After the first twenty minutes of Saturday’s game, it looked like the Longhorns were well on their way to another double-digit rout of a conference opponent. Texas held Baylor to just 0.64 points per possession in the first half, well off their season mark of 1.095, while the Longhorns knocked down more than 53% of their shots. Texas built a lead as large as 19 points and headed to the locker room up by 16.

Things changed rather quickly. LaceDarius Dunn scored 22 points in the second half, while Texas endured a painful stretch of 6:18 without a field goal. The Longhorns also left points on the line, making just six of 11 free throw attempts during the field-goal drought, allowing Baylor to hang around until the final minutes. The Bears were able to trim the lead down to just three points with 2:06 to play, but Texas ultimately iced the game with six free throws down the stretch.

The victory moves the Longhorns to a perfect 10-0 in Big 12 play, still just one game ahead of a Jayhawk team that waxed Iowa State in Lawrence on Saturday. With only six games left to play, even the slightest slip-up by Texas will practically guarantee Kansas a share of the conference championship. There are few games left on the Jayhawks’ schedule that look like possible losses, so it is becoming increasingly likely that the Horns must run the table to secure an outright Big 12 title. Even though this victory ended Texas’ nine-game run of double-digit conference wins, at this point all that matters are the Ws.

What looked good

A big part of Texas’ stifling first-half defense was a dominant effort on the glass. The Longhorns allowed Baylor to reclaim just 22.2% of their misses in the first half, limiting them to only a handful of second-chance opportunities. That strong effort continued in the second half, as the Bears finished with a 23.8% mark on the offensive glass. If not for Dunn’s impressive second half, the Baylor offense still would have been on lockdown.

The overall defensive effort was incredibly impressive for the Longhorns, especially considering how outsized they were in the post. Even with Dunn going off in the second half, the Bears managed just 0.843 points per possession on the afternoon. The Bears had only been held below 0.900 PPP one other time all season, in a neutral-site loss to Gonzaga back in December.

On offense, Texas did a great job of attacking the Baylor zone in the first half. The team knocked down their open jumpers and made quick passes for easy looks inside. Texas’ zone offense was so good, the Bears actually switched to their hardly-used man-to-man defense in the second half and settled for a hack attack inside defensively.

Texas’ execution against the zone was a welcome sight after a few seasons in which the team has struggled mightily against even average zone defenses. Rather than settle for outside looks as they would have in past years, Texas put on a clinic on how to attack the zone, and it worked to the tune of 38 first-half points.

For the Longhorns, the MVP was freshman Tristan Thompson, who was a beast inside. He blocked three shots, scored 17 points, and grabbed 13 rebounds, eight of which came on the offensive end. Unfortunately, he had his typical 50% performance at the line, knocking down just 7-of-14 on the afternoon.

Thompson’s impact was biggest in the final minutes of the game, as the Longhorns struggled to hold off Baylor. He knocked down a pair free throws to put Texas up five with 94 seconds left, then batted a Baylor lob pass out of bounds on the following possession, preventing an easy layup for the Bears.

What needed work

Part of what caused the Texas drought in the second half was poor shooting just feet from the rim. Time and again, layups and short jumpers rimmed out, allowing Baylor to slowly chip away at the Texas lead. It is easy to chalk these kinds of misses up to bad luck, but luck or not, the Longhorns simply have to convert when they are that close to the basket.

For the Horns, the 0.969 points they scored per possession was their lowest offensive output since the Michigan State game. While that’s not a terrible number, the strong first half for Texas buoyed that average, masking just how abysmal the second half was. During the final twenty minutes, the Longhorns managed just 0.795 points each time down the floor.

A big part of that offensive ineptitude was terrible free throw shooting. While that’s nothing new for this Texas team, their inability to hit the easy ones when they counted the most nearly allowed Baylor to come back for an improbable win. As previously mentioned, Thompson was the biggest offender with his 50% effort at the line, but the problem was team-wide. J’Covan Brown, normally one of the team’s steadiest free-throw shooters, hit just 4-of-7, including 2-of-4 after Baylor had been tagged with an intentional foul and technical foul.

