Baylor downs Texas in Waco 76-71

Perry Jones III led Baylor to a 76-71 win over Texas on Saturday, spoiling the Longhorns chance at a big road victory.  For the 4th time in 5 games, the Longhorns failed to get a season changing win.  A win that would give them a legitimate shot at the NCAA tournament.  Saturday’s game against Baylor started out a little differently from what we’re used to.  Led by Jonathan Holmes, the Longhorns came out of the gate with some fight in them and controlled the game early in the 1st half.   Holmes, who has been limited by foul trouble showed the offensive prowess that he showed early on in the season.  He scored 7 quick points for Texas and let the talented Baylor forwards know they would have to play defense that afternoon.  J’Covan Brown also provided an offensive spark for the Longhorns.  Brown controlled the offense and found open teammates in the zone.  His timely points were also key in keeping the Longhorns in the game.  Sadly, Jonathan Holmes and J’Covan Brown were the only Longhorns who had things rolling offensively in the 1st half.  Kabongo and Chapman were sidelined for most of the half in foul trouble, and  Julien Lewis and Sheldon McClellan missed open 3 after open 3 against the Baylor zone.  McClellan, who had been playing well of late really took a step backwards against Baylor.  On top of his bad shooting, his defense was absolutely atrocious.   On top of being bullied in the post by Quincy Miller, he was getting beat off the dribble by the likes of Brady Heslip.  If Texas is going to make a run to make the tournament, they will need McClellan to step up his efforts defensively.  As poorly as the Longhorns shot the ball in the first half, they were still only down 9 at the half.  Looking at the stats after the first half, you would think Baylor was up 20 on the Horns.  The Bears hit 54% of their field goal attempts and out rebounded Texas 23-10.

The 2nd half started much like the 1st half, with Texas shooting poorly from the field.  But a combination of things got Texas back into game.  The 1st and most promising for the Longhorns was Julien Lewis abandoning the 3 point shot and becoming a driver instead.  Lewis drove the basketball 2 consecutive times and converted.  Sparked by Lewis’ drives to the basket, J’Covan Brown and Myck Kabongo took over.  Brown and Kabongo shot the Longhorns back into the game.  Sparked by Brown and Kabongo’s sweet shooting, the Longhorn defense tightened up as well, and a 12 point Baylor lead evaporated.  The final 9 minutes of the 2nd half played out similarly to the final 9 minutes of the Kansas game.  Texas matched Baylor bucket for bucket, but was unable to get the key bucket and key stop to win the game.  Free throws also played a key role in the Longhorns’ loss.  Texas shot a pitiful 62% from the free throw line.  In a 5 point loss, it’s evident that Texas would have won the game had they converted a decent amount of their free throw attempts.

What Lies Ahead for Texas:

Missouri comes to Austin on Monday for the Longhorns’ final game in their brutal 6 game stretch.  A win against the Tigers on Monday will be a step in the direction of an NCAA tournament at large bid.

Keys to Success for Texas:

– Make shots: Free throws, layups, dunks and jump shots.  Texas needs to shoot the ball better than they have been shooting in Big 12 play.  Texas would have won against Kansas had they shot better than 30% from the field, beaten Baylor had they shot better than 62% from the free throw line.  Texas needs to make shots in order to give themselves a chance to beat Missouri on Monday.  Part of that is taking good shots.  Rick Barnes needs to stress attacking the basket more to Lewis and McClellan.  Both of them have been at their best this season when they have attacked the basket in the early going, gotten some confidence and then start letting the 3s fly.  Lewis and McClellan have showed they can get hot and carry the Horns.  Their confidence is key for Texas moving forward.

– Guard the 3 point line: Missouri will run away with the game if Texas allows their shooters to shoot open shots.  Texas needs to close out on shooters, force them to drive into help defense, and take charges when the opportunity arises.

– Play good defense: If you only tune in to the last 10 minutes of Texas games, you would think they are 1 of the best defensive teams in the nation.  They are usually battling back from a double digit deficit, and getting the key stops they need.  They just need to translate that intensity to the first 30 minutes, and they will be fine.  Missouri is one of the best offensive teams in the country, so if Texas is serious about winning, they will need to play winning defense.  McClellan will need to step up and take the challenge of guarding Kim English.  We will also need Sterling Gibbs to play some minutes on Flip Pressey.

– Don’t go zone:  We haven’t seen it in 3 games, so I think Rick Barnes himself has noticed that it was killing us.

Game Notes:

– J’Covan Brown led all scorers with 32 points and 5 assists

– Myck Kabongo added 12 points and 5 assists

– Jaylen Bond and Julien Lewis tied for the Longhorns rebounding lead with 6 each