Sims, Horns fend off Sooners’ comeback
For Texas coach Shaka Smart, the ideal start to any game revolves around getting sinewy forward Jericho Sims a post touch. The enigmatic senior tends to set a tone, one way or another, and finding a way to fire him up in the opening minute generally bodes well for the Longhorns.
So the first shot of Thursday’s game between No. 15 Texas and No. 16 Oklahoma at the Noble Center in Norman, Okla., went to the big man on the low block. Sims spun off Oklahoma forward Brady Manek, planted both feet and sprung into the air for a violent one-handed dunk.
Texas looked like it could channel that sort of positive energy all night in its third of four straight road games to end the season. But Oklahoma kept finding ways to counter. And for about two hours Thursday night, the teams engaged in a battle fit for March.
Thanks to a spirited finish from Sims and junior guard Courtney Ramey, Texas (16-7, 10-6 Big 12) was able to hold on for a 69-65 win over Oklahoma (14-9, 9-8).
“That was a hell of a Big 12 game,” Smart said. “Our guys hung in there. We won this game by just gritting our teeth, staying tough and coming up with some big plays.”
Texas and Oklahoma traded buckets throughout the game’s opening 12 minutes. The Longhorns sliced open the Sooners with dribble-drives and kick-outs to open shooters. The Sooners kept finding space to launch from beyond the arc, nailing 5 of 10 3s to start the game.
But those long balls stopped falling for Oklahoma until junior guard Austin Reaves (16 points) banked in a wild 3-pointer just before the halftime buzzer. Before that answered prayer, Texas had gone on a 16-6 to bust the game open.
That run was fueled by a defense that gave no quarter. The ability of Texas’ five to switch seamlessly frustrated the Sooners all night. Sims was especially menacing, hounding Reaves into exasperated heaves and smothered layups.
“Both teams were kind of trading baskets,” Smart said, “and neither team was playing the type of defense that that they were capable of. And I told the guys, ‘Whichever team really steps forward defensively is going to win this game.’ And we did it.”
But Texas tends to be as inscrutable as Sims in the second half of games. Despite that riveting first 20 minutes — Texas shot 60 percent and held Oklahoma to 37 percent — it was the Sooners who played like they were in control to begin the next period.
Post touches for Sims dried up. Guards Ramey and Matt Coleman couldn’t stop giving the ball away. And instead of playing disciplined defense, Texas started hacking and allowing easy run-outs for the Sooners.
Oklahoma blitzed Texas to the tune of 20-9 to begin the half, taking a 54-53 lead on an open fast-break dunk by sophomore guard De’Vion Harmon.
Even the easy buckets for Texas started turning into blown opportunities. Oklahoma senior forward Kur Kuath sent back a dunk attempt by sophomore Kai Jones, then erased what looked like an open layup for Ramey, exacerbating a brutal nine-minute stretch in which Texas shot just 1for-11.
But when Oklahoma, which won the first matchup 80-79, looked primed to hand Texas another loss, Ramey stopped deferring and starting stomping all over the Sooners. And that helped recharge the Longhorns’ defense, which limited the Sooners to 37 percent shooting.
He buried 3s on consecutive possessions, creating space with subtle jab steps and ball fakes before firing over the defense. Then Ramey started working the pick-and-roll with Sims, forcing Oklahoma to choose between staying attached to the sizzling shooter or swarming the imposing big man.
“Early on, for him to get some dunks around the basket and some good finishes, it really loosened up the game for us, and I think it makes things easier for our guards,” Smart said of Sims.
Ramey finished with 11 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Sims grabbed 12 rebounds and matched Texas guard Andrew Jones with a team-high 16 points.
“It took everyone,” Sims said. “Everyone was out there encouraging each other, really locked in. And I think (Courtney) was huge. I think our pace was good. And he’s made a lot of those shots before. We trust him to do that down the stretch.”
But that late onslaught by Ramey and Sims didn’t slam the door shut.
Sooners guard Alondes Williams exploited a mismatch inside for two buckets to creep back within two points with 42 seconds left. Then Coleman decided he didn’t want to be blanked after starting 0-for-4 and knocked down a contested fadeaway jumper with just 12 seconds left.
Reaves then darted downcourt for an open layup to put the pressure on Texas once more. Without a hint of fear on his face, freshman Greg Brown stepped to the line and sank two free throws to ice the game, lifting Texas over its rival.
“Our biggest thing was just staying with it, all of us,” Ramey said. “Today just shows that if we stay with it and stay together, we’re a good team.”