Kelvin Sampson didn't enter the locker room in a rage. There was no crazy screaming, no throwing of chairs, no smashing of blackboards.

Yes, the Oklahoma coach wanted to win Monday night's game at Texas, one that featured an overload of defense, effort and scrap. But at the same time, Sampson also put it in perspective.

"We went on the road and played the No. 6 team in the country and with one minute to play, it was 60-59 and we had every chance to win," Sampson said. "It would've been a great win, but it wasn't like we lost to the last-place team in the conference. We lost to what many people think could be a Final Four team and we fought them tooth and nail in front of the livliest crowd I've ever seen at Texas."

	Hollis Price needs help on the offensive end if OU is to survive a Big 12 gauntlet of games.

Before a game was played and coming off its first Final Four appearance since 1988, the Sooners were among the candidates for preseason No. 1 honors. Now, midway through the Big 12 season, Oklahoma isn't No 1, but the Sooners are 16-4, tied for third in the conference standings and developing into a team that could make another postseason run.

"This team is developing and I like this team," Sampson said. "This team has kept improving. We're solid. We're not great offensively, but this team knows how to win close games and with the style we're going to play, we're going to be in close games."

Especially in the next two-plus weeks.

Things aren't easy for anyone in the Big 12 this season, but the upcoming stretch for the Sooners is brutal. On Saturday, Oklahoma travels to Lubbock for a game against a Texas Tech team in need of a marquee victory. Then comes an eight-day stretch that features home games against arch-rival Oklahoma State and preseason league favorite Kansas and a game at Missouri.

"We just went and got wins on the road, winning at Iowa State, at Kansas State and at Baylor," Sampson said. "I thought those were tough. But I looked at our schedule and there were eight home games and eight road games. It will all work out."

In addition to giving Sampson a more definite idea of where his team is entering March, the upcoming stretch also gives the Sooners a chance to win a marquee road game. Because if there's a blemish on Oklahoma's record, it's that they have stumbled against good teams on the road. There was the season-opening loss to Alabama in New York City; a loss to Mississippi State in New Orleans; and conference losses at Oklahoma State and Texas.

The closest thing the Sooners have to a big win away from home was a victory over Michigan State. And that game was played in not-so-neutral Oklahoma City.

That, however, can be quickly changed either at Texas Tech or Missouri. And with the kind of defense the Sooners play, it wouldn't be at all surprising if that happens.

As has become Sampson's trademark, the Sooners play supurb defense. Oklahoma ranks 14th nationally in scoring defense, giving up 60.3 points per game and11th nationally in scoring margin.

The difference between last year's Final Four team and this team is on the offensive end of the floor. This team simply doesn't have as many weapons and has lost games because they couldn't score. In their four losses, the Sooners are scoring only 53.5 points per game and have twice failed to get to 50 points in a loss.

"Last year (Daryan) Selvy and (Aaron) McGhee could go get you 15, Aaron could get you 20," Sampson said. "A big key for us is Ebi Ere, we need him to play like he did last year."

Before the season, Sampson expected Ere to lead the Sooners in scoring, followed by guard Hollis Price. That hasn't been the case with Price is scoring nearly four points per game more than Ere. While Ere scored 24 points in the loss to the Crimson Tide, he hasn't reached double figures in any of the other three losses.

In Monday's loss to the Longhorns, Ere went 2-for-7 from the floor and only shot two free throws, finishing with six points.

Inside, freshman Kevin Bookout is improving, especially offensively. The strong Bookout is averaging just over 10 points for the season, but he's scoring 12.2 points per game in Big 12 play. In addition, Sampson is pleased with the play of Johnnie Gilbert, who sat out last season and the beginning of this season with an assortment of injuries.

Jabahri Brown is what Sampson calls, "the X-factor" on this team. On some nights he provides offense, but he also didn't score in 19 minutes against the Longhorns.

So what's in store for this team? Can it make another Final Four run? Sampson's careful when responding to that question.

"Let me put it this way," Sampson said. "We haven't played a team we can't beat."

One thing that should help the Sooners is the quality of play in the Big 12. Combine the league's depth with Oklahoma's non-conference schedule and the Sooners will enter the NCAA tournament having likely played about a dozen games against ranked opponents.

"Once we get to the tournament, we're not going to play many teams better than what we've already played," Sampson said.

"This team is capable, but the parameters are different. There aren't six or seven teams that can get to the Final Four, there are now 17 or 18. There's just not a dominant team."

Games of the Week

Oklahoma at Texas Tech Saturday The Sooners are still looking for a marquee victory away from the Lloyd Noble Center, especially if they want to contend for the Big 12 title. For the Red Raiders, a victory over Oklahoma would go a long ways toward Texas Tech earning a NCAA tournament berth. Plus, the Red Raiders probably think they owe the Sooners one after the first game, one that featured clock issues in the final seconds. Texas Tech at Texas Monday If the Red Raiders can't beat the Sooners, they don't have to wait long for a chance at another top opponent. Illinois at Purdue Saturday The winner of this game might control their own destiny when it comes to earning the Big Ten regular season title. Illinois-Chicago at Wisconsin-Milwaukee Thursday Both teams have more Horizon League victories than Butler. However, the loser of this one might be out of the race. Texas A&M at Colorado Saturday Yes, this is a basketball game. Both schools have established themselves as candidates to finish sixth in the Big 12 -- and potentially earn an NCAA tournament berth in the process. The winner here has an edge. Indiana at Wisconsin Saturday Regardless of what happens in the Hoosiers-Michigan game on Wednesday night, this is big for Indiana. After losing at home, Indiana needs to win on the road. Beating a team ahead of them in the standings would certainly help the Hoosiers.

Hottest Team In MAC
It's so typical of the Mid-American Conference. The season begins with a handful of teams thinking they can win the title and guess what happens? A team expected to finish in the middle of the pack suddenly becomes the hottest team in the league.

With Tuesday's victory over Ohio, Northern Illinois has now won nine of its past 10 games and Rob Judson's team lead's the MAC's West Division with a 9-3 record, a half-game better than Central Michigan.

The only game the Huskies have lost since the beginning of January was a 101-100 double overtime game to Akron. In addition, Northern Illinois won games at Bowling Green and Kent State in the recent hot stretch.

Chicagoland products P.J. Smith and Marcus Smallwood are the Huskies leading scorers, both averaging more than 13 points per game. Smith, a 6-4 junior guard, has led Northern Illinois in scoring six times in the past 11 games while Smallwood, a 6-6 forward is third in the MAC in rebounding (10.1 per game).

Defensively, the Huskies are much improved their second season under Judson, a former assistant at Bradley and Illinois. Northern Illinois gave up 79.7 points per game a year ago. This season, the Huskies are allowing teams to score 68.6 points per game, a huge improvement.

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