Entering Saturday’s game at Oklahoma, No. 24 Texas ranked dead last in the Big 12 in turnover margin and eighth in assist-to-turnover ratio. Those have been areas of concern for Rick Barnes’ team, which has exceeded the preseason expectations set by many who believed the head coach was on the proverbial hot seat. And against the rival Sooners turnovers were once again an issue for Texas, which committed 16 in their 77-65 loss in Norman.
Isaiah Cousins scored 24 points and Buddy Hield added 17 for Oklahoma, which outscored Texas by 21 points (30-9) from beyond the arc. But the Longhorns were able to make up for that with their superior size, outscoring the Sooners 38-18 in the paint. Cameron Ridley accounted for 19 points and 14 rebounds, with the sophomore center proving to be a handful for the Sooner front court.
What Texas couldn’t make up were those 16 turnovers, with the Sooners making them pay on multiple occasions.
Oklahoma scored 23 points off of turnovers, outscoring the Longhorns 23-5 in that statistical category. Texas may have young guards with freshman Isaiah Taylor and sophomore Javan Felix being asked to lead the way, but against the Sooners the entire starting lineup struggled with turnovers. All five starters committed at least two turnovers with Felix committing three. By comparison Oklahoma, which ranks fourth in the Big 12 in both turnover margin and assist-to-turnover ratio, committed just seven turnovers on the afternoon.
With the victory Oklahoma completes a sweep of the season series while also adding another quality win to its resume, which will help in regards to seeding for the NCAA tournament. As for Texas they’ll also hear their name called on Selection Sunday, but if they want to play multiple games in the NCAA tournament the Longhorns must take better care of the basketball.