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After taking a break from a schedule grind of ranked opponents, it’s back to the firing line for Texas. The Longhorns went 1-3 in four consecutive games against ranked foes before squeaking by unranked K-State on Monday.
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HOW THE OKLAHOMA SOONERS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Oklahoma is starting to build back some momentum after going through its first rough stretch of the season. The Sooners dropped three of four games with losses to Kansas State and Texas Tech, teams not among the conference’s elite.
But in a bounce-back effort, the Sooners annihilated West Virginia on the road and hammered Oklahoma State Wednesday in the Bedlam rivalry. The play, particularly shooting, of forward Ryan Spangler was a key to beating the Cowboys.
With so much defensive attention paid to Buddy Hield, the nation’s No. 2 scorer, and Isaiah Cousins, Spangler knocked down a career-best 26 points. It was a much-needed effort from Spangler, who scored in single-digits his previous three games. He was able to alleviate the pressure on the more prolific shooters.
The Sooners are the nation’s top three-point shooting team and will stick to their bread-and-butter. Texas’ chaotic brand of defense gave the Sooners issues in Norman, so they will have to do a better job of picking their spots if they want to pull out the victory on the road.
HOW THE TEXAS LONGHORNS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
The Longhorns have been one of the biggest surprises of the Big 12 this year under first-year coach Shaka Smart and they’re making waves with the defensive style that Smart brings to the table.
Texas still has a shot at one of the top two seeds in the Big 12 tournament as it trails the two second-place teams by one game. One of the teams the Horns are looking up at is Oklahoma, so a victory Saturday is vital for their seeding hopes.
A formidable frontcourt combo of Connor Lambert and Prince Ibeh could pose a problem for the Sooners, whose lone down low presence is Khadeem Lattin. Ibeh simply bullies players in the paint with his immense size.
A return to the defensive ways that got Texas plenty of attention around the country is vital to shutting down OU’s efficient offense. The Longhorns have surrendered nearly 10 points more than their season average over the past four games. They did a nice job holding OU to 63 points when the teams met on Feb. 8, but didn’t make enough plays offensively.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
The keys to success are simple for each team. The Sooners need to escape the frenzied defensive approach of Texas and be efficient from the three-point line. Texas needs its havoc-style defense to force turnovers into easy transition buckets at the other end. The team that executes its game plan will be the victor. Pretty simple. The Longhorns did what they wanted to in the first meeting, holding OU to 63 points. They just couldn’t convert on the offensive end and didn’t get to the free throw line. Texas was outscored by eight at the stripe and lost by three. The Longhorns relied on their perimeter play in that game and attempted just 10 free throws. Look for more of an effort to get Ibeh involved. He has a size advantage and should try to take advantage. OU will continue to do what it does best; run the floor and shoot the three. While it’s tempting to key on Hield and the other shooters, like Oklahoma State did, that leaves someone open. Wednesday it was Spangler, who lit up the Cowboys. OU has many weapons, too many for Texas completely to shut down.
Oklahoma 71, Texas 64
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