One win could heal a lot of wounds for Oklahoma men's basketball coach Porter Moser.
Both teams enter the contest on a three-game losing streak after starting SEC play 0-3. One program will notch its first SEC win in men's basketball history in its first year in the conference.
Ending that conference losing streak and getting the Sooners back on track after a hot start is certainly a priority of Moser's. A loss against an 11-5 Texas team would be the Sooners' worst of the season, and the only loss so far that wasn't Quadrant 1.
The Sooners are just barely still in the NCAA Tournament field, and Wednesday night's result won't lock them in or out at this point, but it could still be detrimental. In the short-term, it could at least get Texas off the bubble and replace OU in the field of 68 for now if the Longhorns win. An OU win, though, would keep the Sooners in for now.
Sooner Nation is fearful of deja vu. Moser has routinely had teams start hot then fizzle once conference play arrived. He's never led an OU team to the NCAA Tournament in three tries. But that's a monkey that will stay on Moser's back until March, and if it doesn't come off then, then he'll likely take a pet with him to his next destination.
Moser's back has to be hurting, though, from the weight of all those monkeys climbing around up there. But there's one monkey he could cage Wednesday night with a win against the Longhorns.
The Sooners have lost seven in a row to Texas. OU's last win in the Red River Rivalry was Jan. 26, 2021. Moser was still coaching Loyola Chicago then.
Moser has never beaten OU's biggest rival. The Sooners are 0-6 against Texas under Moser. Coaches in any sport don't stay in Norman long without beating Texas. I'm not so sure Brent Venables still has a job at OU if the Sooners hadn't upset the Longhorns in 2023.
If the Longhorns win again Wednesday night, then Bevo himself might as well start packing Moser's suitcase. That's not saying Moser will get fired Thursday morning after a loss, but an 0-7 record against Texas and an 0-4 start to SEC play definitely unlocks Moser's door out.
A win, though, and Moser doesn't need to print his resume just yet. Just that one win over the hated Longhorns would end the losing streak in the Red River Rivalry, notch the program's first SEC win and keep this team in control of making the NCAA Tournament.