Texas Explodes For 99, Trounces OSU

Harrison Smith did not take over the game.

The announcers kept saying that we were only a few last second shots away from being 8-1. That’s a little more positive than most of us have been over the past 10 days, but a nice perspective. On the other hand, OSU is not a good defensive team. At least we can win a home game that we’re supposed to win. Hopefully, the momentum continues.

Very good game on both sides of the ball. This is what we needed to get going, this is the team that could be a 4 seed!

Very satisfying step in the right direction. This was exactly what the Longhorns needed: a clean, complete game where we made shots, attacked the rim, and protected the ball.

Barnes move to insert Balbay for Connor was just what we’d been hoping for. The Horns went small, yet were still able to defend the perimeter oriented Cowboys fine. The smaller lineup also created better ball movement, more spacing, and more team offense.

More on all of this tomorrow. For now, that is one of the four ‘must wins’ we had left on our schedule. Another one awaits us Saturday in Boulder.

They let everyone come down from the mezzanine as expected, but the upper deck still looked 1/3-1/2 full. It was refreshing watching the Horns perform as a team for the majority of the game and receive steady contributions all around. We cut down on the number of frantic/rushed possessions while everyone hit big shots. Connor’s early confidence was contagious to the rest of the team, especially Abrams. Of course, it has always helped AJ get open when Atchley hits his threes. Keep it up, Horns.

Such is the life of a law student who didn’t retire until 4:30 a.m. last night.. Anyway, When I saw the score I just about hit the roof. 99 to 74? HELL YEAH. Don’t ever misunderestimate Rick Barnes. He is a Man.

And the Longhorn Nation collectively takes a deep breath..

It is amazing what losing three in a row does to the fanbase, students especially. It was terribly sad to see the OZones have absolutely no one in them. I will give props to txtwstr who got to dance with the pom squad at center court in the second half. Anyway, just a poor turnout to what ended up being a fun game to watch for a Texas fan. Oh well, as goes Texas basketball.

The Horns absolutely lit up the nets last night. At one point we were 7-of-10 from three and 19-of-21 FTs, or somewhere in that balkpark. This is not something we can expect game-in-game-out from the team, but it has got to feel great for the guys to have a game where everything is going right, when it has been going so wrong lately. Even if the Horns don’t shoot 60% from the field (excluding mop-up time) we still easily win this game.

Connor Atchley and Dogus Balbay
A solid shooting performance for Connor should go a long way for not only his confidence but also the teams’. Getting ~10pts. from Connor a game is 10 extra points than we have been getting, since his minutes probably don’t change much.

Dojo can make a jumper from 13’, I’ve seen it, but only one a game. The rest of the time he spent probing the defense and attacking the rim – which is exactly what we needed. He also protected the ball. Did we have 7 turnovers for the team? Yes, seven. That is DJ/TJ numbers. With Dogus handling the ball and Mason taking over or giving us a second ball handler on the floor really seemed to give the offense more flow. Combined they were 13 assists, 1 turnover. Solid.

PB has dropped the Ball Control Index stat several times lately [(Assists + Steals) / Turnovers]. For this game it has to be our best of the season by far, (19+8)/7 = 3.86

Hook ’em!