Texas basketball vs. OU: 3 bold predictions for Red River finale

As we head into the final stretch run of the regular season for interim head coach Rodney Terry and No. 6 Texas basketball, only a few more home games remain at the friendly confines of the Moody Center in Austin. And what looks to be one of the most fun games for the fans on the Forty Acres lies ahead this weekend in men’s hoops.

Terry and the Longhorns will take on head coach Porter Moser and the Oklahoma Sooners in the second of two meetings between these teams in the Red River Rivalry game on the hardwood on Feb. 18. Texas will be looking to sweep the regular season series against Oklahoma.

It would also be Texas’ fifth straight win over Oklahoma in men’s hoops if it can nab the victory this weekend.

Texas has an opportunity this weekend not only to further its chances at winning a Big 12 regular season title but also to get one step closer to earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma’s NCAA Tournament bid chances are on life support at this point, to say the very least.

Timmy Allen, Marcus Carr, and No. 6 Texas basketball battle OU to sweep the season series

Here’s a look at three bold predictions as the Longhorns get set to host the Sooners in Red River on the hardwood at the Moody Center in Austin on Feb. 18.

Timmy Allen continues to shine against OU as he rebounds with 15 points and 8 rebounds

One of the Longhorns players that had a really disappointing outing against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the bad loss on Feb. 13 in Lubbock was senior forward Timmy Allen. The fifth-year forward came up with just two points on 0-of-4 shooting from the field as Texas Tech essentially blocked Allen off from having many relevant possessions on offense.

What tends to happen, though, when Allen comes back from a bad outing is that the next opponents get gashed by him on both ends of the floor. He’s just too versatile and experienced to get shut down like that for too long. Allen will find ways to adjust to get himself involved in other proficient ways if he has an off-game in the prior contest.

The last time that Allen was held to just two points this season was in the eight-point road win over the West Virginia Mountaineers on Jan. 21.

What did Allen do the following game after putting up just two points against West Virginia?

He went off for 17 points on an efficient 5-of-8 shooting from the field, along with six rebounds, three assists, two steals, one block, and just one turnover in a big win over the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Allen’s performance against Oklahoma State a few weeks ago was one of his best and most efficient on the season so far.

And given how well Allen has played in the past against Oklahoma, I think it’s very much in the cards for him to have a huge outing this weekend. Allen has averaged nearly 15 points per game, five rebounds, one assist, and two steals, in three contests against Oklahoma in his two seasons at Texas.