If the Longhorns are truly the national title contender that many pundits think they are, we must bring up the cautionary tale of the 2008 Memphis Tigers. That team was just 61.4% from the line on the season, and their poor shooting down the stretch in the national championship game allowed Kansas to force overtime and ultimately win the title. One can’t help but think a similar fate is in store for Texas at some point in March if they cannot improve their 64.7% mark at the line.

On defense, the backcourt assignments were interesting. Shutdown artist Dogus Balbay was primarily assigned to A.J. Walton, while freshman Cory Joseph had the tough task of stopping Dunn. Despite the 26-point outburst by Baylor’s superstar, you can’t really knock Joseph for how he defended him. LaceDarius drilled multiple threes with Joseph just inches away from him, and he managed to sink quite a few layups and runners after making acrobatic finishes among the Texas bigs.

The defense on Dunn certainly isn’t something that “needed work.” After all, he scored just four points in the first half before his superhuman effort in the second stanza. But, unfortunately the dichotomy of our post-games doesn’t really allow for a better place for this note. You simply have to applaud Joseph for his effort and tip your hat to Dunn on an impressive performance.

Up next: vs. Oklahoma State (16-8 overall, 4-6 Big 12)

As Texas has made its march through the first month of the Big 12 season, the Longhorns have exorcised a few of their recent demons. The team earned the first win in school history at Allen Fieldhouse, then ended a six-year losing streak to Texas A&M at Reed Arena. This afternoon, the Horns can end yet another skid as they host the Baylor Bears.

After beating the Bears 24 consecutive times, the Longhorns have dropped four straight to Baylor, including a three-game sweep last season. That Baylor team went on to the Elite Eight, coming within just minutes of a Final Four berth before falling to Duke in Houston. This year’s team is a decidedly different group of players, and the odds seem to be in Texas’ favor this time around.

The Bears started the season with a lot of buzz, based on the arrival of stud freshman Perry Jones III and the return of sharpshooter LaceDarius Dunn, who will likely be the Big 12’s all-time scoring leader by the end of the season.

Unfortunately, the Bears have stumbled through the first few months of the season, losing three neutral-site games in non-conference play before bumbling through a 3-3 start in the Big 12. Baylor has since won three of four, and now actually find themselves in third place in the conference.

By the numbers

Scott Drew and the Bears play a bit slower than the national average, working in just 66.4 possessions per ballgame. A big reason for this is their standard 2-3 zone, which forces opponents to take longer each possession to find an open look. The Baylor offense is also a bit slow, as the team can often go stagnant for long stretches as Dunn works to get open and the other four guys stand and watch.

The one number that sticks out for Baylor is an abnormally high turnover percentage. The Bears cough it up on 23.8% of their possessions, a stat that is so poor, it puts them 315th nationally out of 345 teams. Fortunately for Baylor, the stout Texas defense isn’t one that forces many turnovers, so they won’t see excessive pressure from the Longhorns this afternoon. If Baylor does turn it over a bunch against Texas, it’s likely the result of their own carelessness.

The Bears are also a great rebounding team, thanks to one of the longest frontcourts in the nation. They claim 37.3% of the offensive rebounding chances they have, while limiting opponents to just a 29.1% success rate on their own offensive board opportunities. In pure numbers, Baylor is posting a +6.6 rebounding margin per game.

However, in their four conference losses, Baylor’s offensive rebounding percentage was 32.4% or lower. In four of the five wins, it was 37% or higher. Only Wednesday’s narrow win over Nebraska came on a night with poor offensive rebounding, with the Bears reclaiming just 28.3% of their misses.

Kansas, Kansas State, and Oklahoma also grabbed a ton of their own misses when they beat the Bears. Both Kansas schools had offensive board percentages north of 46%, while OU — a team that is typically terrible on the glass — grabbed nearly 38% of their own misses.

Meet the Bears

Baylor employs a very small, but talented rotation. Four of the five starters average 32 minutes or more, while Anthony Jones plays at least 29 minutes per night. The bench only runs three deep, but all of the Baylor reserves are skilled role players who make the most of their minutes.

The big name on Baylor’s roster is senior LaceDarius Dunn, who has one of the best shots in college basketball. He will absolutely kill you if you leave him open behind the arc, where he’s made 41.8% of his attempts this season. He’s also averaging more than 20 points per game, including an impressive 18 points per game against conference opponents.

