Just a day after dispatching the OSU Cowboys for the third time this season, Texas looks to finish off a six-game sweep of the state of Oklahoma when they face the Sooners in the Big 12 semifinals. While OU holds a 4-1 advantage in games against Texas that are played in the league tournament, the Longhorns have won five straight overall against their rivals.

The first two match-ups

When the teams first met in early February up in Norman, the Longhorns started out cold as ice. They shot only 25% in the first half and trailed by double-digits before turning up the defensive intensity in the second half and cruising to a 64-54 win. That game was played without Longar Longar down low for Oklahoma, which was a surprise for a Texas team that had game-planned to face him.

The second game was all about defense for Texas, as they absolutely shut down the Sooners en route to a 62-45 victory. Even with poor shooting crippling the usually efficient Longhorn offense, the excellent play on D kept Texas in control the entire way. The post defense was particularly solid, which is key against an OU team that excels down low. Alexis Wangemene played incredibly well against Longar Longar in that one, and Texas fans can expect to see quite a few minutes out of him again today if Gary Johnson isn’t playing.

What to look for

Fans who want to a refresher course on the Sooner players can revisit the game preview from the first match-up. The biggest difference today will be the availability and effectiveness of big man Blake Griffin, who is fighting through yet another injury.

The younger Griffin brother did not start in yesterday’s game — Cade Davis took his slot in the starting five — but he did play 15 minutes in the game. He struggled against a solid Colorado defense that would immediately swarm him with a double or triple-team as soon as he touched the ball, and he finished with only four points. He was still an absolute beast on the glass though, grabbing nine boards in his limited minutes.

If Griffin is playing that poorly today, it could be a very long afternoon for Oklahoma. Texas has a huge advantage at the guard position, so Coach Jeff Capel will have to hope that they can abuse the Longhorns inside. If they are relying mostly on Longar, Taylor Griffin, and Davis, they will find that much more difficult.

Yesterday’s post-game interviews on Kansas City sports radio revealed the Sooners to be resigned to the scoring threat of D.J. Augustin. Griffin said that they cannot stop him, only hope to contain him. He also added that the key for Oklahoma will be to ensure that Damion James, A.J. Abrams, and Connor Atchley don’t have big games while they are trying to limit Augustin.

A word for TV viewers

If you’re in a “Big 12 market,” finding today’s game could be confusing for you. The ESPN2 telecast is only being shown in the rest of the country, while those of us in the Big 12 area will have to find the game on ESPN Plus. While this is usually just the same channel you’ve watched when the Longhorns play teams like Iowa State and Colorado, you’ll want to check your local listings to make sure you’ve got the right one set on the DVR. For the rest of you burnt-orange faithful elsewhere in the nation, you can enjoy Ron Franklin, Fran Fraschilla, and Holly Rowe on the ESPN2 telecast.

Lots and lots of news for the Horns now that the regular season has come to a close. And that starts with the Big 12 conference awards, where Rick Barnes took home Coach of the Year in a season where his Longhorns set a school record for regular season victories. D.J. Augustin was a unanimous selection to the All-Big 12 First Team, while A.J. Abrams and Damion James were named to the second team. The king of hustle, Justin Mason, was named to the All-Defensive Team.

In the latest Bracketology from Joe Lunardi, the Horns are still a 2-seed playing in the Phoenix regional with UCLA as the 1-seed. God forbid this projection actually holds, as good ol’ Joe has a potential second-round match-up for Texas with Arkansas…in Little Rock. Hardcore amateur bracketologists will be happy to know that Joe is now going daily with his picks from until Selection Sunday.

Andy Glockner’s Bubble Watch — now also a daily feature — has the Big 12 with three “locks” in Texas, Kansas, and OU. He feels that Baylor and K-State are solidly in, and barring a Bear implosion against Colorado on Thursday, I would have to agree. That leaves A&M in the “work left to do” category, which could be something of a misnomer. As long as the bubble doesn’t contract further with cinderella auto-bids, the Aggies should be fine. But while they don’t actually need another win, they certainly can’t afford to somehow lose to Iowa State.

While everybody is focused on seeds and bubbles, there is still that weekly tradition of the polls, which saw Texas climb to 6th in the AP and 8th in the ESPN/USA Today.

Although there’s no Big Monday, there’s more tournament action from Championship Week tonight. Auto-bids will be handed out in the Southern Conference (8 PM CST, ESPN2), where bubble team fans will be pulling hard for Davidson. At the same time, those nervous folks will be hoping that Gonzaga can stave off San Diego in the WCC Championship (8 PM CST, ESPN). And just underway in Albany, Rider and Siena are battling for the MAAC title on ESPN2.

Although slots four through ten are no longer separated by just a game as they were this time last week, the league is still a complete mess in the middle as the season winds to a close. Thanks to a complete tanking by Kansas State — losers of four straight and five out of six — the Baylor Bears actually control their own destiny in regards to the 3-seed in Kansas City. And with a late-season push, even the Oklahoma State Cowboys are within striking distance of that fourth and final bye in the conference tournament.

