Texas vs. Oklahoma Basketball: Preview and Prediction
Here is everything you need to know about the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners in our Texas vs. Oklahoma Big 12 men’s basketball preview.
Game Info
6 p.m. Central Time, Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, Lloyd Noble Center, Norman, Oklahoma.
TV: ESPN2
Records: Texas: 18-7 (7-5 in Big 12); Oklahoma: 14-11 (4-8 in Big 12).
Ranking: Texas: No. 20 (Associated Press); Oklahoma: Not ranked.
Last game: Texas: lost to Baylor, 80-63 (Feb. 12); Oklahoma: lost to Kansas, 71-69 (Feb. 12).
Previous meeting: Texas 66, Oklahoma 52 (Jan. 11).
Key players
Texas
G Andrew Jones: He was the only Longhorn in double figures for Texas on Saturday with 11 points. Texas had a terrible game shooting the ball, firing just 33 percent as a team. Jones was 50 percent from the 3-point line (3-of-6) and was 4-of-11 overall. He’s the right choice to be the first guard off the bench because of his offensive ability.
F Timmy Allen: He couldn’t crack double figures against Baylor, scoring just eight points. But he also put together a seven-rebound outing to lead Texas. Those are the things that veteran players do when they’re either struggling on offense or having an off night on offense. Baylor’s defense made everything hard for Allen.
G Jase Febres: The time is now to give Febres more playing time. Historically, he’s been a quality 3-point shooter for Texas and when given the chance this season, he can get hot. He only scored eight points against Baylor, but he was 2-for-4 from the 3-point line. He played more than 20 minutes. If Texas is serious about more offense, give Febres more playing time.
Oklahoma
F Tanner Groves: He had 19 points on Saturday against Kansas, and that included four 3-pointers. But, in crunch time, he disappeared, thanks in part of the defense of Zach Clemence. Still, he’s the guy the Sooners need to be on in order to win games. He just can’t let defenders take him out of his game.
G Jordan Goldwire: Oklahoma was a missed Goldwire fadeaway jumper away from sending their game with Kansas to overtime. He did step up his scoring down the stretch, finishing with a team-leading 20 points. He hit two 3-pointers and shot 9-of-16 from the floor. The Sooners will take more of that.
G Umoja Gibson: He’s had a weird past three games. He scored two points and failed to score a 3-pointer against Oklahoma State. Then, against Texas Tech, he scored 30 points, including eight 3-pointers, as the Sooners beat the Red Raiders. Then, against Kansas, he failed to score a single point and fouled out. He took just two shots. The Sooners would be thrilled if Gibson split the difference.
Key storylines
Texas
Life in the Big 12 is tough, and no one exemplifies that more than Texas. Last week, they beat Kansas at home and head coach Chris Beard said that he felt his Longhorns beat a Final Four contender, but he also said in the same breath that he felt his team was a Final Four contender. Then, the Longhorns went to Waco and laid an egg against a Baylor team that was playing short-handed. Texas may be a high-level defensive team, but their offensive consistency leaves a lot to be desired. That will limit what Texas is able to do the rest of the way in both the Big 12 regular-season, the Big 12 Tournament and the NCAA Tournament.
Oklahoma
The Sooners are teetering on the NCAA Tournament bubble. They were three points away from beating two AP Top 10 teams in the same week before losing to Kansas. Now, the victory over Texas Tech will keep the Sooners somewhat relevant in Bracketology. But they can’t afford to squander any more wins that could help their case. Inconsistency of Umoja Gibson aside, the Sooners could use more scoring from Jalen Hill on a regular basis too. His 10 points against Kansas was his first game in double figures since Jan. 18 against … Kansas. Before that first Kansas game, he had double figures in seven of nine games. In fact, Hill had a team-high 13 in the first meeting with Texas.
Fun fact
Texas guard Andrew Jones had a game-high 22 points in their first meeting.
Prediction
Texas 64, Oklahoma 57. I don’t trust the Texas offense that much. But the Sooners are so up-and-down on offense that I have a hard time trusting that they can keep this offense consistent for 40 minutes.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
