With a 2-0 record in exhibition play, the OU men's basketball team is preparing for the next step in its season: a tough non-conference schedule.

OU head coach Kelvin Sampson has always described the Sooners' seasons as three-part series.

Part one consists of non-conference play, part two is conference games and the finale is post-season tournament play.

Entering stage one of the three, OU is still looking for the right mix.

And with teams like Duke, Purdue and last year"s national champ, UConn, in its non-conference schedule, a good mix is a necessity.

The Sooners started exhibition play Wednesday and defeated Cameron, 91-56. Following the game, Sampson said he would know more about his team after they played Central Oklahoma.

Saturday came and went and the Sooners picked up a 95-71 win over UCO. Although the score appears one-sided, the Bronchos came within five points of the lead at the beginning of the second half.

At that point, Sampson was substituting lineups every chance he got.

"I started the game substituting players a lot," he said. "That"s my fault. I am still trying to see what works out there together. When I left players in longer in the second half, they got comfortable and the game took off from there."

The flow of Saturday"s game was tough to find for players, coaches and fans alike. There were 32 total fouls, stopping the clock often in the first half. OU scored 33 points off of free throws in the game.

"It was physical," UCO head coach Terry Evans said. "We knew that it would be playing a team like Oklahoma."

Sampson"s starting lineup changed between the two exhibition games. Junior forwards Taj Gray and Kevin Bookout started up front again and sophomore guard Drew Lavender was in at the point. Junior guard Terrell Everett and senior guard Jaison Williams rounded out the backcourt.

It was Williams' first OU start.

"He came back and practiced a lot better last week," Sampson said. "That's why I don"t know who our starters are going to be. We have given a lot of guys opportunities and we"ll see what happens a month from now."

Sampson said Everett would pick up back-up point guard duties this season behind Lavender. Everett saw several minutes at point Saturday and had eight assists, nine points and five rebounds.

Sampson said in the few short days between the two exhibition games the Sooners improved the most on transition defense and the inside game, in large part due to Gray.

Gray scored a game-high 21 points on 7-9 shooting. He also had five rebounds and three blocks. Gray said he was nervous against Cameron and didn't perform like he should have.

"I came out a lot more relaxed this time," Gray said. "I was much more comfortable with everything that was going on. Now I know what to expect."

Freshman center Longar Longar was once again a factor Saturday. Sampson announced last week that the 6-foot-11-inch freshman would not take a redshirt this year and with 10 points, five rebounds and a block in only 12 minutes of playing time, it"s obvious why Longar will see many minutes this season.

"[Longar"s] motor is always running and he desperately wants to compete," Sampson said. "He works just as hard as anyone on the team."

The Sooners, while adjusting to new players and coaches and a full roster, are preparing for their first regular season game against Cal-State Northridge this Saturday.

Sampson said he has a lot to go on in practice this week.

"We"ve been on the court and competed twice now, " he said. "Now we have a better idea about where we are. This team has a high ceiling and we have a chance to be really good this year."
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