The Oklahoma Sooners take to the road to face the Texas Longhorns in a bitter rivalry. Owning a 53-36 lead in the all-time series, the crimson and cream hold a 21-17 edge over their opponent in Austin, TX. Generally speaking, rivalries bring out the best of the competition. On Big Monday, anything can happen. Here are three quick tip-ins.
Andrew Jones New Role
After earning a starting role, guard Andrew Jones has now been relegated to a bench role. Clearly accepting the challenge over the past three games, Jones continues to rise to the occasion scoring 15+ points during the small stretch against ranked foes. Providing the majority of the scoring off the bench, Jones could tilt the odds into the Longhorns favor. He’s definitely a player to watch heading into the basketball’s side of the Red River Rivalry.
The Three Point Line
As we all know and have come to love, the three point line can instantly change the outcome of any game from a blowout to a close contest and vice versa. One thing the Longhorns do exceptionally well is guard the perimeter. Forcing jump shooters off the three point line and contesting open looks, Texas allows opponents to connect on a mere 30.3% of their attempts from beyond the arc. The number ranks 20th nationally.
On the opposite side of the equation, Oklahoma has thrived when shooting well from range over the past several years. This year is no exception. Hitting on 38.1% of the attempts from three point land over the course of the season, the Sooners rank 60th nationally. This very stat line could easily determing the outcome of the match.
Freshman Talent
On Monday night, both teams will start a lone senior (OU – Jordan Woodard, UT – Shaq Cleare) intertwined with a plethora of freshmen and sophomores. While the seniors continue to shoulder a majority of the responsibility on the court, it’s the freshmen that are starting to impress. Oklahoma’s Kristian Doolittle is coming off the first double-double of his career. A 15 point 15 rebound performance secured the first 15/15 outing for the Sooners in three years.
On the other end, Jarrett Allen continues to receive raving reviews from teammates. After lackluster numbers before the turn of the new year, something has finally clicked for the freshman. In their most recent game, Allen logged career highs of 22 points and 19 rebounds against the Kansas Jayhawks. Even Bill Self admitted his program had no response or solution to the play of the budding star. The effort left Allen one shy of the 20/20 club in Austin, something no player has joined since Kevin Durant left for the NBA.