By John Shinn
The Norman Transcript
NORMAN — Oklahoma knows it will be going through a transition on the basketball court this coming season, but its path through the non-conference schedule became official Sunday.
OU announced who it will play outside of the Big 12 Conference and the 14 games offer a daunting challenge.
“This would be an ambitious non-conference schedule for us in any year,” OU coach Jeff Capel said. “The fact we have eight new players makes it even more of a challenge. But it’s also very exciting. We view it as a great opportunity.”
The highlights of the schedule, which begins Nov. 12 when Coppin State comes to Lloyd Noble Center is the Maui Invitational. The Sooners will join Connecticut, Kentucky, Michigan State, Virginia, Washington, Wichita State and host Chaminade for the eight team tournament that runs Nov. 22-24 in Hawaii.
“The Maui Invitational field is as strong as I remember it in quite some time,” Capel said. “The tournament will allow us to see how we stack up against some of the better teams in the country and will give us an opportunity to grow up quickly.”
OU will start December with back-to-back road games against Arkansas (Dec. 1) and Arizona (Dec. 5 in the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series) before returning home to face Gardner-Webb (Dec. 9) and Oral Roberts (Dec. 11). It will take on Cincinnati Dec. 18 in the All-College Classic at Oklahoma City’s Ford Center.
The Sooners will conclude the non-conference schedule with home games against Sacramento State (Dec. 21), Central Arkansas (Dec. 30) and Maryland Eastern Shore (Jan. 3).
Tip-off times and television information will announced in the coming months. OU’s Big 12 schedule has yet to be released by the conference office.
