Can the Sooners Bounce Back After Falling to the Longhorns at Home?
The Oklahoma Sooners, ranked 11th, faced a challenging contest against the unranked Texas Longhorns and concluded with a score of 60-75. The Sooners now stand with a record of 11-2, while the Longhorns improved to 7-6.
The game at Lloyd Noble Center saw an intense battle where both teams displayed their competitive spirit. The home team, Oklahoma Sooners, started strong with an impressive first-half performance scoring 33 points but couldn't maintain their momentum in the second half adding only 27 more to their tally. Despite being in bonus territory and having two remaining timeouts, they could not capitalize on these advantages.
The Sooners' defense managed to block one shot and steal the ball nine times throughout the game. Their offensive efforts were led by fast break points totaling 15 and points in paint reaching 32. However, shooting accuracy was an issue as they made just four out of nineteen three-point attempts resulting in a mere twenty-one percent success rate from beyond the arc.
On individual performances for Oklahoma, there was notable hustle on both ends of the court but converting opportunities into points proved difficult as evidenced by their overall field goal percentage which stood at thirty-nine percent after making twenty-two out of fifty-six attempts. From free throw line they scored twelve out of seventeen attempts which translated into seventy-one percent completion rate.
Conversely, Texas Longhorns showcased efficient shooting throughout the game with a fifty percent field goal percentage by sinking twenty-six out of fifty-two shots. They were particularly effective from long range hitting forty-four percent from three-point land (eight made threes). Their free throw performance was also commendable as they secured eighty-three percent success rate making fifteen out of eighteen shots.
Rebounding played a pivotal role in this matchup; Texas dominated with forty rebounds compared to Oklahoma's twenty-four. This discrepancy contributed significantly to second-chance opportunities for Texas who scored six second-chance points while limiting Oklahoma to just two.
As for turnovers, Oklahoma managed better control over possession committing eight turnovers against thirteen by Texas; however this did not translate into enough scoring opportunities for them despite generating sixteen points off turnovers compared to eight by Texas.
Looking ahead after this setback at home ground Norman's Lloyd Noble Center will host another exciting match-up when Oklahoma faces off against Texas Tech Red Raiders on January 27th at noon local time (1:00 PM Eastern Time). Fans can catch all action live on ESPN+ internet broadcast network ensuring they don't miss any part of what promises be another compelling college basketball encounter.