OU drops finale at Texas, locks in No. 9 seed for Big 12 Tournament
OU fell to Texas 94-80 Saturday in Austin to close the regular season.
The Sooners (20-11, 8-10 Big 12) finished 0-2 against the Longhorns (20-11, 9-9) in the Red River Rivalry’s last season in the Big 12. Head coach Porter Moser is now 0-6 against UT after three seasons.
Tyrese Hunter exploded and led all scorers with a career-high 30 points on 9 for 13 shooting in 37 minutes. The Longhorns were also led by Dylan Disu, who suffered a knee injury against Baylor on Monday and caught a stomach virus this week. Disu made a significant impact from the tip attempting to take charges and grabbing rebounds. He dropped 16 points with one 3 despite just shooting 51.4% from 3 entering Saturday.
Javian McCollum returned to action for OU after missing Tuesday night’s win over Cincinnati due to a shoulder injury and finished with just five points on 2 for 6 shooting. His shoulder appeared to not be 100%.
The Sooners led the way on the boards, out-rebounding Texas 28-25. The Longhorns out-rebounded OU 4024 earlier this season.
Offensive issues story of season
Long scoring droughts followed by quick runs and more offensive lulls seem to be the theme of the Sooners’ season.
OU started 0 for 8 from 3 before Luke Northweather drilled one with 8:24 left in the first half. The Sooners then battled back midway through the first half with a 7-0 run to tie the game at 20 at the 6:59 mark. The Longhorns started the second half hot, outscoring OU 19-7 over six minutes. Moser’s group never recovered.
Texas was willing to live with open looks from the 3-point line as the Sooners finished shooting 36% from 3. Turnovers also hindered the Sooners’ efforts.
They surrendered 14 and 21 points off turnovers.
Rivaldo Soares’ consistency
Rivaldo Soares has continued to be the most consistent player for OU over the last month as he led the team in scoring with 21 points. He shot 7 for 9 from the field with three 3s in 33 minutes.
Soares started his fourth consecutive game after spending most of the season coming off the bench. The Oregon transfer is averaging 17.6 points per game in his last three contests.
Soares, who has battled an ankle injury throughout the second half the season, left with 3:13 remaining after Sam Godwin stepped on the same ankle Soares injured vs. Baylor on Feb. 13. The senior guard limped to the locker room and didn’t return.
What’s next for Sooners
Following its first 20-win season since 2016, OU now moves its focus to the Big 12 tournament next week in Kansas City. With the loss, OU will be the No. 9 seed in the conference tournament. Entering Saturday, the Sooners and Longhorns were set for a rematch to open the Big 12 tournament at 2 p.m. Wednesday on ESPN+.