No. 6 Longhorns Grind Out Win vs. Oklahoma in Big 12 Opener
The Texas Longhorns had a relatively smooth start to their season during non-conference play despite being faced with challenges both on and off the court.
But, as expected, the start of Big 12 play was hardly a walk in the park for Texas during Saturday's conference opener on the road against the Oklahoma Sooners.
Still, the No. 6 Longhorns (12-1) powered their way through the adversity of their first true road test of the season, as Texas came away with a tight 70-69 win over the Sooners (9-4) in Norman on New Year's Eve.
The Longhorns found themselves down 60-57 with two minutes to play. But tough shot-making for the Horns and perfect free-throw shooting down the stretch from Texas guard Sir'Jabari Rice iced the game late.
Rice finished with 11 points and seven rebounds off the bench and hit seven important free throws in the final two minutes. Marcus Carr and Timmy Allen both finished with 13 points while Dylan Disu got into double figures with 10 points of his own.
Texas overcame 22 points from OU guard Grant Sherfield and 17 points from Jacob Groves, who went 5 of 9 from deep.
The game was tight between the two rivals for the entire afternoon, as OU held the biggest lead of the game at seven. The Sooners also nearly pulled off the top-10 upset despite losing the turnover battle 15-11 and hitting nine 3s.
Texas will host the Kansas State Wildcats on Tuesday to begin 2023.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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