OU men's basketball's 10 closest calls during Sooners' 30-year losing streak at Kansas

LAWRENCE, Kan. — The sign hanging at Allen Fieldhouse is foreboding.

“Pay Heed, All Who Who Enter ‘BEWARE OF ‘THE PHOG,’” the sign at the north end of the historic gym warns.

That sign was just a few years old when unranked OU stunned No. 6 Kansas there in February 1993.

But since, the Phog has been very real for the Sooners.

OU hasn’t beaten the Jayhawks since, losing 22 consecutive games at Allen Fieldhouse.

It’s not that the Sooners haven’t had their chances. They have.

Of those 22 games, 13 have been decided by 10 points or fewer.

The last three meetings have been decided by a total of 10 points.

Since OU’s last win in Allen Fieldhouse, it has beaten 12 conference opponents three or more times.

The Sooners have beaten Baylor 17 times. They’ve won games at 10 different road venues in Texas alone.

They’ve beaten three different programs in Hawaii.

As the Sooners prepare for their final road meeting with Kansas at 1 p.m. Saturday in a game streamed on ESPN+, here’s a look at 10 of the closest calls during the stretch:

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Jan. 10, 2023: No. 2 Kansas 79, OU 75

The Sooners led by 10 with 5:19 remaining but the Jayhawks pulled off another stunning comeback to keep the streak alive.

After Tanner Groves’ bucket put OU up by 10, Kansas reeled off a 16-2 run to seize control.

Still, the Sooners had a chance in the closing seconds, making it a one-possession game before Dajuan Harris’ free throws with less than 15 seconds remaining put the game away.

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Feb. 12, 2022: No. 8 Kansas 71, OU 69

Jordan Goldwire had a chance to tie it in the closing seconds but his jumper missed the mark and Kansas escaped with the win.

Kansas scored 11 consecutive points during a 15-2 run late to surge ahead late.

But the Sooners also let a big lead slip away in the first half, jumping up by eight before the Jayhawks closed within three, 34-31, at the break.

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Jan. 9, 2021: No. 6 Kansas 63, OU 59

The Sooners looked doomed from the start, as they were playing without Brady Manek and Jalen Hill, but OU scratched and clawed and took a lead on Austin Reaves’ jumper with about 2:30 to go.

But David McCormack’s hook shot with 12.8 seconds to go gave the Jayhawks the victory.

Austin Reaves led the Sooners with 20 points and nine rebounds.

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Feb. 27, 2017: No. 1 Kansas 73, OU 63

Another game where the Sooners let a lead slip away late.

The Sooners, in the midst of a dismal season following the Final Four run the year before, built a 10-point lead with just more than 10 minutes remaining before Frank Mason III fueled the Jayhawks’ big comeback.

Mason led Kansas’ 17-2 run to jump ahead in just five minutes, and OU finished just 25% from the floor.

Jan. 4, 2016: No. 1 Kansas 109, No. 2 OU 106 3OT

Perhaps the best regular-season game in college basketball over the last decade — or even longer.

Buddy Hield scored a career-high 46, the most for an OU player since Brent Price’s 56 in 1990. But in the overtimes, Frank Mason III made life difficult for Hield, avoiding his fifth foul.

The Sooners had plenty of chances both in regulation and in overtime to break the long streak but came up just short.

OU got the last laugh, though, ultimately making the Final Four that season.

Feb. 5, 2006: Kansas 59, No. 19 OU 58

For once, it was the Jayhawks who were unranked heading into the game while OU was in the poll.

But the result wasn’t much different.

Freshman Mario Chalmers hit the go-ahead basket in the closing moments to complete Kansas’ comeback for a 16-point second-half deficit.

Jan. 19, 2002: No. 4 Kansas 74, No. 5 OU 67

Before Nick Collison was Mr. Oklahoma City Thunder, he was a Kansas star.

Collison and Drew Gooden were dominant inside as the Jayhawks pummeled the Sooners on the interior as the duo combined for 36 points and 19 rebounds, plus forced OU into foul trouble.

The loss snapped a 13-game winning streak for the Sooners.

Feb. 20, 2000: No. 24 Kansas 53, No. 20 OU 50

A scoring drought that lasted more than seven minutes that spanned halftime ultimately was the Sooners’ downfall.

OU didn’t score in the final 4:15 of the first half and then went scoreless for 3:13 after the break as Kansas took advantage.

But still, the Sooners had their chance. Again, a long scoring drought derailed OU as it didn’t score in the final 3:56 as Kansas pulled off the victory.

Eduardo Najera scored just nine points, his lowest scoring output of the season to that point.

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Jan. 22, 1996: No. 3 Kansas 72, OU 66

Ryan Minor missed four of his first five shots before bounding back to hit six of his last eight, scoring 22 points and adding eight rebounds as the Sooners snapped out of an offensive lull.

“We played the hardest we have all year,” Minor said after the game.

It wasn’t enough, though, as Kansas outrebounded the Sooners 48-40.

The Jayhawks led by 16 early in the second half before Minor led OU’s comeback, but Jacque Vaughn tied a Big Eight record with 11 assists to help Kansas pull off the victory.

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Jan. 10, 1994: No. 3 Kansas 94, OU 84

Kansas outscored the Sooners 31-4 during three spurts totalling more than 11 minutes to pull off the victory.

The Jayhawks scored the final nine points before halftime to take a 49-46 lead into the break, then outscored the Sooners 9-2 in the first four minutes of the second half.

OU thrice cut Kansas lead to four in the second half but a 13-2 Kansas run in the final 10 minutes put the game on ice.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU basketball's 10 closest calls at Kansas to end 30-year losing streak