The nation’s top team will be at home when the No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners (19-3) welcome the Texas Longhorns (16-7) to Lloyd Noble Center. Action starts at 9:00 pm ET on Monday, Feb. 8 and can be seen on ESP and ES3.
The Sooners are hoping for a better outcome after their 80-69 loss to Kansas State on Saturday. Buddy Hield was the game’s high scorer, recording 23 points. The Longhorns, meanwhile, are coming off a 69-59 win over Texas Tech on Saturday. Isaiah Taylor stood out for Texas, recording 13 points, eight assists, and three steals.
Isaiah Cousins has been playing at a high level over the last five games for the Sooners. During that stretch, he has averaged 15.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 2.0 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 2.2 three-pointers.
It will be a battle of conflicting tempos, as the fast-paced Sooners (ranked 31st in the nation in possessions per game) will look to push the slow-paced Longhorns (296th in possessions per game).
The Sooners have gone 19-3 Straight Up (SU) and 10-10 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 7-3 ATS over their last 10 games. Oklahoma has averaged 68.7 points per game over the last 10 games, lower than its season average of 85.0. Oklahoma is excellent from the perimeter, shooting a Division I-high .453 from three-point range. The rebounding edge goes to the Sooners in this matchup, who are one of the top rebounding teams in the nation with an average of 40.6 boards per game. The Oklahoma defense has been shutting down opposing offenses over the past 10 games, only allowing an average of 63.0 points per game, well under their season average of 72.0. Opposing offenses have been stifled by the Sooners, who allow a field goal percentage of only .400. Opponents have consistently had their shots rejected by the Sooners, ranking eighth in the country in blocks per game with 6.0.
Across the court, the Longhorns head into the game with records of 11-11 ATS and 16-7 SU. During the last 10 games, they averaged 82.7 PPG, above their 72.7 PPG season average. The last 10 games have really brought the worst out of the Longhorns on the defensive end. They allowed 77.3 points per game during that span, which is higher than their season average of 66.5. Blocking shots is an area where Texas has excelled. The Longhorns average 4.8 blocks per game, making them one of the best in the nation. Taking care of the basketball is something the Longhorns do very well, averaging just 10.7 turnovers per game.
This game marks the first time these teams will play this season. The last time Oklahoma and Texas played, Oklahoma won, evening up the two teams’ head-to-head record over their most recent games (5-5). The Longhorns lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers, neither team was able to hold the advantage in all three of these categories over their past five meetings against one another.
Predictions: SU Winner – Okla, ATS Winner – Okla
Notes
Oklahoma is one of the top-scoring teams, averaging 85.0 points per game (ranked fourth). Texas allows 66.5 points per game (ranked 51st).
The Oklahoma Sooners rank 20th for their offensive rating of 115.8. The Texas Longhorns have a defensive rating of 98.5 (ranked 84th).
On average, Oklahoma has 73.5 possessions per game and scores 1.158 points on each possession. Texas has both fewer possessions (66.9) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.087).
The Oklahoma Sooners have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking ninth in the country with an eFG% of 56.4%. The Texas Longhorns have split their games this season (2-2) when opponents record a similar or higher eFG%.
The Oklahoma Sooners average 24.0 three point attempts per game, and the Texas Longhorns attempt 21.0 per game. When going for at least 20 three pointers in a game this season, both teams have winning records; Oklahoma is 15-3 and Texas is 9-5.
Oklahoma ranks 66th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.25. Texas is ranked lower at 135th with an A/TO of 1.11.
Oklahoma, the 31st-ranked team in rebounding, register an average of 40.6 rebounds per game. Texas does worse, ranked 212th with 35.8.
The Oklahoma Sooners make an average of 7.4 steals per game. When the Texas Longhorns allow 7 or more steals, they are a stellar 5-1.
