Booing was a favorite fan activity in Norman on Saturday (Photo: G. Austin)

Road games are never easy, and the crowds never friendly. But the Oklahoma Sooners and their fans took things to a whole new level on Saturday, as Coach Jeff Capel earned a technical foul and a fan threw a cell phone across the court. Yet despite the hostile environment and a second half in which they shot only 14 percent, the Longhorns were still able to earn a 68-58 victory in Norman.

Texas (21-7 overall, 11-3 Big 12) came out firing and jumped to a quick 9-0 lead. In the first half, the Horns hit a ridiculous 8-of-13 shots from behind the arc, while Kevin Durant had 19 points in the first twenty minutes. They led by ten to fifteen for most of the half and headed to the locker room with a 41-28 advantage.

The second half was a completely different story. The game was bogged down on both ends by a lot of whistles, although Texas was fortunate enough to draw most of their fouls in shooting situations. The Horns did not even make their first field goal until almost twelve minutes had elapsed in the second half. It was one of only two baskets they would get in the entire twenty minutes.

Instead, the Longhorns made all of their second half points at the line. They took 30 free throws in the second stanza, sinking 22 of them. Texas was in the bonus with over 12 minutes left in the half, and Sooner fans were growing restless. Boos rained down from the half-empty seats. Jeff Capel was throwing tantrums on the sideline. Then, with the Sooners chipping away at the lead, their coach ultimately killed any building momentum by picking up the technical foul on a missed 10-second violation. The Horns sunk their free throws and rebuilt the lead.

Later, with a little over five minutes on the clock, a Sooner fan threw their cell phone across the court as Connor Atchley prepared to shoot free throws. He missed both, perhaps because he was a little jumpy. A boot or a soda could’ve come flying towards him at any moment, after all. Or maybe the keys to a trailer.

In the end, it was an ugly game that was painful to watch. The Horns spent a lot of time standing around in the second half hoping that D.J. Augustin or Durant were going to create some offense. But the adjusted Sooner defense seemed content to play physically and not allow our players to reach the rack. So as the fouls mounted up and the Horns padded the lead, many Texas fans may have overlooked the fact that three-fifths of the team were just holding down the floor.

In the big picture, this is a huge win for seeding — not only in the conference tournament but the NCAAs as well. Personally, I’d rather put it in the rearview and not think about it for a while. If the Horns continue their second-half offensive woes on Wednesday night, it’ll be a long, long game. But if the Saturday first-half team is the one that shows up, an upset is certainly possible.

Tomorrow night I’ll bring you the last Big 12 update of the year, focusing on the top four teams.