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Oct. 11, 2012

NORMAN, Okla. -- The University of Oklahoma men's basketball team was picked seventh by conference coaches in the Big 12 Preseason Poll announced by the league office Thursday.

Kansas was the unanimous choice for the top spot, receiving 81 points. The Jayhawks received 81 points and were followed by Baylor (63), Oklahoma State (60), Texas (58), Kansas State (54), West Virginia (45), Oklahoma (34), Iowa State (28), Texas Tech (18) and TCU (9).

Oklahoma was picked ninth in last year's preseason league poll and went on to finish in eighth place in Lon Kruger's first season with the Sooners. OU returns its top six scorers from that 15-16 squad, including all five starters. The Sooners welcome back 88 percent of their scoring, 81 percent of their rebounding and 78 percent of their assists. Steven Pledger and Romero Osby are the Big 12's leading returning scorer (16.2) and rebounder (7.3), respectively, while fellow senior Sam Grooms ranked second in the league in assists last year (6.0).

Kruger also welcomes several promising fresh faces to this year's team, including Preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year Amath M'Baye, a transfer from Wyoming who practiced with the Sooners last season.

OU will hold an intrasquad scrimmage Oct. 20 at 2 p.m. at McCasland Field House that will be open to the public and free (the OU football team hosts Kansas that evening at 6). The Sooners play home exhibition games Nov. 2 and 7 before opening the regular season against Louisiana-Monroe on Nov. 11 at Lloyd Noble Center.

For 2012-13 ticket information, call the OU Athletics Ticket Office at (800) 456-4668 or click here.

2012-13 Big 12 Conference Men's Basketball Preseason Poll

Nine points were awarded for first place, eight for second, etc. First-place votes in parentheses. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team.