Tag: big 12 basketball

Texas gets big win against Oklahoma State

In a must-win scenario for Texas, they delivered on the road against Oklahoma State. Winning 76-64, it was an all-around effort from UT.

In a must-win scenario for the Longhorns, they delivered on the road in Stillwater against Oklahoma State. Winning 76-64, it was an all-around effort from Texas, getting multiple players involved.

With five different players in double figures, Jase Febres and Kamaka Hepa led the way with 15 points. Between the two of them, they shot a combined 6-13 from the three-point line, making six out of the team’s 15 threes.

Guards Courtney Ramey and Matt Coleman had 14 and 10 points respectively, making four Texas starters in double figures. Ramey added nine rebounds and six assists, leading the team in both. He also went 4-8 from behind the arc and Coleman went 2-3.

Off the bench, Andrew Jones had 12 points, the most he has had since the Lone Star Showdown against Texas A&M. Playing 31 minutes, he also added three rebounds and an assist.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Longhorns held their opponent to under 70 points for the 11th time in 16 games. Now only allowing 60.9 points per game, the Texas defense continues to be one of the best in the Big 12.

Now sitting at 2-2, in the conference, it only gets tougher for Texas. The next two games are against two of the best in the conference, Kansas and West Virginia. Hosting Kansas at home on Saturday, Jan 18 and traveling mid-week to Morgantown, the Longhorns will need to find a way to get a win against a highly ranked team before facing LSU in the Big 12/SEC Challenge on Jan. 25.

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4 takeaways from Oklahoma’s 66-52 loss to Kansas

Oklahoma (11-5, 2-2) dropped a tough one to No. 6 Kansas (13-3, 3-1) at home, their first home loss of the season, 66-52.

Oklahoma (11-5, 2-2) dropped a tough one to No. 6 Kansas (13-3, 3-1) at home, their first home loss of the season, 66-52.

The Sooners were a thorn in the Jayhawks all night long, keeping Kansas relatively quiet from the floor all night. With the slow erosion caused by Udoka Azubuike in the interior, Oklahoma wilted away as time dwindled down.

HARMON IS FOR REAL

Freshman guard, De’Vion Harmon is the real deal. His 13 points kept the Sooners in the game as he fed off the crowd of 10,486. When Oklahoma needed points, the ball somehow found Harmon wide open on multiple occasions ending with the ball finding the bottom of the net nearly 50% of the time.

AZUBUIKE IS A GROWN MAN

Kansas center, Udoka Azubuike would make a great left tackle in the NFL. Never in my life have I seen a human that big and athletic. His legs are as thick as trees and that is not an exaggeration. Azubuike is going to make a lot of money in the NBA if he can develop a consistent jump shot.

THE SOONERS ARE CLOSE

It may be frustrating to watch as a fan but Oklahoma is close. Hanging around Kansas while shooting around 30% is something within itself. This game could have very easily have been a 25-point rout but instead, the Sooners fought until the very end. This team will be fun to watch the moment they overcome the hump.

Oklahoma hosts TCU on Saturday at 1p.m. CT. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ as part of Big 12 NOW.

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Oklahoma hangs tough early, falls short late against Kansas in 66-52 loss

The sound was deafening. Top Daug made his highly anticipated return to Oklahoma’s sidelines Tuesday night.

The sound was deafening.

Top Daug made his highly anticipated return to Oklahoma’s sidelines in front of 10,486 fans on Tuesday night. The crowd was rowdy well before the  Sooners (11-5, 2-2) and Jayhawks (13-3, 3-1) took the floor.

Lon Kruger’s squad hung tough for the majority of the game before falling away late and losing 66-52.

Oklahoma was ice cold early on, especially leading-scorer Kristian Doolittle who began the game 3-of-11 from the floor in the first half. The Sooners as a whole were only 9-of-32 from the floor and 4-of-7 from the charity stripe.

All night, Oklahoma could not get any 50/50 balls to fall their way with countless baskets rimming out, finishing the game shooting 31 percent from the floor and 8-of-29 (28 percent) from deep.

