New year, same Red River rivalry: Texas and Oklahoma make first impressions in the SEC

Just a year ago, still members of the Big 12 conference, Oklahoma was crowned regular season champion after being the only team to defeat the Longhorns twice. Texas, however, won the conference championship and went on to claim a top seed ahead of the NCAA Tournament.

The former Big 12 leaders are now looking to make an impression in the SEC, home of the last three national championships.

As expected, the first edition of the Texas vs. Oklahoma rivalry game in the SEC was a nailbiter.

The Sooners came out stronger in Norman, but the Longhorns found a way back. With a pair of 6-0 runs, Oklahoma had a 32-20 lead with eight minutes left in the first half, but freshman Jordan Lee threw Texas a lifeline with a third three-pointer to kick off a 7-0 run that eventually put the Horns up 40-39 at halftime.

There was a lot of game left to be played, though.

Texas scored the first six points of the fourth quarter after wrapping the third up with a 60-58 lead, moving up to 66-60. Oklahoma was quick to come back and narrow the gap to 66-64. The point-dense last quarter saw eight points by Texas senior forward Taylor Jones, who helped the Longhorns reach a seven point win at 80-73.

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“I thought we really responded well,” Texas head coach Vic Schaefer told reporters after the game. “[We] came back in the second quarter. We were up one at half, and that second and fourth quarter we held them to 13 points. My team executed tonight defensively, chased them up that three-point line, they made two threes. And that team [Oklahoma] is so good y’all, they can make shots. [Payton Verhulst] had to work for every bucket she got.”

Senior Verhulst led with 23 points, eight rebounds and four assists in a game her coach Jennie Baranczyk described as a “free throw fest” due to a number of turnovers from the Sooners.

“We struggled getting in the flow,” Baranczyk told reporters post-game. “It’s also hard getting in the flow when we pass to the wrong team. We needed to do a better job taking care of the ball.”

Oklahoma had 27 turnovers against Texas’ 18.

This win marked Schaefer’s Longhorns’ first win over the Sooners since Feb. 2023, and Texas’ first win of a so-far undefeated streak in the conference.

Texas was ranked at No. 2 in the SEC pre-season, only behind national champions South Carolina, and sophomore forward Madison Booker grabbed the Preseason Player of the Year title in a conference with some of the biggest names in the nation.

After a familiar trip to Norman for the conference opener, Texas hosted Arkansas and Alabama at the Moody Center in Austin.

The Longhorns had no issues getting past renewed rivals Arkansas with a 34 point win. Texas dominated each quarter, with a 15 point lead in the last one. Against the Alabama Crimson Tide, Texas’ opponent in the second round of the 2024 NCAA tournament, the Horns dominated.

In the third quarter, Madison Booker had more points than the entire Alabama team, who struggled to reach 20 points even 30 minutes into the game.

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Oklahoma had a different welcome run to the SEC. The Sooners have been leaving their heart and soul in the court in three tight matchups to start the year. In addition to the Texas loss, Oklahoma had to fight the Tennessee Volunteers to the very last second.

“I don’t even have a voice but welcome to the SEC,” Baranczyk told reporters after the Tennessee game. “We just played Texas, and obviously this game was a thriller.”

The Sooners defeated the Vols by a single point in Knoxville and stayed on the road to face Mississippi State in Starkville. It was a one point game at halftime.

With less than a minute seconds left, Sahara Williams leveled the score for the Sooners at 72-72. Once again, the newcomers were down to a last second decider. The Bulldogs eventually handed Oklahoma its second conference loss of the season as Baranczyk’s team heads back to Norman to face Texas A&M on Sunday, Jan. 12.

The two rivals had different starts to their seasons. At No. 5, Texas has continuously proven its worth as a top ranked team. Despite a now losing record, No. 10 Oklahoma has also been showing intensity and grit in its maiden SEC run.

Texas’ biggest challenge of the season is up next as Schaefer’s team faces Dawn Staley and national champion South Carolina in Columbia, S.C.

“I’ve got a lot of confidence in my team,” Schaefer said. “I know South Carolina is a very good team and they’ll be ready, but I’ve got a lot of confidence in my team too, and we’ll do a good job preparing them. We’ll have to play well, really hard.”

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