Without Tweety Carter on the Baylor roster, defenses are keying more on Dunn this season. As a result, the Bears are having to work harder setting screens off the ball to free up their sharpshooter. In addition, Dunn has improved his floater and midrange game, which makes it much more of a gamble for opponents to play in his shirt on the perimeter.

Replacing Carter in the backcourt is point guard A.J. Walton, who is doing a good job feeding Dunn and the Baylor bigs. Walton has an eye-popping assist rate of 29.3%, good enough for 102nd in the country according to stat guru Ken Pomeroy. He also has exceptionally quick hands on defense, and leads the Big 12 with 22 steals in 10 conference games. Just like Dunn, Walton is a player that can’t be left alone behind the arc, where he is making 43.1% of his attempts.

Down low, the 6’7″ Quincy Acy is a force to be reckoned with. Although he’s not going to take anybody off the dribble, and more than half of his career field goals are dunks, he repeatedly finds a way to get open down low or sprint for an easy lob. Just ask the Longhorns, who Acy scored 24 points against in Waco last March. Of his 12 buckets in that game, 10 were throwdowns.

Acy is also one of Baylor’s big rebounders, grabbing 7.5 boards per game and 6.8 rebounds per game in Big 12 play. While he’s not the shot blocker that Ekpe Udoh was for the Bears last year, Acy does lead the team with 36 blocks, and he’s constantly altering shots when opponents drive the lane.

The other main rebounder for Baylor is freshman stud Perry Jones III. He’s averaging seven boards a night to go with 14.6 points, and he’s slotted in the top five of practically every NBA mock draft. At 6’11”, PJ3 has played every position in his career, so he’s a versatile threat with great handles, a smooth midrange jumper, and superior athleticism. He’s a tough matchup for 99% of the basketball world, so Texas will have to work very hard to contain him this afternoon.

Anthony Jones is another big man for Baylor, checking in at 6’10”. Although he’s adept at scoring inside, the junior has no problem stepping out beyond the perimeter and knocking down a triple. Defensively, he’s another long body on that back line of Baylor’s 2-3 zone that makes it tough to penetrate or get open looks in the corner.

Off the bench, speedy freshman guard Stargell Love has made a quick impact even though he suffered a stress fracture in his foot back in December. He’s able to split the point guard duties with Walton, but is more of a combo guard who can knock down the three or score inside the arc. He has a wicked pull-up jumper, made even more deadly by just how quickly he can drive the basketball. Although Love is averaging just 12.8 minutes and 2.3 points per game, he is going to be a big star in the near future.

Junior Fred Ellis is a swingman out of California who has already earned his Bachelors and is currently in grad school. He’s a pretty stout 6’6″ guy who scraps for loose balls and rebounds, and generally just provides smart minutes off the bench. (Smart minutes aren’t too surprising, coming from this Doogie Howser of the hardwood.) His 3.9 points and 2.3 rebounds in roughly 17 minutes a game aren’t going to set any box scores ablaze, but he’ll definitely make an impact this afternoon on a handful of plays.

Dallas product J’mison Morgan transferred to Baylor after a season at UCLA, and he gives Coach Drew another big body off the bench to sub into that dominating back line. He’s started six of the team’s conference games, while Acy has been relegated to the sixth man role, so he might be in the starting five tonight. Whether it’s as reserve or starter, the 6’11” Morgan makes it difficult for opponents to get easy looks inside, but isn’t much of a threat on the offensive end.

Keys to the game

The Longhorns can make things very difficult on Baylor today if they get out to a fast start. The Bears managed just 18 points in the first half of a loss against Kansas State, and scored only 21 first-half points against Colorado before storming back late for a victory.

Baylor’s preference for the zone defense means that a big first-half lead is hard for them to overcome. The zone gives them less possessions to work their comeback magic, unless they choose to go to their weaker man-to-man D. Then, they run the risk of letting the opponent score too often to be able to mount any comeback.

To beat that Baylor zone, Texas needs Gary Johnson to knock down the jumpers. He’s the most-efficient mid-range shooter for the Longhorns, so if he can get it going from the soft middle of the zone, things will really open up for Texas.