It became apparent early in the game that Doolittle was the one tasked with limiting mammoth Kansas center Udoka Azubuike. Lon Kruger and Bill Self played a chess match like a couple of prizefighters feeling each other out in the early rounds of a bout. When Self would take Azubukie off, Kruger would match. When Doolittle came in after a breather, Azubuike was never far behind him.

The duo duked it out for the majority of the first half but foul trouble for Doolittle forced Brady Manek and Kur Kuath onto Azubuike for the remainder of the game.

Manek had a tough game from start to finish, but to Azubuike’s credit, he kept it well within the letter of the law. Kuath did a decent job in the matchup, but the few rarely went head to head.

Despite shooting poorly in the first half, Oklahoma trailed 28-27 at the half while holding the Jayhawks to 39% shooting. The Sooners also held their own on the glass in the opening 20 minutes, trailing 26-22 in total rebounds.

One solid constant against Kansas was De’Vion Harmon. The true freshman was a bright spot in his first time back in the starting lineup since the Creighton game on Dec. 17.

Early on, Harmon was found by Reaves on a fast break for an easy layup, bringing the Lloyd Noble Center to their feet. The true freshman did not let his first matchup against the Jayhawks phase him as he finished with 13 points, including a trio of 3-pointers in crucial spots to keep the Sooners in striking range.

Oklahoma hits the hardwood on Saturday as they play host to TCU at 1p.m. CT. The game can be found on ESPN Big 12+.

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How Short Should Shaka Smart’s Leash Be?

The Texas Longhorns’ basketball has been a disappointment the last couple of seasons, should Shaka Smart be worried about his job status?

For the Texas Longhorns basketball team, they have been looking for that breakout season that would lead you to believe they are on the right track. While the team has made it to the big dance under Smart, there hasn’t been any sustained success that Smart had for Virginia Commonwealth University.

During his six seasons with the VCU Rams, Smart led the team to a 163-56 record (.744 winning percentage) in those six years. His second season saw VCU make it all the way to the Final Four before getting bounced from the tournament. He wouldn’t get higher than the second round in the final four years before departing for Texas.

Smart has been in charge of the Texas Longhorns basketball program for just over four seasons now. He has a 81-70 record (.540 winning percentage), that doesn’t exactly breed confidence to fans or boosters for that matter. In two of his first four seasons saw Smart lead Texas to the NCAA Tournament only to get ousted in the first round. Last season the Longhorns took home the NIT Tournament Championship.

Texas finally got their first win of the Big 12 season when they defeated Kansas State  at home in Austin. They now look to take down Oklahoma State in Stillwater on Wednesday. The Longhorns are searching for a second-straight conference victory and the first on the road. Given how the rest of the conference is shaping up, can Texas allow Smart to remain in the driver’s seat?

Smart’s predecessor, Rick Barnes led the Longhorns to the Final Four in his fifth season as their head coach. Each year was a progression for Barnes from just making the tournament to the sweet 16 and then the final four. That would be his best season with Texas but unfortunately the Longhorns paid a lot of money to Smart and aren’t seeing a return on their investment.

The question remains, not that should Shaka Smart be on a short leash but just how short is it?

How to watch, listen, and stream Texas Women’s Basketball vs. Texas Tech

How to watch, listen and stream Texas Women’s basketball team as they take on in-state rival Texas Tech Lady Raiders.

The Texas women’s basketball team is off to a poor start in Big 12 play, losing two out of their first three games. Only playing one home game at this point, the Longhorns lost their first home game of the season to TCU on Jan. 3.

Going 1-1 in road games against Iowa State and West Virginia, they have the chacne to get their Big 12 record back to .500 against Texas Tech. Also 1-2 in Big 12 play, the Red Raiders are also looking to get back on track as they lost their last game at home to Kansas State.

