OU men's basketball - Coppin State vs. OU game thread

 It's opening night for OU basketball!  Yeah the odds aren't in their favor for a great season, but who cares about that when it's opening night!  Clean slate this year for Coach Capel and the Sooners and they look to start things off right tonight against Coppin State.  Soonersports.com is hosting a FREE webcast, so why not spend your Friday night with us and watch some OU b-ball!

Here is a brief preview of Coppin State again courtesy of Soonersports.com

PREVIEWING COPPIN STATE
Located in Baltimore, Md., Coppin State finished 8-22 overall last year and 3-13 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.  The Eagles won five of their first eight games before enduring a 13-game losing streak.  They closed the year with four wins in their last nine games.

Like Oklahoma, Coppin State has a long list of newcomers this season.  The only four returning players from last year are junior guard Michael Harper, senior guard Vince Goldsberry, sophomore forward Branden Doughty and senior center Ceslovas Kucinskas.  Harper is the squad’s leading returning scorer (9.9 ppg), rebounder (3.8 rpg) and free throw shooter (.862).  Goldsberry averaged 8.7 points, 3.6 boards, a team-high 3.3 assists and a team-high 1.7 steals per contest.  On the inside, Doughty started 25 games and averaged 6.4 points and 5.2 rebounds while Kucinskas contributed 5.3 points and 3.5 boards per game.

Friday will also mark Coppin State’s first game of the year.  The Eagles are coached by Ron "Fang" Mitchell, who owns a 379-343 (.525) record over his 24 years, all at CSU.

OU-COPPIN STATE SERIES HISTORY
Oklahoma is 13-0 in its series with Coppin State, with 12 of those games played in Norman (the other was played in Oklahoma City on Dec. 27, 1997, as part of the All-College Tournament).  OU has beaten the Eagles by an average of 22.2 points in the series.  Ron "Fang" Mitchell has served as Coppin State’s head coach in all 13 meetings.

TWO YEARS AGO VERSUS COPPIN STATE
• The last time OU and Coppin State met, the Sooners posted a 93-62 home win on Jan. 3, 2009.  It was the 200th game in the head coaching career of Jeff Capel.
• Tony Crocker led five Sooners in double figures with 20 points.  He nailed five 3-pointers on 11 attempts.
• Blake Griffin, who went on to win national-player-of-the-year honors, finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds in 26 minutes.
• The Sooners made 13 treys on 29 attempts (.448).  Overall, they outshot the Eagles .536 to .355.
• Tywain McKee led Coppin State with 20 points while Brian Chesnut added 16 points and six rebounds.
• Current Eagle junior guard Michael Harper finished with 13 points, three boards and five assists in 33 minutes of action.

And just to get you a little pumped up, here's some highlights from one Mr. Blake Griffin.