Texas Basketball: Previewing monumental showdown vs. Oklahoma

Coming off of four consecutive wins Texas basketball looks to solidify their tournament resume with a road test again the rival Sooners.

This Texas basketball team was a major headline among college basketball fanatics over the past two weeks as they are currently riding a four-game win streak capped with a win in Lubbock over the weekend.

Just 12 days ago, the Texas Longhorns basketball program sat at 14-11 (4-8 Big 12), with virtually no chance to make the NCAA Tournament let along the NIT or CBI. Shaka Smart rallied his injury riddled team to their longest Big 12 winning streak in coach Smart’s tenure.

Currently sitting at 18-11 (8-8 Big 12), Texas is directly on the bubble of most all NCAA tournament brackets. This makes Tuesday nights matchup against an Oklahoma team that sports the same record as the Horns as appointment television.

When these two foes met back on January 8th in the Frank Erwin Center the Sooners used 22 points from Kristian Doolittle to propel themselves to a 72-62 victory. The game was back and forth throughout with Oklahoma pulling away in the final six minutes.

The Sooners outshot the Longhorns by 12 percent from both the field and beyond the arc.

Jericho Sims was the best player on the court for the Horns that night putting up 12 points and 15 boards, though his status for Tuesday’s nights seems very bleak.

Though we do have a blueprint on how this game may go, the first matchup between these two was nearly two months ago. Both teams look completely different than they did in early January, especially the Longhorns.

The Horns have been dealing with a multitude of injuries and getting any of their contributors back for the Red River Rivalry on Tuesday night seems very unlikely.

Along with the aforementioned Sims, Jase Febres has been out since February 8th with a knee injury and is now slated for surgery that will likely end his season. Gerald Liddell remains out indefinitely with a back injury, and Donovan Williams will likely be sidelined Tuesday with a knee issue.

With that being said, the Longhorns have played at an elite level with their injury depleted roster led by sophomore guards Andrew Jones and Courtney Ramey.

During this four-game winning streak the backcourt duo is averaging a combined 37.7 points per game on 52 percent shooting from the field and a scolding 49 percent from deep. They are the main reason Texas is currently in the position they are, though, the pressure will be on them night in and night out to put up these numbers.

For the Sooners it starts and ends with the big three of Kristian Doolittle, Brady Manek, and Austin Reaves. The trio has made up 63 percent of Oklahoma’s scoring production and 56 percent of their rebounding production.

The 6-7, 230 pound Doolittle dominated Texas in January, and that was when Jericho Sims was healthy. On Tuesday night I expect coach Smart to throw a variety of Royce Hamm, Brock Cunningham, and Kamaka Hepa at the Oklahoma big man, though I do not know how effective they will be in stopping the All-Big 12 player.

Brock Cunningham has been a bright spot for the Horns over the past two weeks, playing tenacious defensive paired with hustle plays down the stretch that have been crucial to the teams success. I would like to see Cunningham matched up with Doolittle more often than not.

This matchup in Norman will prove to be crucial come selection Sunday as the winner puts themselves a leg up as the clear fifth best team in the Big 12. Shaka has been getting the most out of his guys these past two weeks, but can he do it when they travel to their bitter rivals home court?