Here is how you can watch, listen, and stream Texas women’s basketball square off against Texas Tech:

Game information:

Date: 1/15/2020

Time: 7:00 p.m. CST

Location: Frank C. Erwin, JR., Special Events Center Austin, Tx

Watch: Longhorn Network

Listen: TexasSports.com/audio —Austin 104.9FM, 99.3FM, 98.5FM, 1260AM; Dallas 1080AM; El Paso 600AM; Houston 790AM; San Antonio 1200AM — Spanish: Austin 105.3FM; Dallas 990AM, 99.9FM

Stream: Watch ESPN App

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How to watch, listen, and stream Texas Basketball vs. Oklahoma State

Both Texas and Oklahoma State need to pick up a win to keep their seasons alive. Here is how you can watch, listen, and stream the game.

Securing their first victory in Big 12 play over the weekend against Kansas State, Texas men’s basketball is looking to get on a win streak rolling against Oklahoma State. With a record of 1-2, getting back to .500 would be huge for the Longhorns with the slate of games upcoming.

As for the Cowboys, they have lost all three of their Big 12 games to date. Facing Texas Tech, West Virginia, and TCU, the competition has not been easy for Oklahoma State. Both of these teams need to pick up a win to keep their seasons alive.

Here is how you can watch, listen, and stream Texas basketball square off against Oklahoma State:

Game information:

Date: 1/15/2020

Time: 7:00 p.m. CST

Location: Gallagher-Iba Arena Stillwater, Oklahoma

Watch: Big 12 Now/ESPN+

Listen: TexasSports.com/audio —Austin 104.9FM, 99.3FM, 98.5FM, 1260AM; Dallas 1080AM; El Paso 600AM; Houston 790AM; San Antonio 1200AM — Spanish: Austin 105.3FM; Dallas 990AM, 99.9FM

Stream: ESPN+

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3 keys for Oklahoma basketball against Kansas

Oklahoma (11-4, 2-1) faces off against No. 6 Kansas (12-3, 2-1) in a crucial Big 12 matchup for both sides.

Oklahoma (11-4, 2-1) faces off against No. 6 Kansas (12-3, 2-1) in a crucial Big 12 matchup for both sides.

The Jayhawks come off a rare home loss against now No. 2 ranked Baylor (13-1, 3-0), losing to the Bears 67-55 and will without a doubt be looking to get back to their winning ways against the Sooners.

As for Oklahoma, they return home after getting a road split, losing their first Big 12 game of the season against Iowa State, 81-68. The loss does not come in a great part of the Sooners’ schedule with a trip to Baylor next Monday and Mississippi State coming to Oklahoma to play next Saturday as part of the Big 12-SEC Challenge.

However, Kansas has failed to leave Norman with a win each of the past two years against less talented Sooner teams.

MAINTAIN POSSESSION

Oklahoma against the Cyclones last Saturday failed to keep possession, turning the ball over 15 times. The Sooners need to hang on to the ball and value their possessions to find good looks which can be hard to find against the Jayhawks.

CONTAIN AZUBUIKE

Much easier said than done, Oklahoma has to find a way for Kansas’ star player, Udoka Azubuike to be either the only player that beats them or keep Azubuike from being a factor. Obviously the prior would be the most realistic as the Sooners, nor any other team in the country has the size and depth to keep Azubuike at bay.

CHEW THE CLOCK

Oklahoma had a ton of empty possessions against Iowa State. One problem that stood out over others was how quickly the Sooners were taking shots in the shot clock. Taking the shot clock down inside 10 seconds as much as possible should bode well for Oklahoma. With that being said, if there’s a good look early in the clock, you best believe the Sooners are going to shoot it.

Oklahoma and No. 6 Kansas can be viewed on ESPN. Tip-off is set for 8p.m. CT.

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When, where, how to watch, how to stream Oklahoma-Kansas

Oklahoma (11-4, 2-1) plays host to No. 6 ranked Kansas (12-3, 2-1) as part of ESPN’s ‘Super Tuesday’.

Oklahoma (11-4, 2-1) plays host to No. 6 ranked Kansas (12-3, 2-1) as part of ESPN’s ‘Super Tuesday’.

