OU's M'Baye Named Big 12 Rookie Of The Week

University of Oklahoma men's basketball junior forward Amath M'Baye was named Big 12 Rookie of the Week on Monday for his efforts in helping the Sooners to a 2-1 record and third-place finish at the eight-team Old Spice Classic in Orlando, Fla., over Thanksgiving weekend.

The 6-9, 208-pounder averaged 10.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.0 block and 1.0 steal while shooting .500 from the field in an average of 25.0 points per game against UTEP, Gonzaga and West Virginia.

M'Baye saved his best performance for last, tallying a season-high 19 points on 5-for-6 field goal shooting and pulling down a game-high-tying 6 rebounds in a 77-70 win over new Big 12 member West Virginia on Sunday. The Bordeaux, France, native also recorded career highs of 9 free throw makes and 13 attempts in the game.

The game against West Virginia was just the second in Big 12 Conference history between league squads in regular season non-conference play. Texas beat Nebraska in a November 1996 game in Austin (83-81 in overtime), during the first year of the conference.

The 4-1 Sooners are back in action twice this week, playing at Oral Roberts on Wednesday and hosting Northwestern State on Friday. Both games will tip off at 7 p.m. CT.