Oklahoma Sooners Basketball at Texas: Preview, Thread & How to Watch

After dropping a home game to the Kansas State Wildcats and falling to 2-3 in Big 12 play, the Oklahoma Sooners are in need of a bounce-back performance in Austin against the Texas Longhorns.

No. 20 Oklahoma (13-4, 2-3) at Texas (10-7, 2-3): 7 p.m. CT at Frank Erwin Center (Austin, Texas)

TV: Longhorn Network

Commentary: Alex Loeb and Lance Blanks

Live Stream: Fans with the proper cable subscription can catch the game on WatchESPN. We’re definitely not encouraging you to find a friend who has the Longhorn Network and borrow his or her cable credentials.

Radio: Sooner Radio Network (KRXO 107.7 FM “The Franchise” in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa), Toby Rowland and Kevin Henry announcing

Line: Texas -5 (as of 4:25 p.m. CT).

About Texas

• The Longhorns have faltered in three consecutive contests, although all three defeats (at Oklahoma State, vs. Texas Tech, at Kansas) came by six points or fewer. Texas opened Big 12 play with victories at Kansas State (67-47) and vs. West Virginia (61-54).
• Much like Oklahoma’s previous opponent, Texas plays a game of fewer possessions, ranking 311th in KenPom’s adjusted tempo. The Longhorns are 47th in adjusted offensive efficiency and 18th in adjusted defensive efficiency.
• Texas is led by senior guard Kerwin Roach, who is averaging 13.5 PPG, 4.8 RPG and 3.6 APG. Sophomore guard Matthew Coleman also carries much of the weight, contributing 10.4 points and 3.7 assists per contest. In the paint, 6’11” freshman Jaxson Hayes has been quite the presence and has averaged 2.4 blocks per game this season, good for third in the Big 12. He’s also been an efficient scorer around the basket, averaging 10 PPG with a FG percentage of .750.

Storylines

• Turnovers - This department was a real issue for the Sooners against a stingy Kansas State team, but turnover differential has been a bit of a problem before. OU currently ranks 258th in turnover differential, and much of it seems to stem from a lack of comfortability in the half-court offense.
• Three-point offense and defense - Over its past eight games, OU has shot 28 percent as a team from deep. On the other end of the court, OU has allowed double-digit threes in consecutive games. Much of that can be attributed to bad luck (TCU’s Kouat Noi going 8-12 from deep was just plain wild), but the pick-and-pop has been getting the Sooners on the perimeter as of late.
• Kruger vs. Texas - Lon Kruger is 7-7 against the Texas Longhorns as OU’s head coach, with each school holding a 5-2 advantage on its home court during that span. Oklahoma’s last win at the SuperDrum came in 2015, when Buddy Hield & Co. trounced UT by a score of 70-49. OU leads the all-time series, 54-39, with UT holding a 22-18 advantage in Austin.