We’ve mentioned a few times this weekend how difficult it is to beat the same team three times in one season. But how about going 7-0 against three teams from one state? Or winning six in a row and 11 out of 14 against your hated rival? Apparently it’s nothing but child’s play for the Texas Longhorns, who held the Oklahoma Sooners under fifty points for the second time this year and cruised to a 28-point victory in front of 19,000 disappointed Kansas Jayhawk fans.

The Horns were led by the insanely hot shooting of A.J. Abrams, who knocked down seven three-pointers just a day after going 0-for-5 from behind the arc against Oklahoma State. The diminutive guard finished with 24 points on the day to lead the team, giving him nearly half of OU’s entire output in the game.

The contest was dicey for the first 22 minutes, as the Sooners rode the broad shoulders of Blake Griffin to keep pace with the Longhorns. In the first half alone, he nearly had a double-double — only one more rebound would have done the trick — and had OU in a 36-all tie with 18 minutes to play. But when Abrams lit up, the Texas defense locked down, giving the Sooners no chance as the Longhorns finished the game on a 41-13 run.

The only real negative to come from this game was the early struggle on the defensive glass. Just as against the Cowboys one day prior, Texas let Griffin and the other Sooners pick the offensive glass clean for easy putbacks and longer possessions. The Longhorns simply cannot afford to do that against the quality teams they will be playing over the next three weeks.

There was also one troubling piece of news that came from the sideline rather than the game on the court. Although Gary Johnson was dressed out and walking, he had a large black boot on his right foot. From my vantage point in the corner of the lower level, it looked a lot like the one that Matt Hill has worn throughout his injury troubles. Here’s hoping that Gary will in fact be ready for next weekend’s games.

If he isn’t, Longhorn fans can take solace in the improved play of the Texas big men during this tournament. For a second straight day, Alexis Wangmene turned in a minute-eating performance for Coach Barnes, but this time added the scoring threat. Lex had seven points and four boards in his 14 minutes and looked very impressive in the post. He’s still got a long way to go if he’s going to become a dominant force inside, but the moves are definitely there.

Dexter Pittman also stepped up in Johnson’s absence, absolutely cleaning the glass in his nine minutes of work. Big Dex picked on the Sooners for seven boards and a bucket, even adding a block to round out the stat line. It was very nice to see Pittman be able to play for significant stretches rather than being yanked after a few seconds on the floor. Perhaps this will increase his confidence and also signal a change in the way he’s used down the stretch.

Texas now moves on to face Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament championship game for the third time in the last three years. Game preview will be up in a few hours, along with our 5th-best buzzer beater in NCAA tournament history.