McClellan Leads Texas Over Oklahoma 72-64
AUSTIN (AP) - A freshman may have saved Texas' season.
Sheldon McClellan scored a career-high 24 points and Texas rallied to a 72-64 win over Oklahoma on Wednesday night, avoiding what could have been a devastating blow to the Longhorns' NCAA tournament hopes.
McClellan's 3-pointer gave Texas (19-11, 9-8) its first lead, 59-58, with about six minutes left. He also had a dunk in an 8-0 Texas burst in the final three minutes that opened a comfortable lead.
The win guarantees Texas will finish at least .500 in the Big 12, a critical mark for a team hoping to make its 14th consecutive tournament appearance. Texas closes the regular season Saturday at No. 3 Kansas, where it has one only once before.
After a nervous start that included letting a pass go between his legs and out of bounds, McClellan was 10 of 18 shooting in just 29 minutes on the court. He kept Texas in the game in the first half and made big plays in the second to help them win it down the stretch.
"I got discouraged in the first half when I missed early shots, but the coaches told me to keep shooting, and that's what I did in the second half," McClellan said.
Texas has let several close games slip away this season but held on twice in the last week to win ones they simply could not afford to lose. The Longhorns survived an overtime win over Texas Tech and got pushed to the limit by the Sooners before finally clinching the victory.
Coach Rick Barnes called his team together during a second-half timeout and told them what was on the line.
"You've got 16 minutes that might define your whole year right here. If we don't defend, I can tell you the result right now," Barnes said. "They fought through it and got things done. ... If we're good enough, we'll be where we need to be. March is a great time. This is when you've got to want to play."
J'Covan Brown, the Big 12's leading scorer, added 22 points for the Longhorns, who at one point trailed by 12.
"We've got to continue this ride," said Texas freshman point guard Myck Kabongo, who scored just one point but finished with nine assists. He also had three steals, including one that led to McClellan's late dunk.
"If it weren't for those two guys (Brown and McClellan), I would be in big trouble right now. It feels good to have them carry the load of the offense. They stepped up big," Kabongo said.
Texas has won six in a row over Oklahoma and 13 of the last 15 meetings. The Sooners (14-15, 4-13) who are struggling under first-year coach Lon Kruger with eight losses in the last nine games.
Romero Osby led Oklahoma with 14 points, and the Sooners had their chance to snatch an upset win against Texas. Oklahoma started the game on a blistering shooting pace, making 10 of its first 15 shots, but couldn't sustain it.
Texas took the lead after three 3-pointers in a row: two by Brown from the left corner and another by McClellan from the right.
McClellan then missed two consecutive 3-point tries, but a basket by Johnathan Holmes put the Longhorns ahead 64-62. The Sooners missed four shots on their next possession before Brown made a tough, left-handed layup, McClellan dunked and Brown got another basket to push the Texas lead to eight with 1:31 to play.
"I thought we gave away too many possessions where we did not get good shots, good looks or just did not execute well," Kruger said.
The Longhorns have never failed to make the NCAA tournament in 14 seasons under Barnes. Now they head to Kansas, where a win could prove they belong in the postseason.
Kansas escaped Austin with a 69-66 win on Jan. 21.
"When I walk into Lawrence, I'm going to walk in there like I walk into any other gym," Brown said. "We're going to walk into there together, we're going to have (swagger), we're going to fight and show the world that we can be right there."
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