The Sooners look to get their third straight home win against Kansas in Top Daug’s return home to Norman, Okla. Both teams are coming off of conference losses as Oklahoma dropped one against Iowa State on the road, 81-68 and Kansas lost a tough one against now No. 2 ranked Baylor (13-1, 3-0) at home.

With the big matchup, an old face makes his much-awaited return. Following a 15 season hiatus, Top Daug will be patrolling the baselines at the Lloyd Noble Center once again.

Here is how to watch, listen and stream the game if you cannot make the clash of Big 12 foes.

WHERE: Norman, Okla. (Lloyd Noble Center)

WHEN: 8:00 p.m. CT

HOW TO WATCH: ESPN

HOW TO LISTEN: Sooner Sports Radio Network—KOKC AM 1520 and KRXO 107.7 FM in OKC, KMOD FM 97.5 and KTBZ AM 1430 in Tulsa (click here for more options if not in either of those markets)

HOW TO STREAM: WATCH ESPN

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Texas get first conference win, beat Kansas State

Starting Big 12 play 0-2, tonight was a must-win game for the Longhorns. Running into Kansas State, they picked up a much-needed win,

Starting Big 12 play 0-2 with losses to Baylor and Oklahoma, tonight was a must-win game for head coach Shaka Smart and the Longhorns. Running into another struggling team in Kansas State, Texas picked up a much-needed win against the Wildcats, 64-50.

Matt Coleman led Texas in scoring, having 14 points. He added two rebounds and four assists. As a team, the Longhorns shot 49% from the field and 43.5% for behind the three-point line.

The three-point shooting was the difference in the game, as Texas made double the amount the Wildcats have. Making 10 threes, three of them came from Courtney Ramey, while Coleman, Jase Febres, and Kamaka Hepa added two each.

Texas’ defense was outstanding tonight as well, holding Kansas State to 50 points. That is the fewest amount they have scored all year, as they came into tonight averaging 65 points per game. Cartier Diarra was the only Wildcat player in double figures, scoring 14 points on 6-16 shooting.

If the Longhorns did not pick up a victory tonight, it would have been a rough rest of the month attempting to pick up their next conference game. Three of the next four Big 12 games will be on the road for Texas, traveling to Oklahoma State, West Virginia, and TCU. They will play host to Kansas and LSU in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

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4 takeaways from Oklahoma’s 81-68 loss to Iowa State

Oklahoma (11-4, 2-1) has yet to start conference play on a three-game win-streak since 2013…

Oklahoma (11-4, 2-1) has yet to start conference play on a three-game win-streak since 2013, dropping their first conference game of the season against Iowa State (8-7, 1-2), 81-68.

However, not everything was a loss against the Cyclones.

THE ZONE WORKS

Lon Kruger switched to the zone when the Sooners were down 17, early in the second half. The 2-3 zone did not let Oklahoma back into the game but it did keep Iowa State within arms reach for much longer than they should have been. Kruger pulled out the zone against Kansas State in the Big 12 opener, pulling off a comeback win.

CLEAN THE GLASS

To say the Sooners lacked strength in the paint against the Cyclones would be an understatement. Oklahoma was outrebounded 35-25 and tallied just three offensive boards. Being one of the smaller teams in the Big 12, the Sooners are going to have to toughen up and outwork their opponents in the paint.

THE TRIO DID IT AGAIN

The three-headed monster of Austin Reaves, Kristian Doolittle, and Brady Manek did not allow the blowout loss to affect their scoring averages. All three were in double-digits and accounted for 43 of the Sooners’ 68 points and 14 of Oklahoma’s 25 rebounds.

For the Sooners, it will take more than those three for them to get wins against most of the Big 12.

BIENIEMY IS WARMING UP

Sophomore guard, Jamal Bieniemy had himself another solid performance, giving him back to back double-digit scoring performances. His 10 points, four rebounds and two assists were a bright spot in a game that was hard to watch for Sooners fans.

Oklahoma plays host to No. 3 Kansas on Tuesday on ESPN at 8p.m. CT.

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