NORMAN - The Oklahoma Sooners are packing their bags to go half-way around the world.

In preparation for the upcoming season, they are traveling to Oceania for 12 days, featuring four exhibitions against international competition in Australia and New Zealand from August 3 to August 14, announced Friday. Competition starts against the New Zealand Select in Auckland, New Zealand on August 6. Then, the Sooners have three games against teams from Australia's premier basketball league, the NBL.

They face the Southerland Sharks on August 9, the Sydney Kings on August 10 and the Cairns Taipans August 13. The trip will carry a special significance for redshirt-sophomore Matt Freeman, who is from Auckland, New Zealand. Freeman averaged 2.7 points and 1.5 rebounds in 29 games, two starts, last season with the Sooners.

"It's going to be pretty special," Freeman said.

"For me, the amount of time I get to go home is very limited during the year, so anytime I get to go home is meaningful. It's extra special that I'll get to be there with my other family - getting to take everyone home that's close to me here and show them where I've been brought up."

The NCAA allows basketball teams to travel outside the U.S. to face foreign competition once every four years. Kruger and the Sooners most recently traveled to France and Belgium for 10 days in 2013. OU also traveled to San Jose, Costa Rica, in 2003 under Kelvin Sampson and to Vancouver, B.C., in 2007 under Jeff Capel.

Making international trips also comes with additional practice time. OU added eight more practices in July and two in August due in preparation for the exhibitions.

But the trip isn't all about basketball. It will be a good chance for the student athletes to experience all that Oceania has to offer.

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Sooners prep for Oceania - Tahlequah Daily Press