Baylor has had some major issues this season sliding quickly enough in their zone, leaving the baseline wide open on cuts. If Gary is knocking down the free-throw line J and forcing the Bears to jump out on him, Jordan Hamilton and Tristan Thompson should have a lot of open looks cutting along the baseline.

The Longhorn defense must also be sure to pick its poison this afternoon. It’s practically impossible to shut down Dunn, as he proved in Wednesday night’s win over Nebraska. After scoring just four points in the first half, LaceDarius poured in 20 in the second half, powering his team to a win over the Huskers.

Unfortunately for Baylor, Dunn likely can’t beat Texas by himself. And by the same token, PJ3 and Acy also can’t beat the Horns on their own. If Texas sells out to stop Dunn or to limit the inside scoring from the Bears, it’s unlikely the resulting one-dimensional Baylor attack can manage a win.

Finally, as we mentioned above, keeping Baylor off the glass is a surefire way to earn a W over the Bears. If Texas wins the rebounding battle, the numbers indicate that this Baylor team will have a very tough time pulling off the road upset.

TEAM W L THIS WEEK Texas 9 0 def. OU, 68-52; Sat. vs. BU Kansas 8 1 def. Mizzou, 103-86; Sat. vs. ISU Baylor 6 4 def Neb, 74-70; Sat at UT Texas A&M 5 4 def. CU, 73-70 (OT); Sat. at TTU Missouri 4 5 lost to KU, 103-86; Sat. vs. OU Oklahoma 4 5 lost to UT, 68-52; Sat at Mizzou Oklahoma State 4 5 Sat. at Neb Kansas State 4 5 Sat. at CU Colorado 4 6 lost to A&M, 73-70 (OT), Sat. vs. KSU Nebraska 3 6 lost to BU, 74-70, Sat. vs. OSU Texas Tech 3 6 Sat. vs. A&M Iowa State 1 8 Sat. at KU

With just three weeks left in the regular season, the only thing we know for sure about the Big 12 conference is that Kansas or Texas will take home the crown. From third place to the cellar, there is a jumbled mess that likely won’t be sorted out until the final few games of the season. There are currently seven teams within 2.5 games of Texas A&M, a team that is tenuously clinging to fourth place and the bye it brings in the conference tournament.

That murky outlook means that there are a bevy of meaningful games to be played down the stretch, and this Saturday is no exception. There are a pair of games which will break up some of the logjam in the middle of the standings, as the Sooners travel to Mizzou Arena and the Buffaloes and Wildcats have a rematch in Boulder. The Jayhawks, meanwhile, will be keeping an eye on the scoreboard all afternoon, as the Baylor Bears stand to give Texas one of its biggest remaining tests.

Oklahoma at Missouri; Saturday, 12:30 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com)
After getting manhandled at home by Texas on Wednesday night, the road doesn’t get any easier for Jeff Capel and the Sooners. They have managed to climb back into league relevance by grabbing wins against the Big 12’s lesser teams, but now have to head to one of the toughest road venues in the league to take on the Missouri Tigers. All four of Mizzou’s conference wins have come at home, and the Tigers averaged an 18.3-point margin of victory in those four games.

If the Sooners are going to have a chance in this one, they will have to control the basketball and feed big man Andrew Fitzgerald. If he can get Missouri’s Ricardo Ratliffe in foul trouble, Oklahoma will have a decided advantage inside. That’s easier said than done in Columbia, though, and it’s much more likely that the Tigers pressure the Sooners into a ton of mistakes in front of a frenzied crowd.

Texas A&M at Texas Tech; Saturday, 12:30 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com)
The Aggies were just seconds away from a disastrous fourth-consecutive conference loss at Colorado on Wednesday night. B.J. Holmes saved the day, however, nailing a three-pointer from well beyond NBA range with just 1.9 seconds left on the clock. The clutch bucket tied things up, and A&M managed to escape with an overtime win. Now, rather than being 4-5 and chasing a first-round bye in the conference tournament, the Ags are in the driver’s seat and can further solidify their position with a road win in Lubbock.

Tech, meanwhile, has finally started to play like a team filled with upperclassmen. John Roberson is averaging 18.3 points per game over the last six contests, and the Red Raiders managed to post a respectable 3-3 record in those games. Unfortunately for Tech, the last two games in that stretch were losses to Kansas and Texas, and this Saturday’s matchup with A&M precedes road dates with Missouri and Baylor. Even if the Red Raiders can pull off the home upset against the Ags, this brutal stretch will likely kill any momentum they had created.