Texas Longhorns (11-3)
Remaining games: vs. Nebraska (Tuesday), vs. Oklahoma State (Sunday)
Outlook: The loss to Tech puts the Longhorns in a tie with Kansas once again, but they hold the tiebreaker for the #1 seed in Kansas City thanks to the victory over the Jayhawks last month. The crowds for this week’s games could be abysmal, with the Nebraska tip at 6:30 P.M. and the Oklahoma State game being played during Spring Break.

Kansas Jayhawks (11-3)
Remaining games: vs. Texas Tech (Tonight), at Texas A&M (Saturday)
Outlook: Unless the Longhorns stumble, the best that Kansas can hope for is a split title and the 2-seed in the post-season tournament. But Kansas must match Texas stride-for-stride down the homestretch, and their schedule is admittedly more difficult. Tech has a very slim shot at the NCAAs, but a road win in Lawrence would propel them to the top of the bubble discussion. And with A&M fading fast, their backs will be against the wall when Kansas comes to town on Sunday. KU cannot afford to overlook either one of these two teams.

Baylor Bears (8-6)
Remaining games: vs. Texas A&M (Wednesday), at Texas Tech (Saturday)
Outlook: Thanks to the head-to-head win over K-State, the Bears would claim the 3-seed if they win their remaining two games. But a stumble against A&M or Tech opens the door for the four teams sitting just a game back at 7-7, so Scott Drew’s guard-tastic team has to stay on top of its game this final week.

Kansas State Wildcats (8-6)
Remaining games: vs. Colorado (Tuesday), at Iowa State (Saturday)
Outlook: While Baylor does hold the tiebreaker, the Wildcats have the more manageable schedule this week. The home game against Colorado should finally snap the KSU slide, but this team has struggled all season long on the road and Hilton Coliseum will be a tough place to win on Senior Night. A split this week could drop the ‘Cats all the way from first place at the beginning of February to an opening-round game next Thursday in KC.

Texas A&M Aggies (7-7)
Remaining games: at Baylor (Wednesday), vs. Kansas (Saturday)
Outlook: While the K-State slide might seem monumental, the Aggies are the only team in the country this year who have fallen from the Top 10 to sweating things out on the bubble. A&M managed less than a point a minute in Norman on Saturday, and that simply won’t get the job done against the high-powered offenses of Baylor and Kansas. If Texas A&M wants to feel secure about its place in the NCAAs, they really have to steal that road game in Waco on Wednesday night, one that Longhorn Road Trip will be watching live from the Ferrell Center.

Oklahoma Sooners (7-7)
Remaining games: at Oklahoma State (Wednesday), vs. Missouri (Saturday)
Outlook: Of the four southern teams knotted at 7-7, Oklahoma has the easiest schedule left. The road game against Bedlam rival OSU won’t be easy, but a 9-7 finish and a potential 4-seed is within the grasp of the Sooners.

Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-7)
Remaining games: vs. Oklahoma (Wednesday), at Texas (Sunday)
Outlook: Raise your hand if you thought OSU would be earning fringe bubble talk with a week left to go in the season. Anyone? Fry? Bueller? The Pokes have a bitch of a finish in Austin on Sunday, but home court in the Bedlam series could put them above .500 in league play for what feels like the first time since Grover Cleveland was in office.

Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-7)
Remaining games: at Kansas (Tonight), vs. Baylor (Saturday)
Outlook: Pat Knight already has two Top 25 upsets on his nine-game bio, but both of those came in the friendly confines of the United Spirit Arena. This difficult final stretch will test the Red Raiders, and they could easily drop both games and find themselves playing in the dreaded 8-9 game next week.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (6-8)
Remaining games: at Texas (Tuesday), vs. Colorado (Sunday)
Outlook: After a promising non-conference start, Nebraska fizzled in Big 12 play. Winning three of their last four has them in the mix, but a tough road date with the Longhorns could quickly kill that momentum. The home game against Colorado on Sunday should provide an easy win, setting the Huskers up for potential home games in the NIT.

Missouri Tigers (5-9)
Remaining games: vs. Iowa State (Wednesday), at Oklahoma (Saturday)
Outlook: A possible split to finish the season for the Tigers, who have to be happy with even five conference wins after their entire team decided to have a brawl in a nightclub. If only they’d decided to have their Ultimate Fighting Championship prior to the game with Texas…

Iowa State Cyclones (4-10)
Remaining games: at Missouri (Wednesday), vs. Kansas State (Saturday)
Outlook: With K-State struggling on the road, the Cyclones could put a nice capper on a disappointing season by pulling off the home upset on Jiri Hubalek’s senior day. While the season has generally been a wash, the young talent that Coach McDermott has on-board could mean that great things will be happening in Ames in the near future.

Colorado Buffaloes (3-11)
Remaining games: at Kansas State (Tuesday), at Nebraska (Sunday)
Outlook: Richard Roby will finally exhaust his eligibility. It’s about damned time.

