Ten out of twenty-seven. That’s 37%, or the embarrassing performance the Texas Longhorns turned in at the free-throw line on Saturday afternoon. Damion James did his part in scuttling the team’s percentage, making just four out of thirteen attempts from the stripe. Meanwhile, the Sooners made 20-of-28. Look at those numbers for just a second. James missed more free throws than the entire Oklahoma team, and they took fifteen more shots from the line!

It wasn’t just free-throw woes that cost the team. The Longhorns wasted possessions with stupid shot selection, and had a ton of missed opportunities at the rim. Dogus Balbay twice made nice moves to get to the basket, but instead of providing his typical two or four points, he missed the easiest shot in the sport. Jordan Hamilton‘s Edward Hyde showed up just one game after he had performed as Henry Jekyll, resulting in selfish possessions that ended with bad decisions and forced shots.

The only bright spots in the game for Texas were Dexter Pittman and Avery Bradley. While Bradley took some poor shots of his own early in the game, he settled down and provided a fantastic 21-point performance, including 3-of-4 shooting from behind the arc. As Avery improved his offensive game, his defense tightened up as well. Oklahoma’s Tommy Mason-Griffin was no longer able to create the minuscule separation he needs to sink threes, and Bradley moved with exceptional quickness to shut down TMG’s drives down the stretch.

Pittman, meanwhile, played with fire in the paint. When Texas made a concerted effort to feed him in the post, he made good decisions with the ball and had the patience to take what the defense gave him. Unfortunately, Dexter spent half the game on the bench, and not due to foul trouble. While Coach Barnes was electing to use slashers like Hamilton, the lack of a true post player made it difficult for the Longhorns to capitalize once the defense collapsed on the driving wingman. As a result, Jordan didn’t have a wide-open outlet down low, and rather than kicking it out to reset, he often chunked up ugly, contested shots.

If you’re into moral victories, you could also say that the second-half comeback by Texas was something to hang your hat on. And to be fair, it truly is reassuring to see that the team didn’t fold at half and just mail it in for the final twenty minutes. But at the same time, that very comeback is what makes this loss so incredibly frustrating. After a first half where Ray Charles would have made a three if he were wearing a Sooner jersey, Texas fought back from an 18-point deficit and was down just six with ten minutes left. Oklahoma gave Texas every chance to erase the deficit and win the game, but the Longhorns simply ignored the opportunities. Whether it was the missed free throws, the empty possessions, or just stupid turnovers, Texas refused to capitalize.

Perhaps the only positive that can come from this game was the delicious cherry turnover I enjoyed at an Arby’s in Paul’s Valley, Oklahoma. Thanks to the 11 Texas turnovers in the game and an awesome marketing department at OU, my delicious treat was free.