Loyola, Oklahoma Could Be Shooting at 300-Point Game Tonight

Tonight’s Loyola Marymount-Oklahoma basketball game could be a match made for 300 points.

The total may seem unlikely, but each team has scored more than 150 points in a game this season.

With both squads running and pressing full-court for 40 minutes, Oklahoma Coach Billy Tubbs calls this televised contest “a look into the future.”

After seeing Loyola score 146 against Athletes in Action last week, an Oklahoma assistant predicted, “It might take 150 to win.”

Loyola Coach Paul Westhead smiled at the idea.

“If neither team gets greedy and tries to play defense, it could be a great game,” he said. “It could be a monumental evening.”

Upon reflection, however, Westhead says, “Somebody will get greedy.”

The Loyola coach hopes that his team’s ability won’t be judged on this game alone.

After all, it’s only mid-December, and Loyola’s high-scoring guard, Bo Kimble, is nursing a sore knee.

Another challenge for Loyola is Oklahoma’s combination of 6-foot 11-inch center Stacey King, averaging 25 points and 9 rebounds a game, and guard Mookie Blaylock, who is averaging 18 points, 6 assists and 4 steals. They have led the sixth-ranked Sooners to a 5-1 start, the only loss being to No. 2-ranked Michigan.

How to stop King?

“We have no answer,” Westhead said. “I don’t know who does, but we don’t.”

Westhead also admires the ball-hawking Blaylock, saying: “He’s maybe the best guard in the country. He can win games by himself.”

The Lions (1-2) also have some weapons. Junior Hank Gathers currently leads the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. in scoring with an average of 33.7 points a game and is third in rebounding with a 13.7 average. The Lions lead the nation in scoring, averaging 116 points and 12 3-pointers a game.

Loyola scored 162 against Azusa Pacific, and Oklahoma scored 152 against Oral Roberts.

Tubbs said that if this game totals 300 points, “I hope 200 of ‘em are ours.”