Coming off the biggest win the program has had in his tenure as head coach, Shaka Smart emphasized to the media yesterday how all his focus was on Iowa State and how his team could not afford to dwell on their accomplishments. The Longhorns moved up to #4 in the latest AP poll and have begun receiving national attention for their early season success, but Smart did not want his team to lose their edge. Texas took the message to heart, taking care of business against a pesky Cyclones’s team to improve to 3-0 in conference play with a 78-72 win.
The Longhorns were paced by a career game from Andrew Jones, who finished with 23 points to go along with 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Freshman Greg Brown had a very quiet game last Saturday in Lawrence, but rebounded with a solid showing against the Cyclones, finishing with 15 points and 8 rebounds. Fellow big man Jericho Sims put together another quality game, flirting with a double-double (10 points and 8 rebounds). All 5 starters for Texas finished in double figures and while they didn’t have their hot shooting touch they had against the Jayhawks, the Longhorns controlled the rebounding battle all evening (43 to 31) and did enough for their 5th straight win.
Iowa State fell to 0-3 in Big 12 play with the loss, but showed signs of life throughout the game, particularly early in the first half and late in the second half. Javon Johnson poured in a team high 21 points and Solomon Young added 13 points to go along with 8 rebounds. Young proved to be a tough test for Sims and Brown, winning his fair share of battles down low.
Biggest Takeaway
Texas needed to find a way to get Greg Brown back on track following his performance in Lawrence. Brown appears to be getting more and more comfortable with his outside shot. He connected on 3 of 4 three pointers and is at his best when he is able to stretch the floor. If Texas gets consistent performances from Brown and an improving Jericho Sims for the rest of the season, they are going to be a tough team to beat.
What’s Next
Texas will travel to Morgantown on Saturday to take on 14th ranked West Virginia. The Mountaineers are 2-2 in Big 12 play with losses to Kansas and Oklahoma. The game is scheduled to tip off at noon and will be on ESPN.