For much of the season, the Texas Longhorns have been one of the most efficient teams in the country on offense, with their guards knocking down long-range shots at an alarming rate. But against Oklahoma on Saturday, Texas was a paltry 2-of-19 from behind the arc and still managed to blow out rival Oklahoma, 62-45. It was truly a culmination of improvements that have been building over the last few weeks, as areas of the Texas game which had been incredibly weak in December and January were suddenly spectacular.

The change in M.O. for the Longhorns meant that there were a lot of new things for Texas fans to get excited about. From the improved defense to freshmen stepping up, there seemed to be a different flash of brilliance in each minute of the ballgame. As we march towards the best post-season in sports, here are just a few of the things that Longhorn fans can take away from the solid victory…

Gary Johnson is a beast – The hard-working freshman fought on the glass all day and showcased his great moves on the block before re-injuring his nose in the second half. But after Fred Burnett and Rob Lazare stopped the blood from dripping onto the sidelines, Johnson was back in the game with a plugged nostril and a fiery demeanor. On one particular bucket, he attacked the rim, was fouled on the head, lost his mask, and still finished the play. Texas is finally a team with both an inside and outside threat, and G.J. has been the catalyst for that evolution.

D.J. Augustin got some rest – Texas controlled the game for the entire second half, and Rick Barnes finally gave Augustin some much needed bench time. D.J. sat for five minutes in this one, which may not seem like much until you realize that the nine total minutes of rest he earned against A&M and OU were more than he had in the ten previous games combined, which even included an overtime contest. If Rick can steal some more minutes for D.J. to catch a breath against Tech, Nebraska, or Oklahoma State, the odds improve for a lengthy Longhorn run in the post-season.

Alexis Wangmene can D up – Wangmene did an excellent job against Longar Longar in the paint, standing his ground, forcing bad shots, and even swatting two away. Lex also hit the glass hard, grabbing seven boards in only sixteen minutes of play. The emergence of Wangmene and Johnson in the post provide Barnes with so much more flexibility, and it makes the prospect of playing a tournament team with a solid front line much less intimidating.

Texas can rebound – Although Oklahoma seemed to grab 100 offensive boards on their first possession, they were only ahead in the rebounding war by a 6-1 count after a minute and a half of play. For the other 38-plus minutes, the Longhorns controlled the glass. Texas outboarded the visiting Sooners 43-34 the rest of the way, limiting OU to only eight second-chance points for the game.

This is finally a Rick Barnes team – Barnes is an incredible teacher on the defensive end, and this Texas team finally looks like one of the old Barnes squads that could lock down opponents. The Longhorns held A&M and OU to 30% and 26% shooting respectively, and opponents are averaging only 61 points per game during the seven-game win streak. And considering that this Texas team averages over 75 points per contest, that’s not giving Longhorn opponents much of a chance.

Tip-off for the K-State showdown is just five and a half hours away, so check back later this afternoon for a game preview. For now, we’re heading out to see a bit of Manhattan and grab some grub.

Texas faces its second rival in a week when Oklahoma comes to town today, hoping to snap a four-game losing streak to the Longhorns. This has recently been a rivalry with runs of domination, as Rick Barnes and Co. have won nine out of the last thirteen against the Sooners, who had previously taken eight in a row under Kelvin Sampson. But for Jeff Capel and Oklahoma, today is not about reversing history, but rather trying to solidify a bubble résumé with a victory over a Top 10 team.

The last time these two teams met, Texas had just been embarrassed at A&M before securing a comeback win at home over Baylor. Many fans were worried about the road game in Norman, and the early play from the Longhorns seemed to reinforce those fears. Texas shot only 25% in the first half, but trailed by only four at the break. A methodical second half and solid outside shooting from the guards propelled the Longhorns to a 10-point win in front of a booing crowd.

The biggest difference between the last match-up and this one is the return of Longar Longar, who missed the first game with what was described as a stress fracture. As we discussed in the preview of the February 6th game, depth in the post is a problem for Oklahoma. Longar’s return to the lineup will certainly improve that problem, as he provided 24 minutes off the bench against Baylor on Tuesday and might even work his way back into the starting lineup today.

For a look at the rest of the Sooner starters, you’ll want to re-read the first OU game preview. Tony Neysmith is the only player not mentioned that could have a significant impact today, as the freshman guard has started the last three games in place of Longar. He’s only averaging about six minutes and three points per game over that stretch, so he’s not a huge threat. But adding him to the mix gives the Sooners a chance to play with a smaller lineup, further protecting their lack of depth down low.

Ken Pomeroy is predicting a 10-point Texas win and giving the Horns an 83% chance of victory, while Vegas has UT as a 9-point favorite. Today’s game is sold out, so folks in middle America can check it out on ABC, while those on the coasts are stuck with Oregon/UCLA. Post-game will be coming later tonight, but in the meantime enjoy a day filled with great mid-major tussles, a 1-2 showdown, and the Longhorns wrecking the Sooners yet again.

Preview from Burnt Orange Nation