Iowa State at Kansas; Saturday, 3:00 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com)
Iowa State managed to hang with Kansas in Ames last month, ultimately losing by just five points. But the Jayhawks have looked incredibly impressive since their late-January stumble against the Longhorns in Allen Fieldhouse, and you know the Cyclones won’t sneak up on Bill Self’s team this time. Even without Thomas Robinson and Josh Selby, the Jayhawks are likely to get their revenge by thumping Iowa State in Lawrence on Saturday afternoon.

If the Cyclones do manage to hang around in this one, it will be on the strength of their three-point shooting. Jamie Vanderbeken and Scott Christopherson have made a combined 123 threes on 44.6% shooting from behind the arc, while Bubu Palo showed some long-range skill in non-con against Dartmouth and Chicago State. If any of those Cyclones can string together some threes, this one might stay interesting. If not, there’s simply no way ISU can keep up with the Morris twins, who had 50 points and 24 boards when the two teams met in Ames.

Baylor at Texas; Saturday, 3:00 P.M. CT (ESPN)
An in-depth look at the Baylor/Texas game will be available in our regular game preview, available Saturday morning.

Oklahoma State at Nebraska; Saturday, 6:00 P.M. CT (ESPN Full Court/ESPN3.com)
Prior to getting blown out in the second half by Kansas last Saturday, Nebraska looked practically unbeatable at the friendly confines of the Devaney Center. Earlier this season, they staged a massive comeback in non-con against USC, knocked off a Colorado team that had been 3-0 in the Big 12 at that point, and upset an A&M team that was still in the Top 20 nationally when they arrived in Lincoln.

Oklahoma State, meanwhile, is dealing with rape allegations against one of their most important players, big man Darrell Williams. Jéan-Paul Olukemi and Marshall Moses are talented players who can lead the team through the distractions, but Doc Sadler’s tough defense will likely make this a hard road win for the Pokes to claim. Fortunately, Nebraska’s low-tempo approach means that even if Oklahoma State trails in the final minutes, they should still be within striking distance. This is likely one game you’ll want to catch as it comes down to the wire.

Colorado at Kansas State; Saturday, 8:00 P.M. CT (ESPNU)
The nightcap in the Big 12 is an intriguing match-up. Colorado knocked off K-State in Manhattan during their 3-0 start to league play, although the Wildcats were without Curtis Kelly at the time. Then, Kelly was in hot water after accepting free clothing at a department store. This time around, Kelly will be on the court, but only after a week in which his status was constantly in doubt. According to the Kansas City Star, the forward was under investigation for a violation of condition in the student-athlete handbook, but was cleared at a hearing on Thursday afternoon.

The Wildcats will need Kelly to make a difference in this one, as KSU allowed the Buffaloes to reclaim 48.3% of their offensive rebounding chances during the first match-up. If Colorado has that kind of dominance on the boards once again in Boulder, their chances of earning a season sweep are very good. Even if CU manages to play like just mere mortals on the glass, their potent backcourt combination of Alec Burks and Cory Higgins could easily carry them to victory. The two guards have combined to average more than 36 points per game so far.

With snow outside and temperatures in the teens, Oklahoma opened the doors of the Lloyd Noble Center, allowing any and all to enter the building for a game against the hated Texas Longhorns. The laissez-faire admission policy led to an overflow crowd, with 12,000-plus Sooner fans filling the seating bowl and spilling into the upper concourse, clad in their free white “Cheer Like a Champion” t-shirts.

Unfortunately for the Sooner faithful, the Longhorns made sure there was little to cheer for, champion-like or not. Texas once again rolled into a hostile road environment and silenced the crowd, which included Heisman-trophy winner Sam Bradford and “musician” Toby Keith. The Longhorns led from wire-to-wire, cruising to a 68-52 win in front of their own star, NBA scoring leader Kevin Durant.

What looked good

As it has been all season, the Longhorns relied on their trademark defense to build an early lead that they would never relinquish. Texas held the Sooners to just four field goals on their first 17 attempts, allowing the Horns to race out to a 15-point lead after just 10 minutes of play.

