Texas Basketball vs. OU: TV, live stream, betting odds, and prediction

On the night of Jan. 11, new head coach Chris Beard and No. 21 ranked Texas basketball are set to host first-year head coach Porter Moser and the Oklahoma Sooners at home at the Frank Erwin Center. In the first edition of the Red River Rivalry game on the hardwood this season, Texas is looking to get a bounce-back win over their biggest conference foe.

Beard and the Longhorns are looking to rebound from a convincing loss by a margin of more than a dozen points at the hands of head coach Mike Boynton and the Oklahoma State Cowboys on the road last weekend. That 13-point loss to Oklahoma State handed the Longhorns their first loss in Big 12 play of the season.

Following the loss to Oklahoma State, Texas carries a record of 12-3 (2-1 Big 12) into this meeting with the rival Sooners. Meanwhile, Oklahoma comes into this game with an identical record to the Longhorns at 12-3 (2-1 Big 12) following their upset win over the Iowa State Cyclones at home at the Lloyd Noble Center last weekend.

Here’s a look at the betting odds, TV/live stream information, and game prediction as Texas gets set to take on Oklahoma at home at the Erwin Center on Jan. 11, with tip-off time set for 7:30 p.m. CT.

Texas basketball vs. Oklahoma betting odds

According to WynnBet, the Longhorns are a seven-point favorite over the Sooners just a few hours ahead of tip-off. And the over/under is set at 128 points for this game.

The ESPN matchup predictor gives the Longhorns a 77.9 percent chance to beat Oklahoma.

Texas basketball vs. Oklahoma TV/Live Stream

TV/Stream: Longhorn Network

Radio: Longhorn IMG Radio Network

Texas basketball vs. Oklahoma prediction

I’ve already mentioned how important it is for the Longhorns to get the edge over the Sooners to get back on the right side of the win column this week. Beard’s squad took us back to the Shaka Smart days in a sense with the way they looked against an inconsistent Oklahoma State squad over the weekend.

The offense seemingly faded away in the blink of an eye, and the defense also faltered in the second half against an Oklahoma State offense that is one of the least efficient in the Big 12 so far this season.

Oklahoma is a tough opponent that will present Texas with a big challenge. The senior duo of guard Umoja Gibson and forward Tanner Groves is playing some great basketball right now. They are combining to average around 27 points per game, eight rebounds, and four assists for the Sooners this season.

Texas will also have to face Oklahoma without one of their biggest players in junior standout center Tre Mitchell. The former UMass Minutemen star big man is out for the Longhorns for the second consecutive game due to the COVID-19 protocols.

In Mitchell’s absence, Texas will need senior leaders such as forward Timmy Allen and guard Marcus Carr to step up in this rivalry game. Allen was solid for the Longhorns in their loss to the Pokes. But he was one of the lone bright spots for Texas in that game.

Carr had one of his worst outings of the season as he essentially disappeared down the stretch against the Pokes. Maybe more so than any other Longhorns player, it feels like Carr needs to bounce back in a big way on this night against the Sooners.

It would still be a good start to Big 12 play by most considerations for the Longhorns if they can top the Sooners on Jan. 11. That would keep them among the upper echelon of teams in the Big 12 before they have a difficult test on the road on Jan. 15 against Iowa State.