BEVO BEAT Men's Basketball

Who would win the all-time matchup? Texas men versus Oklahoma

Posted January 22nd, 2017

Chris Bils Hookem.com Staff

@chrisbils

If you’re keeping track at home, Texas remained undefeated in our Big 12 all-time matchup series by squeaking out a 51 to 49 percent victory over Kansas. It should be smooth sailing from here.

Now we move on to Texas versus Oklahoma. The Red River Showdown. The Big 12’s greatest football rivalry has also produced several all-time classic basketball games.

RELATED: 5 Texas-Oklahoma games to remember

From Buddy Hield’s incredible game-winner last year, to the unforgettable showdowns between T.J. Ford and Hollis Price, the Big 12 series alone has produced some memorable moments. The Longhorns and Sooners have split 46 meetings right down the middle, and Oklahoma leads the all-time series 53-36. They’ll meet for the 90th time Monday night at the Erwin Center.

What would it look like if these historic programs rolled out their all-time rosters for a game?

It’s a good thing you asked.

Texas

G T.J. Ford, 6-0 (2001-2003) — 12.9 pts, 8.0 ast, 3.8 reb

G Travis Mays, 6-2 (1986-1990) — 18.4 pts, 4.8 reb, 2.3 ast

F Kevin Durant, 6-9 (2006-07) — 25.8 pts, 11.1 reb, 1.3 ast

F LaMarcus Aldridge, 6-11 (2004-2006) — 13.5 pts, 8.2 reb

C Chris Mihm, 7-0 (1997-2000) — 14.6 pts, 9.8 reb, 2.8 blk

Oklahoma

G Hollis Price, 6-1 (1999-2003) — 13.4 pts, 3.4 ast, 2.7 reb (18.0 pts as senior)

G Buddy Hield, 6-4 (2012-2016) — 17.4 pts, 5.0 reb, 1.9 ast (25.0 pts as senior)

F Wayman Tisdale, 6-9 (1982-1985) — 25.6 pts, 10.1 reb, 2.0 blk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anQGwTaWI-g

F Blake Griffin, 6-10 (2007-2009) — 18.8 pts, 11.8 reb, 2.1 ast

C Stacey King, 6-11 (1985-1989) — 17.6 pts, 7.2 reb, 1.1 ast (26.0 pts, 10.1 reb as senior)

5-second breakdown

The Sooners have a rich basketball tradition, but there’s only one problem when piecing together their all-time roster: so many great big men, so few great guards. Price and Hield were fantastic college players, and Mookie Blaylock (18.1 pts, 6.3 ast, 4.4 reb, 3.8 stl) is a do-everything combo guard. Oklahoma will have to go big against the Longhorns though, and bringing Blaylock off the bench helps keep the guards fresh. Durant versus Tisdale is the matchup to watch, as two great scorers go head-to-head. The Sooners’ revolving door of bigs might wear down Aldridge and Mihm. Overall, this would be a fascinating contest.

On the bench

Rick Barnes versus Billy Tubbs. The rivals’ most iconic coaches missed each other by four years. Tubbs built Oklahoma into a national power in the 1980s, matching North Carolina as the winningest programs of the decade. He did it mostly by outscoring opponents, as his teams regularly scored in the 100s. That style only adds to the fun here.

The bench

We’re taking Kansas killer J’Covan Brown back off the roster, so we need to add two more Longhorns.  Reggie Freeman (15.9 pts, 5.2 reb) adds even more scoring to the mix, while A.J. Abrams (13.7 pts, 16.6 or better his junior and senior year) gives us another guard to force big Oklahoma to go small . The rest of the Longhorns are D.J. Augustin, Avery Bradley, Damion James, Joey Wright and Lance Banks.

Oklahoma counters with Blaylock, Alvan Adams (23.4 pts, 12.8 reb), Eduardo Najera (13.1 pts, 7.2 reb), Harvey Grant (19.1 pts, 9.6 reb) and Jimmy McNatt (All-American guard 1939, 1940).

Who wins?

Who wins? The all-time Texas team or all-time Oklahoma squad? https://t.co/Ob7uPu8YsN

— Hookem.com (@bevobeat) January 23, 2017

Missed the rest?

All-time match up series: 

• Texas vs. TCU
• Texas vs. Iowa State
• Texas vs. Oklahoma State
• Texas vs. Kansas State
• Texas vs. West Virginia
• Texas vs. Kansas

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