Still winless in league play, Longhorns and Sooners finding life hard in SEC men’s basketball

[ad_1]

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas and Oklahoma thought they were leaving the toughest basketball league in the country, only to land right in the middle of this season’s version.

Or fall straight to the bottom of it, really.

The Longhorns and Sooners both left the Big 12 after last season when that league had a reputation as the roughest, toughest conference out there. But their move into the muscular Southeastern Conference dropped them into a league that has emerged as the nation’s toughest gantlet this season with five teams rated in the top 10 and nine overall in the Associated Press Top 25.

The Longhorns (11-5) and Sooners (13-3) are both 0-3 in league play heading into their rivalry matchup Wednesday night, and the Sooners dropped out of the rankings this week from No. 17. Both are among five teams still looking for their first SEC win this season.

“This is a super-duper physical league,” Texas coach Rodney Terry said.

He should know. Texas’ first three SEC games were bruising matchups against No. 11 Texas A&M, No. 1 Auburn and No. 5 Tennessee.

“We’ve had some slugfests. The three teams we’ve played, they can throw some haymakers at you in terms of the bodies they can throw at you … You’ve got to match that physicality,” Terry said.

Next up is the road trip to Norman to face the Sooners. Another loss and the Longhorns could find their NCAA Tournament hopes and expectations in real trouble already. Oklahoma, meanwhile, has missed the tournament the last three seasons, and an 0-4 start in the SEC would put the Sooners at risk of missing it again.

Oklahoma sure looked good when this season started. The Sooners’ 13-0 start made them one of the last undefeated teams in the country. That included wins over No. 20 Michigan, and over rising programs Arizona, which has started 4-0 in its first Big 12 season, and Louisville. Texas doesn’t have quality wins like those.

But the confidence building in coach Porter Moser’s fourth season has faltered. League play began with a 28-point…

[ad_2]
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/still-winless-league-play-longhorns-170520250.html

Author : Associated Press

Publish date : 2025-01-14 17:05:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.