Texas @ Oklahoma preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 8, 2020 ) Oklahoma 72, Texas 62

As recently as the middle of February, neither Oklahoma nor Texas was making an overly compelling case for an at-large NCAA Tournament bid. Both teams have picked up some steam of late, however, and one of the two will leave Norman with a conference record over .500 and move into a tie for third place in the Big 12 on Tuesday when the Longhorns visit the Sooners.

Texas fell to 4-8 in league action following a fourth straight defeat on Feb. 15 - a humbling 29-point loss at Iowa State playing without its best player (Tyrese Haliburton) - but the Longhorns have reeled off four straight victories, including two in the last week against opponents ahead of them in the standings. "When you have self-pity or selfish intent or you get bored, any of those three things, you can't be aggressive. … That's affected us at times earlier this year. … But, our guys have taken ownership of it ever since we came back from Iowa State," Texas coach Shaka Smart told reporters Saturday. Just like the Longhorns, Oklahoma staged double-digit victories over Texas Tech and West Virginia last week to close the gap on the Red Raiders for third place in the conference. The Sooners are 12-2 at home this season - their only losses coming against top-ranked Kansas and No. 4 Baylor - and posted a 72-62 victory at Texas on Jan. 8.

TIME: 9 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN2

ABOUT TEXAS (18-11, 8-8 Big 12): The biggest difference during the winning streak has been the offensive production of Andrew Jones (11.7 points), who was named Big 12 Basketball Co-Player of the Week on Monday after setting a career high with 22 points against West Virginia last Monday and matching it at Texas Tech on Saturday. “It’s a phenomenal story. … For him to even just to be out there and playing and competing after all the stuff he’s been through is so much fun," Smart said of Jones, who is in his first season back after being diagnosed with leukemia in January of 2018. Fellow sophomore guard Courtney Ramey (11.4) has also turned it up offensively over his last five outings, averaging 19 points on 49 percent shooting.

ABOUT OKLAHOMA (18-11, 8-8): Playing two days after undergoing surgery to repair the broken nose he suffered on Feb. 22, Kristian Doolittle (team-high marks of 15.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals) tallied 19 points, seven boards and three steals in Saturday's 73-62 win over West Virginia. "(Wearing a mask is) an ongoing adjustment. It's no joke, I'll tell you that. It's a doctor thing. The only way I'm allowed to play is if I have the mask on," Doolittle said recently. Brady Manek (14.9 points, 6.3 rebounds) has scored 15 points in each of the last two games after totaling 19 over the previous three contests and finished 3-for-7 beyond the arc against the Mountaineers (he was a combined 2-for-21 over his previous four outings).

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Oklahoma is seeking its first sweep of Texas since 2015.

2. The Longhorns' four-game conference winning streak is their longest since reeling off seven straight Big 12 victories during the 2013-14 campaign.

3. The Sooners committed a season-low eight fouls in the first meeting and rank second nationally with 13.4 per game.

PREDICTION: Oklahoma 70, Texas 67