While the Sooners managed to attack the paint early, the Texas bigs created enough havoc to force OU to miss eight shots within just a few feet of the rim. For the ballgame, the Sooners managed to shoot just 30% from inside the arc, well off of their season average of 53%.

With so many missed shots early, the Longhorns were able to exploit their advantage on the boards. Oklahoma managed just one offensive rebound in the first half, and were held to a paltry 23.1% offensive rebounding percentage. In the midst of a tough shooting night, OU was rendered practically useless on the offensive end without the benefit of second opportunities.

On the offensive end, Dogus Balbay set the tone early for Texas, as he continued his recent trend of aggressively attacking the rim. With teams now forced to stop Balbay as he pushes the ball up the floor, Texas has an even more potent secondary break. If the initial defender doesn’t stop the ball, opponents are having to help and rotate before the defense is even fully set. That defensive scrambling leads to wide-open jumpers and three-pointers for the rest of Texas’ starting five, and this new wrinkle in the Longhorn offense is helping the team jump on opponents early.

Balbay even knocked down a mid-range jumper in this one, something that will be a huge boost to the offense if it becomes a more common occurrence. Without the threat of a jumper, defenses can still sag off of Balbay, an issue that made Texas’ inside game incredibly ugly last season. If Dogus can mix in a nice jumper here and there, the Longhorn frontcourt will have even more success inside.

With Balbay leading the team in scoring early, it allowed Jordan Hamilton time to warm up on a night where his outside shot wasn’t falling. Hamilton was just 3-of-9 from long range, but adjusted and used the dribble-drive along the baseline. He also capitalized on some great interior passing from Tristan Thompson and Gary Johnson to add a pair of easy layups. By the final buzzer, Hamilton led all scorers with 20 points.

It wasn’t just Hamilton that benefited from extra passes inside. Texas scored 28 points in the paint against the Sooners, thanks in large part to four assists from Johnson, who also added 14 points in a well-rounded performance. The solid post feeds also allowed Thompson to log an efficient 4-of-5 shooting night and an 11-point effort.

What needed work

Writing this section of the game reports has grown a little tougher as the season goes on. With the Longhorns winning 15 of their last 16 games, including nine conference wins by an average of 18.1 points, sometimes it can be hard to find things to nitpick. That being said, there is no such thing as a perfect performance, so pick nits we must.

While the Longhorns dominated the defensive glass, they did have issues giving up easy putbacks. When the Sooners did manage to grab an offensive board, they actually capitalized at a fairly high rate. OU turned nine offensive rebounds into 10 second chance points. Those easy buckets usually came when the Longhorns failed to box out on the weak side, and missed shots fell right into the hands of a Sooner waiting for the tip-in. Against a better rebounding team, allowing 1.11 points per offensive board could be disastrous.

The Longhorns also played a little loose with the basketball, perhaps a result of being in control the entire way. Texas coughed it up 14 times, giving them a turnover rate of 22.6%, a significant jump from their season average of 18 percent. Most of the Longhorn turnovers seemed to be a result of lazy passes or of the intended recipient simply not being awake. Just like the offensive rebounding, this won’t matter against much of Texas’ remaining schedule, but it definitely needs to be drilled down before the Horns face tougher opponents.

The bench was also largely absent in this game, although Matt Hill had some solid defensive possessions against OU big man Andrew Fitzgerald and grabbed five boards. But aside from Hill’s contributions, the bench was practically non-existent. Hill, Jai Lucas, Alexis Wangmene, and J’Covan Brown combined to play just 38 minutes, failed to score a point, and turned it over twice. It’s certainly a positive to have all five starters score at least 11 points, but Texas will need more bench production in future games.

Up next: vs. Baylor (16-7 overall, 6-4 Big 12); Saturday, 3 P.M. CT

Halfway through the Big 12 slate, the Texas Longhorns have defied the odds and find themselves atop the league standings with a perfect 8-0 mark. With the Kansas Jayhawks dominating their opponents game in and game out, it’s becoming more likely that the Longhorns will have to finish with a perfect 16-0 league record to claim an outright conference championship.

