Oklahoma's Upset Bid Falls Short Against No. 6 Texas

Sir’Jabari Rice out-dueled Sherfield, scoring 24 points to Sherfield’s 18 to move the Longhorns to 21-6 on the year and dropping OU to 13-14.

Fresh off a mid-week upset of the No. 12 Kansas State Wildcats, OU needed the win in Austin to work its way back on the bubble on the heels of a seven-game Big 12 losing streak.

The Sooners saw a six point lead evaporate over the final six minutes in regulation, but Porter Moser’s team dug itself out of a five point hole with two and a half minutes left to even force overtime.

Turnovers cost OU late, however, as Texas forced five mistakes over the final five minutes of regulation and overtime to stave off the Sooners.

Solid work from Godwin early paved the way for Oklahoma to hang around with Texas late.

Off the bench, Godwin scored five points and helped put the Texas bigs into foul trouble in the first half, helping the Sooners outscore Texas 24-12 in the paint over the opening 20 minutes.

The success down low opened up the rest of the floor for the OU offense, as the Sooners shot 8-of-23 from deep.

Milos Uzan, Joe Bamisile, Jalen Hill and Godwin all joined Sherfield, adding double-digit scoring outputs to help heap the pressure on Texas’ defense throughout the contest.

Tanner Groves also added eight points to the cause before fouling out in 22 minutes of action. 

But down the stretch, Texas’ talented guards proved to be too much.

Rice scored 13 points over the final six minutes and in overtime, providing the lift the Longhorns needed to survive on their home floor.

The Longhorns’ depth helped Rice stay fresh, as the game’s leading scorer only tallied 34 minutes.

Oklahoma’s bench was outscored 36-25 on the afternoon, tilting what was otherwise a tightly contested game.

OU held its scoring advantage in the paint throughout the contest 36-30, while also pulling down three more rebounds than Texas.

Both teams shot 48 percent from the floor and made 17 free throws, but the Longhorns committed four less turnovers.

Back-to-back top 15 wins could have vaulted OU back into the discussion at the bottom of the NCAA Tournament field.

The Sooners would have had a great opportunity to string together a three-game winning streak as they welcome Texas Tech to the Lloyd Noble Center on Tuesday night.

Instead, Oklahoma is likely right back to where it was when it started the week, needing a magical run through the Big 12 Tournament field in Kansas City to burst its way into the NCAA field.

OU will take the floor against the Red Raiders in Norman at 8 p.m. on Saturday, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN2.