Oklahoma vs. Texas Preview and Game Thread (Pt. 2): Can the Sooners avenge a heartbreaking loss?

Yes, it's Valentine's Day, and how ironic is it that the two schools that hate each other the most will be squaring up on the court against one another? Oklahoma is on a terrible seven-game losing streak, and to end this drought OU will need to beat the Longhorns and avoid being swept by its Red River rival. Will the Sooners leave us heartbroken once more?

Ways to watch

ESPN2. 8:00 PM CT. Norman, OK. Watch. Yell. Scream. Cheer. Do whatever you need to do to make sure we take this W. The comment section is open below. Let us know what you think will happen, and spread that Sooner Magic!

Without Woodard

Here is something we need to accept this season: Just when you think it's the worst it will be, something happens to trump that. Jordan Woodard, the senior leader and OU legend, will be out the rest of the season after suffering an injury last game. Even with Woodard having a down year, he still leads the team in points, assists and steals. What he brought to the Sooners are what we call the "intangibles." He was a leader with his play and his control of the game. Nothing seemed to ever rattle Woodard, as he seamlessly knocked down clutch buckets with a cool response. He helped build this program from the bottom up, and OU will miss him the rest of the season, as well as this game against UT.

Rematch

Speaking of heartbreaks, the last time these two teams played was indeed a heart-wrenching loss. With just 17 seconds left in the game, OU held a five-point lead over UT. With 11 seconds to go, the Longhorns knocked down a 3-pointer, cutting the lead to two. Kameron McGusty missed two free throws, which lead to an Andrew Jones 3-pointer with just two seconds left to seal the deal.

Oklahoma gave up 10 3-pointers, was out-rebounded by 10 and had 10 fewer assists. However, Oklahoma showed some grit and fight overcoming an 11-point deficit on the road. The Sooners will want to shock Shaka and his Longhorns this time around.

Scouting Report

Looking at the stats, the Longhorns are by no means an intimidating team. UT is 163rd in shooting percentage, 263rd in points per game and 189th in rebounds per game. However, Smart's defense has cracked down a tad on their opponents. The Longhorns' defense is 33rd in opponent 3-point shooting, 59th in opponent's assists per game and 50th in opponent shooting efficiency. They do also have four guys averaging double-digits in points, with Jarrett Allen almost averaging a double-double. They have a lot of fight and talent, but not a lot of discipline. Very similar to the Sooners.

Prediction

Your heart can rest for the night, as I believe OU is clearly the better team. They should have won the first time, and I think the young guns will step up in the absence of their senior leader.

Oklahoma 70, Texas 65