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

After picking up a nice road win at TCU, the Oklahoma Sooners will look to win a second consecutive Big 12 game for the first time this season when they face the Texas Longhorns.

Oklahoma (16-10, 4-9 Big 12) vs. Texas (15-11, 7-6 Big 12): 11 a.m. CT at Lloyd Noble Center (Norman, Oklahoma)

TV: ESPNU

Commentary: Dave LaMont and Robbie Hummel

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Radio: Sooner Radio Network (107.7 FM ‘The Franchise’ in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa; Tune In Radio App) with Toby Rowland and Kevin Henry announcing

Line: Oklahoma -4 (as of 8:30 a.m. CT)

About Texas

• Remember when Texas got rid of Rick Barnes and replaced him with Shaka Smart? Lol! Anyway, Smart has a 62-59 record at UT but has gone 5-2 against OU during his tenure.
• The Longhorns have won three of their last four games after a brutal January. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi currently has Texas projected as a 9-seed in the NCAA Tournament.
• Texas won the first matchup with OU this season, 75-72 in Austin, behind Kerwin Roach’s 23 points and eight rebounds.
• Speaking of Roach, he’s out for today’s game after an indefinite suspension for a violation of team rules.

• Behind Roach, three players — Jaxson Hayes (10.3), Dylan Osetkowski (10.1) and Matt Coleman III (10.0) — average double figures for the ‘Horns. Osetkowski and Hayes lead UT with 7.8 and 5.2 rebounds per game, respectively.

Storylines

• Chance to build momentum - The Sooners finally snapped their five-game losing streak last Saturday with a 71-62 win at TCU. OU shot 50 percent from the field as a team in the win after a string of poor shooting performances. A win against Texas could go a long way toward building confidence for guys like Christian James and hopefully getting the season back on track.
• Kristian Doolittle - The junior forward has emerged as OU’s top scoring option over the last few weeks. Doolittle has led the Sooners in scoring in three of the past four games, and his 21 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists were huge in last week’s win over TCU. His ability to force the issue and get things going in the paint opens things up for Oklahoma offensively — something this team sorely needs on a frequent basis.
• Bubble watch - OU is still firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble with five games remaining in the regular season. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi currently has OU as one of his last four byes, while CBS’ Jerry Palm also has OU as a 10-seed.