OU basketball: Sooners coach Lon Kruger quite familiar with first-round opponent San Diego State

Kruger faced SDSU seven straight years while he was at the helm of UNLV, where he coached from 2004-2011, before joining the Sooners.

“San Diego State is a tough team,” Kruger said. “Steve Fisher does a great job. We battled him a lot of years at UNLV. He's got a very talented, athletic basketball team.”

Kruger's Running Rebels compiled a 5-13 record against the Aztecs. In three seasons, Kruger's team lost three different times to SDSU — twice in the regular season and once in the league tournament.

Kruger's last meeting against Fisher came a little over two years ago. UNLV lost 74-72 in the second round of the Mountain West Conference tournament. The loss marked their third of the 2010-11 season to the Aztecs.

But OU's coach was firm on his stance that his experience “won't make a big difference.”

“I didn't see them play that much this year,” he said. “I know they're very talented, very athletic. Steve Fisher does a terrific job. As far as knowing exactly about this team, we'll learn more the next couple days watching film.”

The Sooners' players didn't know much about the Aztecs either.

They didn't know junior guard Jamaal Franklin earned first-team All-Mountain West honors, that the Aztecs (after losing their season opener to then No. 9 Syracuse) went on an 11-game winning streak to open the season, that they recently lost to New Mexico in the semifinals of the league tournament or that SDSU's RPI and strength-of-schedule are better than OU's.