Austin, Texas ? Daniel Gibson wasn’t going to let Texas’ chances of winning the Big 12 regular-season men’s basketball championship slip away.
The sophomore guard scored 22 points, hitting four of No. 6-ranked UT’s nine three-pointers, in a 72-48 rout of No. 19 Oklahoma, a victory that assured the Longhorns a share of the conference title with Kansas University.
“It feels good to hold that trophy,” said Gibson, who also had six assists by driving to the basket when he wasn’t spotting up from long range.
“Killer instinct,” he said. “Whoever was in front of me, I was going after them.”
It had been seven years since Texas won a basketball title. Even the 2003 team that made it to the Final Four didn’t win the Big 12 Conference. Texas (25-5, 13-3) earned the top seed in the conference tournament because of the head-to-head tiebreaker against KU.
P.J. Tucker added 13 points for the Longhorns, who went undefeated in conference play at home. Texas set a school record for most victories in a regular season and ended a three-game losing streak to the Sooners.
Taj Gray scored 10 to lead Oklahoma (20-7, 11-5). Michael Neal, who came in averaging five three-pointers over the previous six games, finished with two for six points.
“We locked into their shooters,” Tucker said. “We played great defensive ball.”
The Sooners, who had won four straight games by one point, surprisingly never mustered a counterpunch in a rivalry known for its rugged play.
“We’ve earned our stripes over the years by outcompeting you. I didn’t see that a lot today,” Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson said. “When one team is competing really hard and the other one is not, that’s a huge difference.”
Texas could have won the Big 12 title outright after beating Kansas, but blundered away the chance with a 46-43 loss at Texas A&M.
Given another chance at the title, the Longhorns never let this one get close.
Gibson has struggled with streaky shooting and tendinitis in his knee but hit three three-pointers in the first half. The Longhorns defense forced eight turnovers and held Oklahoma without a basket during a 10-minute stretch.
“My pops always told me never make excuses,” Gibson said. “A lot of times when that ball goes up, all that pain goes out the window.”
Missouri 64, Nebraska 63
Columbia, Mo. – Junior guard Thomas Gardner poured in 23 points, including 11 in a two-minute outburst in the game’s final minutes, as Missouri came from behind.
Forward Marshall Brown, after hesitating, converted a short jump shot to give Missouri the one-point lead with 3.3 seconds remaining.
Gardner entered the game averaging nearly 20 ponts, second in the Big 12 scoring race.