It's a rivalry in football because both programs are among the elite in the country. In basketball? Not so much. Oklahoma and Texas will tip off on Thursday at 6:00 p.m. in the second round of the 2011 Big 12 tournament bracket.The Sooners upset Baylor in round one of the tournament -- and looked good doing it -- meaning the Longhorns now face the Sooners once again.
On paper, this one is easy to figure out. Texas is clearly the better team and they should have no problem taking care of Oklahoma. Of course, that's what we said about Baylor-Oklahoma on Wednesday and the Sooners came out shooting 57 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc. Not exactly a push-over, huh?
Look, Texas should definitely win this game but they've also lost two of their last three and three of their last five. They've lost to Nebraska and Colorado in that stretch so losing to Oklahoma is not out of the question.
That said, I'm picking Texas for all the reasons listed above. I enjoyed watching Oklahoma on Wednesday but realistically I can't see them come out and shoot like that again. Go with the Longhorns.
Check out Burnt Orange Nation and Crimson and Cream Machine to see what the fans are saying.