Desperate Texas and Oklahoma Clash in SEC Showdown

NORMAN, Okla. — Two struggling teams will battle for their first conference win Wednesday night as the Texas Longhorns (11-5) face the Oklahoma Sooners (13-3) in a high-stakes Red River Rivalry matchup at the Lloyd Noble Center. Both teams enter the game winless in SEC play, with tip-off scheduled for 9 p.m. Central on SEC Network.

The Sooners, ranked No. 12 nationally during non-conference play, have stumbled in SEC action, losing three straight games, including a heartbreaking 80-78 defeat to Texas A&M last week. Oklahoma squandered an 18-point second-half lead in that game, despite shooting 54.3% from the field and 58.3% from beyond the arc. Texas A&M guard Zhuric Phelps torched the Sooners for a career-high 34 points, including the game-winning three-pointer with 19 seconds remaining.

Texas, meanwhile, has also struggled to adapt to the physicality of SEC basketball. The Longhorns are coming off a 74-70 home loss to then-No. 1 Tennessee, where they surrendered 17 offensive rebounds and 17 second-chance points. Texas head coach Rodney Terry acknowledged the challenges of adjusting to the conference. “We’ve worked really hard at trying to get better with our block outs and finishing possessions with physical block outs,” Terry said Monday.

Oklahoma’s offensive firepower remains a concern for Texas. The Sooners rank in the top 25 nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency, thanks to their elite shooting. They are in the top 50 in both three-point and two-point shooting percentages and convert free throws at an 80.9% clip, eighth-best in the country. Forward Jalon Moore leads Oklahoma with 17.4 points per game, while freshman guard Jeremiah Fears has emerged as a key playmaker, averaging 4.3 assists per game.

Texas will rely on freshman guard Tre Johnson, who scored a game-high 26 points against Tennessee. However, the Longhorns will be without junior guard Chendall Weaver, who is sidelined for a second straight game with a hip injury. Weaver’s absence leaves a void in rebounding and defense, areas where Texas has struggled early in SEC play.

History favors the Longhorns, who have won five straight games in Norman and eight of the last nine meetings overall. According to projections, Texas has a 42% win probability, with the game expected to be decided by a narrow margin. The outcome may hinge on Texas’ ability to contain Oklahoma’s sharpshooting and capitalize on the Sooners’ defensive rebounding struggles, as they rank 319th nationally in opposing offensive rebounding rate.

With both teams desperate for a win, Wednesday’s matchup promises to be a pivotal moment in their seasons. As Terry noted, “Porter’s teams never beat themselves,” setting the stage for a fiercely contested rivalry game.