Texas Basketball: 3 takeaways from disheartening upset loss to OK State

On the night of Feb. 6, No. 6 ranked Texas basketball and head coach Shaka Smart squared off against the young but talented Oklahoma State Cowboys and head coach Mike Boynton on the road at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater. This was the second meeting between Texas and Oklahoma State on the hardwood this season.

The first meeting between the Pokes and Longhorns was the de facto Big 12 opener for the latter of those two teams, which came back on Dec. 20. The originally scheduled Big 12 opener for Smart and the Longhorns was set for Dec. 13 against the Baylor Bears on the road in Waco at the Ferrell Center. But that game had to be pushed back in the wake of novel coronavirus related issues on the Baylor side, at the time.

Texas had a plethora of game delays and player and coach absences in the wake of COVID-19 related issues of late. Smart even missed the Longhorns loss to the rival Oklahoma Sooners at home back on Jan. 26, along with a number of their key players in the rotation, due to a positive COVID-19 case.

With all of the COVID-19 issues in general the Longhorns had to face of late, their results in the win column have suffered. Texas has now lost three games in a row, and four of their last five. The first loss that kicked off this three-game skid the Longhorns currently sit on came against the Sooners on Jan. 26.

Texas has now lost to Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Baylor, in their last three outings. They need to get back on the right track, and soon, to keep their shot alive to get a high single-digit seed come Selection Sunday.

With all of this in mind, here’s a look into three takeaways as the Longhorns fall short against Oklahoma State in double overtime in Stillwater on Feb. 6.