Austin, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Big 12 Conference rivals clash head-to-head Monday as the Oklahoma Sooners hit the road to face the Texas Longhorns at Frank Erwin Center.
Oklahoma, which sits on a 10-3 record this season, looks to build on a three- game win streak which was capped off by a 73-63 win over Baylor on Saturday. The Sooners are 1-1 on the road, and 2-2 at neutral-site locations this season.
Texas has won two games in a row, and five of its last six to earn a 12-2 record on the early campaign. The Longhorns took down Rice (66-55) and Texas Tech (70-61) to reach 12 wins, as they own an 8-1 mark on their home court.
This will be the 86th meeting between the programs all-time. Oklahoma owns a 50-35 advantage in the series over its southern border rival, and took both games in the season series last year, which included an 88-85 victory in Austin.
Oklahoma used an offense that shot a respectable 40.7 percent from the floor to slowly chip away at Baylor on Saturday, as the Sooners never held a lead that was more than 13 points in the victory. The home squad also used a 21- of-25 mark from the free-throw line to down the Bears in Norman. TaShawn Thomas netted 24 points to pace the Sooners in the win, while Buddy Hield notched a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds. Isaiah Cousins contributed 19 points with eight boards in the victory for Oklahoma.
For the Sooners, it's been more about a strong defensive effort this season than anything else, although the team's offense is certainly very adept with Hield and company at the helm. The Sooners are allowing just 59.7 ppg to opponents this season, but part of the reason for such dominance this year has been the team's 73.9 ppg scoring offense. Hield is at the top of the team's scoring at 16.0 ppg. Cousins (13.5 ppg) and Thomas (11.8 ppg) round out a trio of Oklahoma double-digit scorers. Ryan Spangler (8.3 rpg) tops the Sooners on the glass, while Jordan Woodard (62 assists) is at the top of the list in terms of assists.
Texas didn't shoot all that well (38.5 percent) from the floor in the team's win over Texas Tech on Saturday, but the visiting Longhorns were still able to take a 31-22 lead into the locker room at halftime. Each side netted 39 points in the second half, meaning the Longhorns were able to stay at an arm's length away from the Raiders in the rest of the way, which included a 20-point lead for Texas with just under six minutes to play in the game. Javan Felix scored 15 points to pace the team, while Jonathan Holmes tallied 14 points, Cameron Ridley added 13 points, and Myles Turner grabbed 11 rebounds.
With Isaiah Taylor (13.3 ppg) back for the Longhorns, Texas now has some more added depth in the offensive game. Texas enters this matchup with Oklahoma averaging 72.1 ppg this season, with Taylor, Holmes (12.6 ppg), Turner (11.7 ppg) and Felix (10.4 ppg) all contributing scoring figures in the double digits per outing. But the team's strongest effort has been on the defensive side of the ball, as the Longhorns have held their opponents to just 55.5 ppg through 14 contests played. Turner (7.0 rpg) tops the team on the boards, and Demarcus Holland (2.5 apg) is the team's leader in the passing game.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.