The No. 3 Texas Longhorns proved that they have truly earned their ranking, beating the Oklahoma Sooners 68-52. This brings Oklahoma to 12-11 (4-5) on the season.
“Texas is very good,” said Jeff Capel. “They’re the best team we played all year.”
All five of the Longhorn starters scored in double-digits, while OU only managed double-digit scoring from sophomore forward Andrew Fitzgerald, 16, and sophomore guard Steven Pledger, 13. Pledger put up these points amid his playing time due to foul trouble.
Freshman Cameron Clark, like the Bedlam game, did not play up to the standards he has in Big 12 action. Clark scored 2 points, and had 3 turnovers in 29 minutes action.
“We need him to get better,” said Capel.
Freshman forward Tyler Neal was a bright spot for the Sooner has he had one of his best games of this season scoring 6 points and grabbing 7 rebounds off the bench.
“He competed really well against a tough senior in [Texas forward] Gary Johnson,” Capel said. “He makes a few more shots, and he ‘plays great’.”
The Sooners fought hard, but the depth of Texas, and their 53.2% shooting, was unrivaled for Oklahoma, who only shot 32.1 percent from the field.
The first-half was all Longhorns as they started the game on a 24-8 run. With that lead, Texas did not have much to worry about as they kept their foot on the throttle.
“We had guys who let their inability to make a shot mess up their game,” Capel said about the first half. “And we can’t have that.”
Oklahoma played much harder defensively in the second half, but poor shooting, and rare misses from Texas made a comeback impossible.
“I thought we got some good looks,” said Capel. “We have to make some shots from behind the arch, but that didn’t happen for us.”
On the bright side, Wednesday’s game surpassed the Baylor game for the most fans in the arena this season — 11,572. This was much in part to the free admission and former OU star and current St. Louis Rams starting QB Sam Bradford.
“The fans were incredible,” said senior guard Cade Davis. “We really appreciate them, and we’re disappointed we couldn’t get the win.”
Oklahoma will have to regroup quickly as they gear up for No. 19 Missouri this upcoming Saturday in Columbia. Tip-off is scheduled for 12:30 p.m.
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