Sooners Travel to Texas
Texas has shown that it can win games when D.J. Augustin is struggling. It’s just easier to do when the sophomore point guard is contributing.
After breaking out of an extended shooting slump in a blowout victory his last time out, Augustin looks to help the seventh-ranked Longhorns win their seventh straight game as they host Big 12 rival Oklahoma on Saturday.
Oddsmakers from Bodog have made Texas -9 point spread favorites (View College Basketball odds) for today’s game (Game Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 72% of bets for this game have been placed on Texas -9 (View College Basketball bet percentages).
Augustin leads the Big 12 with 6.1 assists per game and ranks second with 19.2 points a contest. While those numbers have remained relatively consistent, Augustin’s shooting has fluctuated wildly this season.
Augustin was one of the most efficient guards in the conference early this season, connecting on 51.0 percent of his shots during the Longhorns’ 11-0 start.
However, he shot just 22.1 percent (15-for-68) from the field in his first five games in February. Luckily for Texas coach Rick Barnes, the Longhorns (22-4, 9-2) managed to win each of those contests behind big contributions from A.J. Abrams and Damion James.
"I told the coaches that he can keep shooting the way he has been shooting as long as we keep winning," said Barnes, whose team is tied with No. 4 Kansas atop the conference standings.
Augustin, however, finally broke out of his slump on Monday. He was 9-for-14 from the field and had 27 points and nine assists to lead Texas to a 77-50 blowout of archrival Texas A&M.
"I just went out and was aggressive and it was falling tonight," said Augustin, who’s shooting 44.3 percent in the Longhorns’ 22 wins and just 37.1 percent in their four losses.
"In the past, the ball just wasn’t falling, I wasn’t getting into my shot and I wasn’t following through so I tried to do that tonight. It’s mental, you have to fight and not think about it, and instead go out there, shoot and be aggressive."
The Longhorns hope Augustin can put together another solid performance as they meet the Sooners (18-8, 6-5), who are coming off their second consecutive dramatic victory.
Tony Crocker converted a four-point play with 7.3 seconds left in overtime as Oklahoma beat Baylor 92-91 on Tuesday night.
"When you win like that, it’s scary," said Crocker, who hit four other 3-pointers and finished with 20 points. "I’d rather not win like that, but a win is a win no matter how you get it done, just as long as you get it done."
The Sooners got it done in similar fashion at Texas Tech last Saturday, when David Godbold made a 28-foot 3-pointer with 1.4 seconds left to beat the Red Raiders 66-64.
"We’ve gotten very fortunate two games in a row," Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel said. "We still have a lot of room to play better and we need to play better, and I think we will play better."
The Sooners have a 45-25 edge in the series against the Longhorns, but Texas has won nine of the last 12 meetings, including four in a row.
Augustin was 6-for-14 and Texas overcame 38.6 percent shooting to beat Oklahoma 64-54 on Feb. 6. Augustin had 19 points, seven assists and six rebounds in that game, and Abrams added 22 points with four 3-pointers.
Blake Griffin, who had 29 points and 15 rebounds Tuesday, led Oklahoma with 19 points against Texas. His brother, Taylor, added 12 points and 15 boards.
by: Staff Writers – Email Us
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