The Oklahoma Sooners suffered a heartbreaking 77-73 loss to the Texas Longhorns in their first SEC matchup between the two rivals .
Jordan Pope led the Longhorns with 27 points, including several crucial baskets down the stretch. Tramon Mark added 15 points, while freshman Tre Johnson contributed 16 points. Texas jumped out to an early lead, holding a 43-27 advantage at halftime.
Oklahoma mounted a furious comeback in the second half, spearheaded by Jalon Moore’s career-high 29 points. Jeremiah Fears also contributed 20 points to the Sooners’ effort, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Texas’ early dominance.
The Longhorns effectively utilized a balanced scoring attack, while Oklahoma struggled to maintain consistency throughout the first half and then some. Despite a late surge, the Sooners ultimately fell short, dropping a fourth-consecutive game.
Moser Owns His Part
Following Wednesday’s loss, Oklahoma head coach Porter Moser accepted full responsibility for the team’s sluggish start.
“You know, for me, it starts with me,” Moser told the media postgame. “The first 25 minutes, I’m apologetic for the effort for the first 25 minutes,” Moser told the media postgame. “It starts with me. I want everyone to know that I look at myself in the mirror. That first 25 minutes was unacceptable toughness and effort. That is — that first 25 minutes was unacceptable competitiveness and there’s no excuse – starting with me.”
Moser, who guided Loyola-Chicago to the Final Four in 2018, is still searching for that level of success in Norman. Since taking over the Sooners in 2021, Oklahoma has yet to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
But Then There’s The Team’s Responsibility
“That’s two games in a row that we had 18 turnovers,” Coach Porter Moser lamented after the game. “It’s hard in this league. The margin of error if you’re taking – I mean, how many fewer shots because you’re turning over?”
Oklahoma committed 18 turnovers against Texas, leading to 16 points for the Longhorns. This trend of costly turnovers has plagued the Sooners in recent games, with 12 turnovers against Georgia, 18 against Texas A&M and 11 against Alabama.
These turnovers have proved to be critical in close contests. Three consecutive turnovers late in the game on Wednesday night allowed Texas to maintain control during a crucial stretch, and ultimately secure the victory.
These costly turnovers have been a significant factor in Oklahoma’s winless start to SEC play. While the Sooners have shown flashes of offensive brilliance, their inability to protect the ball has consistently hampered their ability to compete at a winning level in the conference.
Whenever things turn south, it’s easy to cast blame on the guys standing at the end of the bench. I’m not at all suggesting that Moser doesn’t shoulder any responsibility for the slump, and he’s not saying that either. What I am saying is that there’s plenty of blame to go around, and including the guys on the court shouldn’t be removed from the conversation.
Follow us on Twitter: @SportsHeartland