas beat the No. 5 Sooners 74-67.

While there have been several blowouts during the stretch, plenty of the matchups have been close, including four of the past five.

The Jayhawks (13-2, 1-1) have won five straight games against the Sooners. Their last matchup was a Kansas 78-55 victory on Norman, Okla. Prior to that game, Kansas’ four wins came by a combined 16 points.

Kansas averages 12.9 turnovers per game, but the Jayhawks have turned the ball over 18 times in each of their first two Big 12 games.

“We’ve got to take care of the ball,” Self said. “We did some things that I think good teams shouldn’t do.”

Oklahoma is forcing just 13.3 turnovers per game, and just 7.5 per game in their first two conference games.

Otega Oweh entered Big 12 play as the Sooners’ leading scorer, but he has set a season low in scoring in each of the past two games, going a combined 2 for 10 from the field and 1 for 7 from inside the arc. He is averaging 14.3 points per game.

Oklahoma has moved the ball well lately, with 36 assists on their 50 made shots over the past two games.

“It is our system,” Sooners coach Porter Moser said. “Pace is space and taking that. …. That’s really good basketball. That’s what we’re trying to do.”

Kansas’ Hunter Dickinson, who is averaging 18.9 points per game, was limited to 28 minutes in Wednesday’s loss. It was Dickinson’s fewest minutes since early Nov. 10.

Self said Dickinson was dealing with what he called a “bad knee.”

“I don’t know,” Self said when asked if Dickinson’s health needed to be monitored moving forward. “I don’t think so. It’s just a bruised knee, but we’ll see. We’ve been really fortunate — knock on wood — with our health so far because we don’t have a lot of depth.”

—Field Level Media

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Oklahoma

Neighbors sift debris, help each other after suspected Purcell tornado

Published

11 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Neighbors sift debris, help each other after suspected Purcell tornado

PURCELL — Jennifer Fox had just fed the pigs behind her house early in the morning Thursday, Jan. 8, and began getting ready for work before she and her two sons heard something hit her bedroom window.

“I said, ‘Is it hailing?” she said. “My oldest looked out the window and he saw our awning across the back. He said, ‘Mom, the awning’s gone.”

Fox looked out the window and saw debris everywhere. She said she didn’t hear tornado sirens, but she and her sons immediately took shelter in a closet. By that time, the suspected tornado had already passed through her neighborhood off of Johnson Avenue in Purcell.

At first, Fox didn’t think there was a tornado and attributed the damage and debris to strong winds.

But just one street over, the roof of one house had been destroyed. When she looked at the house behind hers, Fox said she knew a tornado had hit her neighborhood.

“I was thankful at the time,” she said. “I told my kids, I said, ‘It could’ve been a lot worse.’ We weren’t prepared, obviously. I really felt like it just barely missed us.”

Severe weather passed through central Oklahoma early Thursday morning, bringing reports of damage from a possible tornado in Purcell. The National Weather Service in Norman reported on social media that survey teams have found at least EF1 tornado damage in the Purcell area.

The Purcell Fire Department reported a tornado touched down in the city, causing roof damage to nine homes, a semi truck rollover accident on Interstate 35 with one injury and widespread power outages, downed trees and powerlines.

On Norte Street in Purcell, the suspected tornado wiped out the roof of a newly-built home, throwing debris onto the road, including a Christmas tree and blue ornaments. The houses across the street and next door were untouched.

Community members and local high school students gathered pieces of trash, plywood, insulation and other debris and hauled them off.

Next door to Fox, a man and a woman removed debris from their yard that appeared to have blown over from Fox’s house. Like a puppy, a tall brown horse followed the man as he picked up each piece of trash. Across the street, cattle laid in the middle of a field and watched as one person after another drove into the neighborhood to lend a hand.

About five miles northeast of Fox’s house, the suspected tornado knocked over a few powerlines near Purcell’s football stadium. A tree fell onto a small white house and took the tin roof off a large warehouse.

Ron Musgrave, the warehouse’s owner, lives six miles north of Purcell. He said he learned his property was damaged through a local news broadcast.

“They had the people out front and they had the helicopters, so I could see it,” Musgrave said. “They were flying over here. There’s a football field, and I thought, ‘Oh my gosh. If that’s the football field, that’s my warehouse.”

The retired home builder and property owner said he keeps building supplies in his warehouse and a black and white cat who’s in charge of exterminating any trespassing mice.

The cat was happy to see Musgrave as he surveyed the water damage inside of the warehouse. Though there was some wet spots, the roof took most of the impact.

“It’s a project,” Musgrave said with a smile. “I am down for it.”

Severe weather damage reported in Shawnee, Norman

Tree damage was reported in Cleveland County at 156th Street and East Tecumseh Avenue, according to Alyse Moore, Cleveland County communications director, along with damage to a car port and barn at 800 Moffatt Road north of Lexington.

Storm damage was also reported in Shawnee. Social media posts show damage to the Holiday Inn Express and Walmart Supercenter off of Interstate 40.

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Oklahoma

Oklahoma Sooners add transfer portal offensive lineman to the roster

Published

23 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Oklahoma Sooners add transfer portal offensive lineman to the roster

The Oklahoma Sooners made an under-the-radar transfer portal addition on Wednesday, bringing back a player who spent two seasons in Norman before transferring out last year.

Former Central Oklahoma offensive lineman Kenneth Wermy will be returning to play for OU out of the portal. Wermy played for the Sooners in 2023 and 2024 before spending 2025 at the NCAA Division II level with the Bronchos. He’ll add depth to an offensive line group that is in need of it after recent portal departures.

Wemry is a local product from Cache, Oklahoma, and he stands at 6-foot-5 and weighs 315 pounds. The Sooners have been busy adding big names in the transfer market, but with a week and a half left until the portal closes, the focus may soon turn to retention and building back depth on the roster.

Oklahoma had a busy portal day on Wednesday, adding Wermy and former Michigan linebacker Cole Sullivan. However, Oklahoma also lost three players to the portal, in linebacker Sammy Omosigho, defensive back Jaydan Hardy, and wide receiver Zion Ragins.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X@Aaron_Gelvin.

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Oklahoma

Oklahoma bill aims to ban obscene materials in public school libraries

Published

1 day ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

Oklahoma bill aims to ban obscene materials in public school libraries

A local lawmaker is introducing a bill to prohibit obscene materials in Oklahoma public school libraries.

Rep. Chris Banning, R-Bixby, filed legislation this week, House Bill 2978, that would update state law and prohibit the acquisition of materials that meet Oklahoma’s legal definition of obscenity.

The bill removes references to subjective community standards and relies on established statute, according to Banning.

“This legislation provides a straightforward statewide rule that helps ensure school libraries stay within the definition of education,” Banning said. “According to Black’s Law Dictionary, education is defined as providing proper moral, intellectual and physical instruction.”

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