OU notebook - Daily OK (12-29-05)

[ORUTerry]

OU notebook

Lineup change

Oklahoma used its fourth different starting lineup Wednesday against Oral Roberts. Injuries to guards Michael Neal and Austin Johnson forced some changes.

Taj Gray, Kevin Bookout and Terrell Everett - who have started every game - were joined by Chris Walker and Nate Carter. It was Carter?s second start of the season and Walker?s sixth, but first since December 3.

OU coach Kelvin Sampson didn?t decide whether Neal or Johnson would play until the pregame shoot-around. Neal, who has a strained Achilles tendon, came in early in the first half. Johnson, who has an injured ankle, didn?t suit up.

Students take a holiday: The student section directly behind the basket on the north end of the court was almost empty. The section (or platform), where fans have to stand because there are no seats, has been full for most games. (Coach Sutton conversed with the students behind the bench before the game, during half-time warmups and after the game. They looked surprised and impresses. - ORUTerry) Wednesday there were seven people. Otherwise, it was a decent holiday-break crowd. The estimated attendance was 8,123.

Scoreless streaks: OU senior guard Terrell Everett didn?t score a point in the first 23? minutes of Wednesday?s game. Everett, who went scoreless against Coppin State on Dec. 10, missed his first seven shots before hitting a leaner in the lane in the second half. Meanwhile, junior guard Michael Neal went scoreless in the second half for the second straight game. Neal had five points in the first half, but was 0-for-4 after intermission.

?Michael Neal is such a good shooter, but he hasn?t practiced since the West Virginia game,? Sampson said. ?We almost didn?t play him tonight.?

Beat on the boards: For the first time this season, OU was outrebounded. The Sooners, who rank third nationally in rebounding margin, average 15.6 more boards per game than their opponent. However, ORU had the edge Wednesday 35-33.

Turnovers scarce: OU had a season-low five turnovers against ORU. The previous low was 10 against Southern. The Sooners forced 18 turnovers and outscored ORU 23-4 in points off turnovers.

Bookout asserts self: After taking just four shots against West Virginia, Bookout had 18 attempts Wednesday. His 24 points were a game-high and season-high for Bookout. He also had the 10th double-double of his career with 10 boards.

?I told Kevin we?re not going to be very good if he?s shooting at the goal four times,? Sampson said. ?He can make shots. Kevin took that West Virginia game personally. You could tell what that loss meant to him by the way he played tonight.?

By Justin Harper