As any fan of college basketball knows, the toughest place to find wins is on the road in conference play. Tonight, the Longhorns take on one of their biggest rivals in Norman, as they square off with the Oklahoma Sooners. Fortunately for Texas, OU has one of the youngest rosters in the country, with three sophomores and one freshman in the starting lineup. The Sooners are playing well as of late, though, and could easily pull off the upset at home.

The first meeting

The Longhorns knocked off the Sooners 66-46 in Austin on January 15th, a game in which Texas led wire to wire. The Horns jumped out to an early lead by holding OU to just three field goals in their first 13 attempts, and allowed the Sooners just 19 points in the first half.

On the offensive end, the Longhorns were given numerous open looks from long range, and they were able to knock down seven of 12 from behind the arc on the afternoon. Jordan Hamilton was the biggest beneficiary of the poor perimeter D, and he knocked down five threes as part of his 17-point performance.

For the Sooners, Andrew Fitzgerald was the lone bright spot in an embarrassing loss. The big man had 18 points, scoring at will inside. Tiny guard Carl Blair also had a pair of easy layups when matched up with Texas’ Jai Lucas, who couldn’t match Blair’s speed. Unfortunately for Blair, Lucas only played six minutes in the game.

All told, the 0.747 points per possession that Texas allowed was OU’s worst offensive performance of the season. The Sooners were just 1-of-15 from long range, leading to an effective field-goal percentage of just 40.2%, their lowest mark in eight Big 12 games.

Since then…

After getting trounced by the Longhorns, Oklahoma turned things around, aided in part by an easy stretch in their schedule. OU was able to string together four straight wins, including a road victory against Iowa State. At the friendly confines of the Lloyd Noble Center, the Sooners defeated Texas Tech, Colorado, and Baylor during the streak.

On Saturday, the Sooner train finally derailed with a road loss to Oklahoma State in the Bedlam Rivalry. Cade Davis and Fitzgerald each had 18 points against the Cowboys, but the Sooners sent OSU to the free throw line 44 times. The Cowboys made more free throws (36) than Oklahoma even attempted (26), and the disparity proved the difference in the 81-75 loss.

During the four-game winning streak, Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel found success by shrinking his bench. The Sooner starters played a stunning 88.4% of the minutes available in those four games, which included a pair of 70-plus possession games against Tech and Colorado.

Cameron Clark was the breakout star of that stretch, averaging 15 points per game. The athletic freshman even played all 40 minutes of the win over Baylor, and grabbed seven rebounds against a Bear team that has one of the longest frontcourts in the country. Clark is certainly overshadowed all of the big-name freshmen in the Big 12, but he’s going to be a household name in the very near future.

Meet the Sooners

For an in-depth look at all of the Oklahoma players, click right here to read our game preview from the January 15th meeting between these two schools.

Keys to the game

while the Sooners made just 1-of-15 from behind the arc against the Horns in Austin, Texas must again limit OU’s perimeter scoring tonight. We’ve seen our share of upsets in this building fueled by ridiculous Sooner three-point fiestas, and sharpshooter Steven Pledger is liable to light the Horns up at a moment’s notice. Just ask Iowa State, who saw the sophomore guard nail seven three-pointers in a 38-point effort up in Ames. If OU isn’t knocking down a ton of threes, it’s hard to see their offense keeping pace with the Longhorns tonight.

The Longhorns also must flex their muscles on the defensive glass. The Sooners are still one of the worst offensive rebounding teams in the country, grabbing just 28.6% of their misses. In Austin, the Horns held OU to a 30.3% mark on the offensive glass, making it even tougher for the Sooners to score on the road. A similar performance tonight will make it very difficult for the Sooners to win the game, unless they are having a career night from the field.

Finally, Texas needs to shut down the scorer. During the team’s impressive five-game march through the league’s top teams, the Longhorn defense held Keiton Page, Khris Middleton, Josh Selby, and Marcus Denmon well below their season averages. On Saturday, Texas Tech’s John Roberson finally broke through against the UT defense and had a 16-point performance against the Horns.

Texas will likely find it difficult to shut down Fitzgerald, as they discovered in Austin earlier this year. The key is to once again find that lock-down defense that shut out Middleton and Page, and use it to limit the scoring from Pledger and Clark. As long as neither of those scorers are going off for 20-plus, it should be very hard for the Sooners to ride Fitzgerald to victory.