Game Notes: No. 1 Texas 77, No. 4 Oklahoma 49
TEXAS
The Longhorns advanced to their fifth Big 12 final (2001, 2004, 2006, 2007). They have yet to capture the Championship. Dating back to their Southwest Conference days, the Longhorns have lost their last five championship games (lost the 1996 Southwest Conference title game).
The Longhorns became the third team in Big 12 Championship history to advance to three straight Championship finals, joining Kansas (1997-99) and Oklahoma (four straight from 2000-03). Kansas can join this list with a win against Texas A&M later today.
Today marked the 18th time Texas had held an opponent to under 40 percent shooting (Oklahoma shot 32.8 percent, 20-61). Texas has won all 18.
Texas turned it over seven times, its fewest in a game since turning it over seven times against Oklahoma on 2/23/08. In three games against the Sooners, they have committed just 6.3 turnovers per game (19 in three games).
With the win, the Longhorns defeated their rival Sooners for the third time this season (64-54 on 2/6/08 and 62-45 on 2/23/08) marking the second time they have defeated the Sooners three times in a season since joining the Big 12. It previously happened in 2004. In the three wins, Texas held Oklahoma to 49.3 points per game, 30.9 percent shooting from the field (52-of 168) and 24.2 percent from 3 (15-62)
OKLAHOMA
In the loss, Blake Griffin continued his excellent play against Texas. He tallied 20 points and 13 rebounds, while shooting 9-of-17 (52.9 percent) from the floor. In three games against Texas, he averaged 18.3 points per game, 12.7 rebounds per game and shot 20-38 (.526) percent from the floor. The rest of his teammates shot a combined 24.6 percent against Texas (32-130).
Blake Griffin recorded his 10th double-double of the season. In those 10 games he is averaging 19.2 points per game and 13.9 rebounds per game.
The loss snapped a four-game win streak for Oklahoma. During the streak, Oklahoma had limited its foes to 52.0 points per game, 35.7 percent from the floor and 22.1 percent from the 3-point arc. Today the Longhorns shot 50.0 percent (27-of-54) and 45.5 percent (10-of-22) from the 3-point arc
The Sooners connected on only 4-of-23 from beyond the 3-point line - their worst 3-point performance, by percentage in Big 12 Championship history. Their previous low, 2-of-11 (18.2 percent), came on 3/9/07 in a 64-47 loss against Kansas
Big 12 Championship Notes...
Today's meeting between the Sooners and the Longhorns marks the fourth time the Red River rivals have met in a Big 12 Semifinal game. Texas knocked off Oklahoma the first time in four tries. Oklahoma had won the previous three games, winning in 1998, 68-55; 81-65 in 2000 and 67-51 in 2002. No two Big 12 teams have met more than twice in a semifinal game.
The Sooners and Longhorns squared off for the sixth time in Big 12 Championship, tying Texas-Oklahoma State, Kansas-Kansas State and Missouri-Oklahoma as the most-played series in Big 12 Championship history. This is the fourth year that Texas has faced both Oklahoma schools in a single Championship, but this year marked first time that the Longhorns defeated both the Cowboys and Sooners in a single Championship. Texas squared the series in Big 12 Championship play at 3-3.
Prior to today's 28-point margin, the first eight games of the 2008 Big 12 Championship have been decided by a total of 54 points. It served at Texas' second largest margin of victory in a Big 12 Championship game (43, 78-35 vs Colorado on 3/10/00) and the worst defeat for Oklahoma in a Big 12 Championship game (previous worst: 17 vs Kansas on 3/9/07)