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

ESPN.com is now reporting that IU officials have told Andy Katz they will pay Kelvin Sampson $750,000 to resign. A key part of the deal is the caveat that Sampson may not sue the school as Jim O’Brien did when fired by Ohio State in a similar situation.

This could make things very interesting for tomorrow night’s game against Northwestern, as the Associated Press reported earlier today that some Hoosiers skipped practice and are threatening to walk out if Sampson is canned, including star D.J. White. The senior didn’t confirm the rumor when asked about it by Indianapolis station WTRH, but admitted “I will not say it’s not true.”

This storyline appears to still have more mileage left on it, even with the departure of Kelvin Sampson and tag-along Kellen. Would the Hoosiers honestly pull a St. Bonaventure’s and scuttle their entire season? IU certainly has more to play for than the Bonnies did, and a move like this could hamper the future prospects of White and others. With only 25 hours until the road game with Northwestern, Sampson’s smelly legacy could soon hit the fan.

The website was inexplicably unavailable for about an hour and a half this afternoon. Apologies for the downtime, as the adventures of Michael Beasley and the recording iPod are certainly life-changing. Now, on to tonight’s TV listings, which could be useful for those folks not watching Clinton and Obama live from the UT Rec Sports Center…

Pittsburgh (19-6 overall, 7-5 Big East) at #21 Notre Dame (19-5, 9-3) – 6 PM CST, ESPN
Levance Fields had a quiet return to the Panther lineup on Friday night, but his presence is huge for a Pitt squad that lost four games in his absence. They are still without Mike Cook, but are hoping that Fields can provide a bigger boost in his second game back — a boost big enough to, say, snap Notre Dame’s 34-game home winning streak?

Massachusetts (16-9 overall, 5-6 A-10) at Rhode Island (20-6, 6-5) – 6 PM CST, ESPN2
It’s a rare chance to see some Atlantic 10+4 basketball for folks who don’t have the CSTV network, so you may want to tune in. The Rams have been fairly average in conference play and missed a chance to land a huge win when they fell short against Xavier on Monday night. This could be their last chance to secure a victory against the RPI Top 50 before the conference tourney, so this bubble-licious team really needs to grab the W tonight.

Michigan (8-17 overall, 4-9 Big 10) at Minnesota (15-9, 5-7) – 8 PM CST, ESPN
Tubby Smith and John Beilein are two high-profile coaches in their first year rebuilding programs in the upper Midwest. And though they say that coaches are the true superstars of college hoops, I don’t think these two have the drawing power to make watching this one worth your time.

Oregon (15-10 overall, 6-7 Pac-10) at USC (15-9, 6-6) – 10 PM CST, FSN
Andy Glockner still has both the Ducks and Trojans in the “Work Left to Do” category of his latest Bubble Watch. Neither can really afford to lose this game and dip below .500 in league play…or further below it in Oregon’s case.

It’s almost Friday, which means it’s one last chance to catch some good hoops before the weekend, and it’s also time to check out the newest power rankings. Luke Winn moves the Horns up 3 spots to 7th, and brings up what Texas fans have been saying for weeks — D.J.’s tired legs are a problem. You could definitely see it in the final minutes of the Baylor game, and it was pretty noticeable as he struggled versus ISU and Kansas, as well. Not that we’re complaining about Augustin here at LRT, but let’s get the kid some rest down the stretch.

ESPN analysts put Texas one slot higher, just ahead of Duke after their loss last night. Andy Katz and Doug Gottlieb were the high-water marks, with the Longhorns 5th in each ballot, while Dick Vitale continues to use illicit substances and vote Texas 12th. This level of stupidity is what makes us love the subdomain name for the folks at Super, Scintillating, and Sarcastic.

Heather Dinich of ESPN.com has a really great article on the Tony Durant, Kevin’s older brother. Dinich provides an interesting look at the winding path the man took to reach D-1 basketball, and I must say it’s refreshing to see a guy continue to work hard when he could just as easily become a leeching member of his brother’s entourage.

I know that TB and the folks over at Bring on the Cats are still steaming over the loss to Nebraska last night, but the hilarious videos they found of Michael Beasley could make any Cat fan laugh through the pain. Check out these three short clips of Beasley’s confusion, infatuation, and obsession with a reporter’s iPod.

It’s going to be a slow morning here at LRT, but we’ll be back this afternoon with new power rankings, fun videos from K-State, and a look at tonight’s Pac-10 action.