The Good, Bad and Ugly of Texas Longhorns' Overtime Loss to Oklahoma

Texas Longhorns men's basketball faced Oklahoma in its final regular season game of the year and ultimately lost to the Sooners 88-85.

An overtime thriller to end the regular season, its not the finish the Longhorns were hoping for in SEC play.

Despite the loss, Texas had some memorable moments, but some moments the team will want to forget as well.

The Good- Texas Leading Scorers

Texas mens basketball guard Tramon Mar — Texas Longhorns guard Tramon Mark (12) drives the paint against Texas A&M during their second round game of the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, March 13, 2025. | Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The majority of the Longhorns scoring was divided between four players, Jordan Pope, Dailyn Swain, Tramon Mark and Matas Vokietaitis. Pope posted a season high 30 points against the Sooners, converting seven of his 18 three-point attempts on Saturday.

Swain scored 18 points, but was more efficient than Pope, scoring five of his eight shots from the field, and making seven of his nine free throw attempts. Mark came alive late in the game, scoring 10 of his 17 points in the final six minutes of regulation. He also tacked on a three in overtime to help keep Texas within punching distance.

The scoring was rounded out by Vokietaitis who held 14 points, six rebounds and four fouls. Vokietaitis was a presence in the paint once again, shooting five for six and scoring all four of his free throw attempts.

The Bad - Texas Allowed the Sooners to Gain A Large Lead

Texas guard Jordan Pop — Oklahoma's Jeff Nwankwo (3) and Texas' Jordan Pope (0) fight for a loose ball in the first half of the men's college basketball game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., Saturday Jan. 31, 2026. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In its first matchup against Oklahoma this year, the Sooners were ahead by as much as 14 points, but Texas was able to close that deficit and pull off a victory. In a feeling of deja vu, the Longhorns once again found themselves down to the Sooners by a large margin.

With less than seven minutes remaining, Texas trailed Oklahoma by 12 points and found itself on a 20-8 scoring run that tied the game. The Longhorns have had a habit of letting its opponents jump to large leads, only to later attempt a comeback this season. As the team approaches a postseason berth in March Madness, they'll need to break this habit in hopes of going on a deep run in the tournament.

The Ugly - Texas Shot Selection in Overtime

In a miraculous turn of events, Texas found itsself down by three to Oklahoma in the final seconds of regulation. In an attempt to tie the game Jordan Pope took a final shot from three only to be met by staunch defense. Texas though found a stroke of luck when Pope was fouled on the three, sending him to the free-throw line to tie the game.

Heading into overtime, it seemed the momentum may have been in the corner of the Longhorns. Though hopes were high, Texas soon found itself struggling, scoring three of their eight shot attempts. It wasn't necessarily the percentage of the team's overtime field goals that was the problem though, but the shot selection.

The Longhorns put up a few head-scratching shots, only staying within three due to a pair of beyond-the-arc makes from Pope and Mark. The shots they missed though left fans with the probable feeling of confusion. With March Madness and the SEC tournament quickly approaching, the Longhorns will want to look back on this game to see what they may have done differently in the final minutes.

The SEC tournament begins Wednesday where Texas will take on the No. 10 seed and play Ole Miss in the first round. March Madness Selection Sunday will follow closely behind, set to take place on March 15.