Oklahoma is struggling to plug all kinds of gaps. Texas is trying to fill one hole — albeit a major one.
The rival Sooners and Longhorns meet Saturday in Norman, Okla., with both teams scuffling.
Texas (12-9, 3-5 SEC) is still searching for answers defensively following an 88-82 loss at Auburn on Wednesday.
“I’ve been doing this enough to at least know this — when you get deep into a conference season, you have to be able to defend and play offense,” Longhorns coach Sean Miller said. “You’re not going to be able to say, ‘Hey, tonight’s our hot night, we’re going to go get one.’ There’s too many good players on the other team. There’s too many good teams and coaches in this league.
“So our defense, it has to get better individually and collectively.”
The Longhorns have struggled on defense throughout Miller’s first season. Miller has been particularly frustrated by his team’s constant fouling, calling them out on the issue after their recent losses to Kentucky and Auburn.
Over their last three games, Texas has attempted 44 fewer free throws than its opponents. The Longhorns’ two losses during that stretch came by a combined 11 points.
“We have to become a better defensive team to reach what we’re trying to reach,” Miller said. “We just do.”
Dailyn Swain paces Texas in four major categories, with 17.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.8 steals per game.
Oklahoma’s issues during its current seven-game losing streak have been all over the place. The Sooners keep plugging one hole, only to have another form elsewhere.
The Sooners (11-10, 1-7) haven’t been getting blown out much during their slide, losing five of the games by less than 10 points and the last four by an average of just four points.
Three of those losses have come in the final seconds — to Alabama, Missouri and Tuesday in an 83-79 loss to No. 15 Arkansas.
“We just got to get over that hump,” Oklahoma’s Nijel Pack said. “There’s some things that throughout the game that we could do better, and (if) we start figuring that stuff out, it’s gonna get scary for everybody.”
Time is running out for that, though. It would take a near-miracle for Oklahoma to make the NCAA Tournament for a second straight year and, perhaps, for coach Porter Moser to be brought back for a sixth season.
A loss would give the Sooners their longest slide since 2010-11.
