Oklahoma men's basketball is quickly discovering that life in the SEC on the hardwood isn't all that different than what its football brethren encountered this past fall.
Wins in the fiercely competitive SEC are difficult to come by, both at home and on the road. Nine SEC teams are ranked in the latest Associated Press Top 25, including five in the top 10.
The Sooners (13-3, 0-3) dropped out of the top 25 this week after suffering a third consecutive loss over the weekend at Georgia. Oklahoma will try again for its first SEC win when it hosts Red River rival Texas at Lloyd Noble Center on Wednesday.
The two newcomers to the SEC this season, Oklahoma and Texas are both seeking their first SEC win in basketball. The Longhorns came close on Saturday, battling then-No. 1 and now No. 6 Tennessee to the very end before falling 74-70.
Wednesday's showdown represents the 106th meeting in the men's basketball edition of the Red River Rivalry. Oklahoma leads the overall series 57-48 and is 29-17 when the game is played in Norman.
Here's the immediate concern, though, if you're a Sooner fan: Texas has won the last seven games between the two teams, including the last four in Norman.
The game will be televised nationally on the SEC Network, with a late start time of 9 p.m. CT. Roy Philpott will do the play by play and Mark Wise will provide analysis.
What fans need to know
Oklahoma
Oklahoma's scoring average is up from a year ago. The Sooners average 81 points a game with three starters averaging in double figures. Senior Jalon Moore leads all OU scorers with 17.4 points a game. True freshman Jeremiah Fears has scored in double figures in 15 of his 16 games and is averaging 16.6.
The Sooners' scoring depth is more evident this season than in the recent past. An SEC-best six OU players have scored at least 20 points in a game. Five different Sooners have scored at least 24 points in a game, which is tied for fifth-best in Division-I basketball.
Oklahoma attempted only nine free throws in the loss at Georgia over the weekend, but when it does get to the free-throw line, it can be an offensive weapon. The Sooners lead the SEC and ranks sixth nationally with a free-throw percentage of 81% as a team.
The 9 p.m. start time is the latest Oklahoma has started a game since Feb. 22,1989. For what it's worth, that Sooner team, led by All-Americans Stacey King and Mookie Blaylock, was the country's top-ranked team at the time and defeated Kansas State 86-82 at Lloyd Noble Center.
Texas
Tre Johnson, who had a game-high 26 points against Tennessee this past Saturday, leads the Longhorns with a scoring average of 18.9 per game. Kansas State transfer Arthur Kaluma averages 14.4.
Jordan Pope is also someone to keep an eye on in this game. The junior transfer from Oregon State has shot 54% and averages 19.7 points over the past six games.
The Longhorns are the second-best team in the SEC based on shooting percentage. Through 16 games, Texas is shooting 49.8% from the field. That ranks 14th in the country.
Texas leads the SEC in 3-point shooting percentage (39.3). The Longhorns average a little over six made 3s per game. This creates an interesting matchup with Oklahoma on the defensive end. The Sooners rank third in the SEC, allowing opponents just 28% from behind the 3-point line.
Texas began the season as the No. 19 team in both the AP's preseason poll and in the USA Today Coaches Poll. The 11-5 Longhorns are unranked currently. Their previous two losses, both in Austin, were to No. 1 Tennessee and No. 2 Auburn, both by five points or fewer.
Prediction
Like any sport in the Red River Rivalry, records and rankings mean very little. Both teams are struggling since the turn of the calendar year, each with three straight conference losses. That makes it even harder to pick a winner in this game.
Home court hasn't seemed to matter much for OU in this series, with the Sooners having lost their last five games against the hated Longhorns at Lloyd Noble Center.
Oklahoma snaps that string, though, and earns its first SEC win, edging Texas in a close game on Wednesday.