The Texas Longhorns lost a tough overtime game earlier this week. Can they rebound to knock off Oklahoma this weekend?
TV schedule: Saturday, February 3, 6:15 p.m. ET. ESPN
Arena: Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas
In the latest edition of Busting Brackets’ Bracketology, the Big 12 basketball conference got seven teams in the projected tournament. Texas was one of them, projected as a No. 9 seed. It’s a fair representation of them, balancing the great strength of schedule with the number of losses they already have piled up.
The Longhorns were so close to getting another marquee win this week, coming back to force overtime at No. 8 Texas Tech only to lose in the extra period. Kerwin Roach continued to emerge as the top perimeter option in that game with 20 points to lead the team. Mo Bamba had 12 points, 10 rebounds, and seven blocks. While it would’ve been great to beat the Red Raiders, the loss won’t do any damage to their March resume.
The good news with playing in the Big 12 is that there are always more opportunities for great wins. The next chance for Texas comes this weekend at Oklahoma, who has the highest scoring offense in the country at 90.7 ppg. The Sooners surpassed that in their last game, winning 98-96 over Baylor.
Once again, the star was Trae Young, who dropped 44 points and nine assists. The rest of the starters combined for 58 points while the bench didn’t contribute a point.
Next: Big 12 Mid-season recap and awards
This is the first game between these two teams this season, with the rematch coming two weeks from now. The stakes are high for both programs, with Texas needing to secure themselves for their spot in the NCAA tournament while Oklahoma wants to stay within striking range of the Big 12 regular season title.
It’s a simple concept for this game – Oklahoma’s offense vs. Texas’s defense. Whichever team’s strength prevails will win this game.
Prediction: Oklahoma 80 – Texas 70