After a pair of top-25 wins over Texas Tech and West Virginia, the Oklahoma Sooners return to the LNC and will look to keep the momentum going against the Texas Longhorns.

Oklahoma (18-11, 8-8) vs. Texas (18-11, 8-8): 8 p.m. CT at the Lloyd Noble Center (Norman, Okla.)

TV: ESPN2

Commentary: Jon Sciambi and Fran Fraschilla

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 Chad McKee and Kevin Henry announcing

Line: -7 (as of 2:45 a.m. CT)

About Texas

• Following an 81-52 loss to Iowa State on Feb. 15, Texas was 14-11 overall and 4-8 in Big 12 play, which justifiably made the ‘Horns an NCAA Tournament afterthought. However, UT has pulled off four straight wins, including back-to-back victories over West Virginia (in Austin) and Texas Tech (in Lubbock). This group has played itself to the ring of the NCAA Tournament bubble, and a win tonight would put them right in the thick of the conversation.
• Entering Tuesday’s action, CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm has the Longhorns as one of his ‘First Four’ teams, meaning that he has them as one of the four teams playing in Dayton. Meanwhile, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has UT in the group of ‘Next Four Out’. The ‘Horns currently sit at No. 59 in the NCAA NET Rankings, which is a tool used by the NCAA Selection’s committee to pick and seed the field.
• Texas is No. 53 in Ken Pomeroy’s team efficiency rankings, sitting at No. 129 in adjusted offensive efficiency and No. 26 in adjusted defensive efficiency.
• The Longhorns are led in scoring by guard Matt Coleman, who is averaging 12.3 PPG while converting on 39.8 percent of his three-point attempts. He’s followed by guards Andrew Jones and Courtney Ramey, who are averaging 11.7 PPG and 11.4 PPG, respectively. The 6’9”, 240-pound Jericho Sims is UT’s primary presence inside, averaging 9.7 PPG, 8.2 RPG and 1.2 BPG.
• Texas will be without four players tonight, including freshman guard Donovan Williams (3.3 PPG, injured Saturday at Texas Tech) and junior guard Jase Febres (9.3 PPG, set to undergo surgery after hyperextending knee vs. Texas Tech on Feb. 8).

Three Things

• Bracketology: The Sooners are certainly trending up after consecutive wins over Texas Tech and West Virginia. Entering Tuesday, Jerry Palm has the Sooners as a No. 9 seed, while Joe Lunardi has OU as a No. 10 seed. The Sooners have also made a major jump in the NET Rankings, where they now sit at No. 41 nationally.
• Senior Night for Kristian Doolittle: The senior from Edmond, Okla., who has scored at least 18 points in six of his last seven games, will be playing his final game in Norman Tuesday night. Doolittle earned the Big 12’s inaugural Most Improved Player Award as a junior and has followed that up with a stellar final campaign, averaging 15.7 PPG and 8.8 PPG.
• Manek back on track: Entering this past Saturday’s game at West Virginia, Brady Manek was 2/21 from three-point range over a four-game stretch. Fortunately, he turned things around for himself in the nick of time, sinking three critical three-pointers to help the Sooners pull off the 73-62 upset. OU’s success typically hinges on the success of Manek, as the Sooners are 28-8 when he’s scored at least 15 points throughout his career.

Prediction

Oklahoma 75, Texas 65