Oklahoma Seeking Fourth Ranked Win Against the Texas Longhorns
The Oklahoma Sooners got no time to celebrate.
Fresh off an upset over the No. 15-ranked Iowa State Cyclones, OU (12-3 overall, 2-1 Big 12) has to get right back to the Big 12 grind.
Up next? A date with Oklahoma’s bitter rivals, the Texas Longhorns.
In a meeting of head coaches taking over new programs, Chris Beard has his Longhorns (12-3, 2-1) rated 21st in the country.
With Oklahoma riding high and the Longhorns trying to shake off a loss to the Oklahoma State Cowboys, emotions could be heightened in Austin, but Porter Moser things the Sooners are going to handle the intensity of the game just fine.
“I think (the players) know the history of the two programs and so I don't think there's any hyping that up,” Moser said during a Zoom press conference on Monday. “… They know OU-Texas. I think they're familiar with that. But it's been about this basketball team, Texas' basketball team. Really one of the top teams in the country, the way they defend, their offensive weapons.”
The trip to Austin will represent just the third true road trek of the year for OU, however, and they’ve had mixed results.
First, the Sooners topped UCF in Orlando before falling to the top-ranked Baylor Bears 84-74 one week ago.
But in both of those games, Moser said he liked the composure of his team, as they’ve brought a steady approach all year long.
“Every place is hard to play,” Moser said. “There's not an easy place to play where we're going to. It's just, you've got to stay focused, you've got to be able to handle runs. I thought we were able to handle runs and bounce back at Baylor. We're going to have to handle a run, Texas is gonna go on runs, they always do. So we've got to be able to handle those.
As Oklahoma attempts to weather those runs, they’ve had a new piece emerge.
True freshman point guard Bijan Cortes played well in Waco before sparking OU’s comeback against Iowa State.
Jordan Goldwire brings plenty of experience to the table, but if Cortes can continue to develop, OU should have a steadying presence running the offense at all points on Tuesday evening in Austin.
“The last two games, he's gotten his strengths into the game,” Moser said of Cortes. “His strengths really is facilitating. He sees the floor so well.
“… He's getting his voice into the game, as point guards have to do. You can't be a quiet point guard. I think sometimes when you are a freshman and you are overthinking. Being quiet is a natural byproduct of overthinking. I think he's now starting to facilitate, he's confident, he's getting his voice into the game.”
Moser’s freshman will have another chance to impress against Big 12 competition on Tuesday night in Austin.
Tip-off between Oklahoma and Texas is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on the Longhorn Network.
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