Heartbreaker in Norman...

Describing tonight’s Big Monday matchup between No. 24 Texas (16-8, 7-4) and No. 3 Oklahoma (20-3, 8-3) as a frustrating heartbreaker for the Longhorns probably doesn’t even begin to describe the immediate feelings of those in burnt orange. After outplaying Oklahoma for the majority of the game, Texas watched Buddy Hield deliver a dagger to give Oklahoma the 63-60 win. Here are 10 thoughts on the game:

1) Let’s just go ahead and tackle the sequence that sent Shaka Smart into a Tasmanian Devil-like reaction on the sideline, and the Longhorn fan base into an expletive-fueled tirade:

Late in the game, Texas was trying to get a switch for Isaiah Taylor that resulted in 6-7 freshman Dante Buford, who moved way more like a four than a wing, guarding the lightning-quick Texas guard. Taylor went at Buford to draw a foul and tie the game 60-60 with 57 seconds remaining. Oklahoma went two-for-one, and missed a jumper. Texas grabbed the rebound.

So Taylor again gets the switch, and again gets Buford. He drives at him, and puts him on skates. As he sees Buford unbalanced, Taylor raises his off-arm and contact is created. Because Buford is a 6-7, 220-pound big, he’s obviously off-balanced and the contact sends him backpedaling and flailing in a hurry to keep from falling. The fall is called on Taylor. Smart, along with the Texas bench, loses his mind for a good 10-second or so stretch before turning to his team and trying to pump them up. He had a right to be upset.

Oklahoma calls a timeout with 15 seconds left, and Hield caught Kendal Yancy, who played one of his best games as a Longhorn, reaching and created more than enough separation with the crossover, which allowed the senior, and frontrunner for Player of the Year, to bury the dagger three-pointer with 1.3 left on the clock.

2) Texas led 56-51 with 3:30 remaining. Hield, who scored 27 points on 7-of-18 shooting (3-of-10 from deep; 10-of-11 from the free throw line), went on to outscore Texas 12-4 in those final minutes. Texas’ half-court defense was sensational for 36 minutes, and then solid for the final four; unfortunately for it, Hield is such a great shot-maker solid doesn’t quite cut it sometimes.

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