As Oklahoma's men get set to open Big 12 play on Saturday against Kansas State (5 p.m.), a couple of statistics about this team stand out.

Got these in an e-mail from the OU athletic department on Wednesday, and the numbers don't just stand out. They're downright stunning.

• OU finished the non-conference portion of its regular season with a 12-3 record. The 12 wins tie for the program’s most in non-league play since the 1994-95 campaign.


OK, this one is not stunning. In college basketball, records aren't always what they're made out to be. But check out these next two.


• The Sooners are shooting .479 from the field on the year. The last OU team to shoot better for an entire season was the 1988-89 squad (.491).


Sure, I don't expect this number to last, but I thought Jeff Capel's bunch wasn't able to shoot well? Given the offensive prowess of Kelvin Sampson's 2002 team, this stat is stunning.

• OU is holding opponents to a .379 field goal mark. The last time opponents shot worse for an entire campaign was 47 years ago (.377 in 1960-61)

I'm not here to get your hopes up falsely. However, there will be a Cinderella come NCAA tourney time, and that team will play great defense and shoot the ball deceptively well.

Not saying it will be Oklahoma.

But I'm not saying it won't.

Up Next: Kansas State @ OU, Saturday @ 5 p.m., Lloyd Noble Center.