Longhorns Outlast Cyclones, Draw Baylor Next
by awiggo on Mar 10, 2010 11:08 PM CST
in Texas Longhorns Basketball
12 comments
The No. 6 seed Texas Longhorns outlasted the No. 11 seed Iowa State Cyclones, 82-75, behind solid play from the ‘Horn frontcourt and thanks to a seven minute cold stretch by ISU in the second half.
Texas advances to play No. 3 seed Baylor tomorrow evening. Game will tip around 8:30 pm and be televised by ESPN2. Since the last Big 12 tournament, Baylor has had Texas's number, winning the last three contests.
A few quick thoughts on the win--
Things I liked:
- Texas front line-The key to this game was the play of the Texas forwards. Coming into this season this was where we thought we'd dominate-Damion James, Dexter Pittman, and Gary Johnson. James (28 pts and 16 boards) and Johnson (15 pts and 10 boards) both had double-doubles, and Dexter was dominant (16 pts and 5 boards) in limited minutes (19). As mentioned in the preview and really all season long, this Texas team is significantly better when it attacks inside-out.
- Jordan Hamilton doing more things than shooting-Jordan was really good in the first half despite going 1-of-6 from the floor. His defense was solid and he rebounded the ball like a 6-7 wing should.
- Matt Hill in a limited role-There was some eye rolling when he was inserted into the game, but Hill contributed nicely in his 12 minutes. He had three points, three boards, a blocked shot, and set some nice screens to open up driving lanes for teammates.
- Rebounding-Texas dominated the glass tonight like the ‘Horns did back in November and December and like the Texas frontcourt should. For most of the first half, ISU was even trying to get offensive rebounds. On the game, Texas won the battle on the boards 46-34 and won second chance points 20-6.
- Free Throw Shooting down the stretch-Texas may have been just 18-of-28 from the line. The 64% effort is just above the season average, but it was the makes down the stretch that kept ISU from making a late run.
Things I didn't like:
- Defense-This is a bit picky, maybe, but I still didn't see a solid defensive team. In the first half, it was the transition defense that killed the ‘Horns' chances to pull away. In the second half, the effort was better, and Texas did hold ISU without a basket for over seven minutes, but it was more about ISU missing than Texas doing anything differently or better on defense. The real test on defense will come tomorrow night against Baylor. The Bears are an exceptional offensive team and can score inside and out. Defense is clearly the key.
- J'Covan Brown playing only 3 minutes-I don't understand this. Don't get me wrong, Jai Lucas played fine. However, Lucas clearly doesn't have the same skill set that does Brown. J'Covan can shoot, can score off the bounce, and demands to be guarded. Brown's defense may still be suspect; I get that. Is his defense any worse than Jai's? Also, looking forward to Baylor, there isn't a single Baylor guard that Jai can defend. It will be interesting to see what Barnes does with J'Covan and Jai tomorrow night.
- Letting ISU hang around all game-A better team puts ISU away by halftime or early in the second. I was disappointed that Texas never put away a clearly inferior team.
The keys to beating Baylor remain the same as I wrote about just a few days ago.
Keys to the Game:
1. Cut off dribble penetration. In the first game, Tweety Carter killed Texas by turning the corner and getting into the lane. He scored all game long in the paint or got fouled and earned his points at the line. On the game, Carter scored a game-high 27 points, including a solid 10-of-12 from the free throw line. Today will be Carter's final game in Waco, so like James and company on Monday night in Austin, Tweety will be trying hard to go out a winner. His quickness alone makes defending him difficult, but when you add in his ability to knock down the three-pointer, defenses are forced to pick their poison. Play off of him and give him open looks from three or crowd him on the dribble and risk him breaking down your defense by getting into the paint off the bounce. We missed Varez Ward's defense in the first meeting, and I'm afraid we'll miss Dogus Balbay's defense today. For Texas to win, J'Covan Brown's gonna have to move his feet exceptionally well. Brown was solid, along with teammate help, on defending Tommy Mason-Griffin on Monday. Barnes will need an equally strong effort this afternoon.
2. Find shooters in the halfcourt. As a team, Baylor shoots 39% from behind the arc, good for 21st best in the country. The Bears were uncharacteristially cold (just 3-of-12) from three in the game in Austin, and they still won. I expect them to shoot the ball better from deep in Waco. We've already identified Carter as a three-point threat; the other Bear to tag closely is LaceDarius Dunn. The Dunn assignment should go to Avery Bradley. If Carter or Dunn go off, it will be another long road game for Texas.
3. Win battle on boards and points in the paint. As good as the Baylor guard are, it has been the play of the BU frontcourt (Ekpe Udoh, Quincy Acy, and Anthony Jones) that has helped catapult the Bears toward the top of the Big 12 conference. In the first meeting, both teams scored 40 points in the paint, and Texas only outrebounded Baylor 41-40. For Texas to win, Damion James, Dexter Pittman, and Jordan Hamilton must control the defensive glass and limit second looks at the basket.
