Mussatto: Former ORU star Max Abmas plays spoiler again, leading Texas to upset win at OU
NORMAN — Max Abmas likes playing the part of spoiler.
He did it at Oral Roberts, leading the Golden Eagles to a magical Sweet 16 run two seasons ago.
And he did it Tuesday night in Norman, back in the state where he played his first four years of college ball. Abmas led unranked Texas to a 75-60 upset over No. 11 OU — a statement road win for the Longhorns and a setback for the Sooners amid their surge.
“I love it,” Abmas said. “I kind of live for those moments, the work that I put in — really, the whole team. It was a big-time team effort, big-time team energy. Happy we came out with the victory.”
Some wondered how Abmas, the reigning Summit League Player of the Year, would fare in the Big 12, the best conference in college basketball. Turns out, Abmas is doing just fine. Buttery-smooth jumpshots play just about anywhere.
“It’s a gauntlet, night in and night out, and you’ve gotta bring your A game every night,” said Abmas, who did just that.
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Abmas is small, and looks even smaller with his long shorts and short sleeves under his jersey, but the 6-foot-nothing guard can ball. Abmas scored a game-high 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting. He made four of his eight 3-point attempts. The Longhorns outscored the Sooners by 21 points in Abmas’ 36 minutes.
His name is spelled nothing like it sounds (ACE-miss), but here’s an easy way to remember it: There’s a “miss” in his name, not in his game.
Abmas is averaging 17.9 points per game, which ranks third in the Big 12. His 60 made 3-pointers lead the league, and he’s second in 3-point percentage at 42.3%.
Neither the Sooners nor rowdy Sooner fans shook Abmas’ confidence. The OU student section certainly tried, but the students’ tasteless (and cleverless) chants of “3’s a p----” didn’t do anything but backfire. By the end of the game, there were hardly any students left for Abmas (who wears No. 3) to silence.
“That’s always a good feeling,” Abmas said with a grin.
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![Max Abmas dribbles around LeÕTre Darthard in the second half as the University of Oklahoma Sooner men's basketball team plays the University of Texas Longhorns on Jan 23, 2024; Norman, Okla, [USA]; at Lloyd Noble. Mandatory Credit: Steve Sisney-The Oklahoman](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/anM1hE0WxVd_Ha3Dbpr1Vg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTEwMTY-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the-oklahoman/d34a5d81adfe0369ff0141f6bd7eb4e3)
After the game, Abmas acknowledged several familiar faces.
“I’m a proud Texas native, but spending four years in this state, I’ve met a lot of people and built a lot of relationships that will last a lifetime,” Abmas said. “I’m forever grateful for that.”
Texas led 18-9 before a pair of Jalon Moore dunks, a mere 24 seconds apart, awoke the Sooners from their slumber.
The rim rattled and Lloyd Noble Center rocked.
Moore’s two slams marked the start of a 17-2 Sooners’ run. OU led 33-32 at halftime, but the Longhorns blitzed the Sooners 43-27 in the second half.
OU shot 39% overall, including 21% (4 of 19) from 3-point range.
With shots not falling, a jam-packed crowd was hushed in the second half.
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![Oklahoma head coach Porter Moser approaches his team during a time out in the second half as the University of Oklahoma Sooner men's basketball team plays the University of Texas Longhorns on Jan 23, 2024; Norman, Okla, [USA]; at Lloyd Noble. Mandatory Credit: Steve Sisney-The Oklahoman](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/w1._M1t1SpASdeGTJuvuxA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTE0Mzg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the-oklahoman/c7d0b889617c32507b2ba49c883aac13)
“I’ve worked my ass off to get people in here, and that’s on me,” OU coach Porter Moser said. “... Obviously, we didn’t play to our standards, and you got to give them credit, but it starts with me. I put that team out there today, and we thought we were ready, but we looked tired in the second half.”
Moser, in his third season at OU, is 0-5 against Texas.
Tuesday marked the last OU-Texas Big 12 battle in Norman. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey sat on the baseline beside OU athletic director Joe Castiglione. Sankey, who also attended the Red River Rivalry at the Cotton Bowl, has wasted no time in ingratiating himself to the SEC’s newest members.
For now, though, OU and Texas are tied at 3-3 in the slug-it-out Big 12, where a transfer from Oral Roberts has made a great league even better.
“That’s why Max came to play at Texas,” ‘Horns coach Rodney Terry said. “He wanted to play in the best basketball league in the country.”
Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at jmussatto@oklahoman.com. Support Joe's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Texas rallies past Oklahoma basketball in Red River Rivalry rout
