By John Shinn
When inspiration and desperation are stirred together, the result is either really good or really bad. For Oklahoma, it turned out to be a recipe for success in an 80-71 victory over No. 10 Texas.
Whether it was more than 11,000 fans jamming into Lloyd Noble Center for a day-long tribute to legendary Sooner Wayman Tisdale or OU going all the way into February without a big victory, it created an atmosphere for success.
"Our crowd was absolutely phenomenal and what a great way to celebrate the greatest Sooner basketball player in the history the program," OU coach Jeff Capel said. "I thought our guys played with the heart that Wayman displayed so much in not just basketball but his life."
Heart had a lot to do with it.
It was evident when Willie Warren maneuvered his way through several Longhorns on a bad ankle for a key basket with 1:45 to go.
Tommy Mason-Griffin and Cade Davis showed it throughout the game. They got off to hot starts and fought through late cramps to seal the victory.
Then there was senior Ryan Wright, who made a rare start, and validated it with a 11 points and 14 rebounds against one of college basketball's best front courts.
Mason-Griffin's and Davis' performances have almost become the norms. They've elevated their play since Big 12 Conference play began.
Mason-Griffin scored a game-high 24 points, marking the fourth time in the last five games he's finished with at least 20. Davis has scored in double digits in the last three games and four of the last six.
But it was Wright's performance that Texas didn't see coming.
"This is something I've been waiting my whole career for, and to finally be able to do it my senior, it's just a dream come true," Wright said.
He matched Texas forward Damion James, who finished 12 points and nine rebounds. And Wright outplayed Texas center Dexter Pittman, who had eight and 13.
The Sooners (13-9, 4-4 Big 12) needed something good to happen after dropping three of their last four games.
The good vibes started early and never left the arena Saturday. Mason-Griffin was 4-for-5 from 3-point range in the first 20 minutes, giving the impression the Sooners might run their Red River rival right out of town.
"I was just being aggressive," Mason-Griffin said.
The Longhorns (19-4, 5-3) trailed by 19 early in the second half, but staged a huge comeback. Freshman Avery Bradley scored 21 points, helping Texas cut the deficit to five with 2 minutes left.
But Texas couldn't make free throws and OU did.
The Sooners made 8 of 9 from the charity stripe in the final minutes. The Longhorns were just 10-for-27 from there the entire game.
"I have to truly believe that there are junior high school teams that can do better than that. And you know what? I'm not so sure there's not some other teams at a lower level than that," Texas coach Rick Barnes. "Is it frustrating? It's frustrating because it's been the same every game this year that we've lost."
Saturday didn't figure to be one of them, given the state of the Sooners.
Warren was nowhere near full strength due to his injury. Guard Tony Crocker, who fouled out with six points and two rebounds, is still playing at less than 100 percent. Freshman forward Tiny Gallon had another uninspiring game with four points and two rebounds in just 10 minutes on the floor.
Despite the deficiencies, OU still corralled its first win over a ranked opponent and retained a flicker of hope the season could be reaching a positive turning point.
Maybe it took the emotions of honoring Tisdale to bring it all out.
"We really wanted to show that on the court," Wright said about the importance of honoring Tisdale. "To get a big win today I think is the best way to do it."
John Shinn 366-3536 jshinn@normantranscript.com