4. Make LaceDarius Dunn and Tweety Carter defend. This is one of those old bball rules: make offensive players play defense. Like Texas, Baylor is not a deep team, and Scott Drew will probably play seven, maybe eight guys today. If Texas can somehow get Carter or Dunn in foul trouble and force Coach Drew to play AJ Walton or Nolan Dennis for extended minutes, the Longhorns will have a much better shot. This means that Bradley, Hamilton, and Justin Mason need to attack the basket off the dribble and not just settle for jump shots.
5. Play smart basketball. This means a lot of things but is most directed toward the Texas freshman. J'Covan must take care of the ball as Dunn, Walton, and Carter all have the ability to pick his pocket. Brown must also recognize and control the flow of the game--no quick shots, play through Damion James, and look for opportunities to attack the rim. For Bradley, playing smart means playing defense without fouling and not just settling on offense for mid-range jumpers. Avery got in foul trouble against OU on Monday. He is too important to defending Dunn to sit today. For Hamilton, playing smart also means attacking the rim with the bounce, looking for his jumper in spots, and really helping on the defensive boards.
NEXT GAME: vs. Baylor (Kansas City) - Thursday, March 11th 8:30 pm ESPN2
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Brown vs Lucas
Brown’s defense may still be suspect; I get that. Is his defense any worse than Jai’s? Also, looking forward to Baylor, there isn’t a single Baylor guard that Jai can defend. It will be interesting to see what Barnes does with J’Covan and Jai tomorrow night.
Lucas’ defense probably isn’t any better than Brown’s, but the reason why Jai is playing over J’Covan is effort. Jai is actually trying. Brown’s lazy effort in chasing for a loose ball, throwing up a bad shot right before halftime, and his poor body language on the bench is erasing any chances of him escaping Rick Barnes’ dog house. Jai playing a solid game also isn’t helping.
Lucas obviously doesn’t have a shot at staying with Tweety Carter or whoever he’s going to be asked to guard. Will it matter though? If J’Covan chooses to not get with the program, Barnes “doesn’t have to do anything”, as he recently said. After all, he’ll “die a slow death” before he lets someone play who won’t bleed for the program.
Ugh. Losing Balbay and Ward really hurts now. To beat Baylor, we’ll need a similar offensive output from our frontcourt, own the glass, and pray that Hamilton and Bradley can score enough to somewhat offset Carter and Dunn.
by goingforthecorner on Mar 10, 2010 11:39 PM CST reply actions
Brown was embarrassing
against Baylor. He had several lazy type turnovers. I think the play that killed him was a missed shot by Baylor. Brown was standing below the rim waiting for the rebound. Instead Acy grabs it and stuff’s it. All Brown had to do was reach up for it or God forbid jump. I couldn’t believe Barnes didnt’ bench him there. He must not have seen it until he watched the film. I dont blame him for benching Brown.
"big-time players make big-time plays in big games."
by SoonerSlayer on Mar 11, 2010 8:02 AM CST up reply actions
A good team
We are such a better team when Dex gets going. If we can keep him out of foul trouble and Matt “Manimal” Hill can show up and take up space…we might beat Baylor. DaMo is mini LeBron! Go Horns!
by Dawnpatrol on Mar 11, 2010 8:40 AM CST via mobile reply actions
Would be surprised to see Brown sit as much tonight.
We were also wondering why Dex was sitting so long at times vs. ISU. Maybe it’s because we were playing ISU, and Barnes had enough confidence in winning to rest Dex and make a last effort to correct J’Covan’s sorry attitude before a much tougher Baylor game. I expect to see more time from Brown tonight.
by Infield Elephant on Mar 11, 2010 11:01 AM CST reply actions
Attitude
How can you tell that Brown has a sorry attitude? Everything he’s said suggests otherwise. Are you just going on ‘body language’? Maybe he sulks when benched, but that’s understandable — and you might take that as a positive. My best read (with nothing more to go on than you do) is that Brown is by nature a showboat. It’s his lack of “discipline” on the court that irks Barnes.
Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. If they get mad, you're a mile away AND you have their shoes.
You're right
that I don’t have much to go off of there. But as I watch, yes it seems as though J’Covan pouts and sulks on the bench (sorry, not excusable to me) and lacks hustle pretty often – like going after loose balls. And yeah, showboating, which given the current state of the team, is not needed and often goes hand-in-hand with a sorry attitude. Don’t get me wrong – I am not suggesting that Barnes continue to sit him. We need him, imo.
By discipline, do you mean in regard to making good decisions? I think several guys have that issue.
by Infield Elephant on Mar 11, 2010 3:15 PM CST up reply actions
While I was watching the game last night
I thought to myself, “When was the last time this team took a charge?”
I think that is the difference between this team being 17-0, and 7-8. The little things like that, its obvious the talent is all there, they just need to take an extra step.
But enough worrying about this team going back to the 17-0 one, because they have not.
I thought Lucas played great, he did not really bring much to the floor scoring wise, but was strong with the ball and made good decisions, its just tough to put him on anyone one defense.
"The best decision I ever made was coming to Texas," James said. "The second-best decision was coming back."
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