RECAP: Texas avoids Oklahoma State comeback, wins 74-69

[Aaron Carrara]

Chris Flanagan’s notes & thoughts from Texas’ 74-69 win over Oklahoma State.

1st Half

• After struggling from 3 point range, Texas goes on a 13-2 run with big 3 pointers from Lammert, Taylor, and Mack to go up 15-6. That was big for the Longhorns after a very slow start.
• With 11 minutes gone in the first half, Oklahoma State had 4 turnovers and 3 made just FGs. Yikes.
• Shaq Cleare does the little things for this team. After a Kerwin Roach miss, Connor Lammert grabbed the rebound and overthrew it on the pass. Cleare’s hustle upcourt saved a backcourt violation and got the Longhorns 2 points. That's a play that doesn't go in the box score but is crucial to winning basketball games.
• Texas is starting to pull away, up 15 with less than 2 minutes until the half. I’m a little shocked about how poorly Oklahoma State is playing. However, it's not like Marcus Smart is walking through that door anytime soon.
• A nifty lay-up by Connor Lammert makes the halftime lead 15 points (Texas - 40, Oklahoma State - 25).

Quick thoughts on the first half:


This is a game the Longhorns need to win. A struggling Big 12 team comes into your house… you have no choice but to win. A 15 point halftime deficit isn't insurmountable, but Oklahoma State is not a good team. Texas hopes they see this same team in Stillwater in early March.

2nd half

• A quick 5-0 run extends the lead to 20. Good start for Shaka’s guys.
• Oklahoma State has a McDonald's All American?
• Oklahoma State is shooting 28% from the field. Longhorns are shooting 47%. That's the biggest difference so far.
• I like Texas's aggressiveness but Oklahoma State has cut the lead down to 14.
• Smart timeout by Shaka Smart to regroup the team. The Longhorns absolutely can’t lose this game.
• Oklahoma State cut the lead to 10. Closing out an opponent is still a major problem with this Texas team.
• Now it’s a 2 possession game.
• A big 3 by Oklahoma State cuts the lead to 4. Yeah, that happened.
• A 34-15 run by the Cowboys makes it a game. Texas fans are in disbelief.
• Oklahoma State TO down 4 with 1:15 to go. This has turned into a nail-biter when it shouldn't be.
• Oklahoma State misses, Longhorns rebound. Texas timeout.
• The ball goes to Eric Davis Jr., fakes the 3 point shot and drives and knocks down the layup. Up 6 with 40 seconds to go.
• Big block by Connor Lammert with 30 seconds to go.
• Floater by OSU’s Carroll. Texas up 4 with 26 seconds to go. Need the best free throw shooters on the floor.
• Oklahoma State fouls Eric Davis Jr. with 20 seconds to go.
• Davis hits both free throws and has a 12 point game.
• Juwan Evans hits a big 3. Lead is 3 points and Oklahoma State fouls Isaiah Taylor with 13 seconds to go.
• Taylor hits 1 and makes it a two possession game. He hits the second as well.
• Quick 2 from Oklahoma State and then they foul Taylor, who hits both FT’s.
• Texas holds on to win by 5.

Final: Texas 74 Oklahoma State 69.

Epilogue

Texas has trouble holding big leads, but credit Oklahoma State for fighting and getting back into the game. Luckily the Longhorns were clutch from the line late to keep the Cowboys at arms-length, which helped secure their 3rd Big 12 win of the season. Similar to last season, Texas started 3-2 last season as well. Different perspective of both seasons makes the expectations a little different. The losses to Texas Tech and TCU are somewhat disheartening, seeing how those losses helped the Red Raiders and Frogs notch their only conference wins to-date. It’s easy to see how the Longhorns could be 5-0 in Big 12 play or at least 4-1. Texas will now go back on the road to face two of the best teams in the Big 12: West Virginia and Kansas. Win 1 of 2 of those games and the ‘Horns could make a bubble run.

Game Photos


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[Sirhornsalot]

The late surge is OSU's MO. They did the same thing to OU. If OSU can ever put together two halves of good basketball, they'll be very dangerous.

We got into a funk and helped OSU out some. We have to learn to keep playing like it's a 4 pt lead.

 

[BudreauReye]

OSU played a lot of effective zone in the second half.  Texas had trouble finding creases in the seams to drive and defended our jump shooters well forcing missed shots ... that allowed the Pokes back in it.  We played a lot of zone in the second half, too.  The Pokes made just enough shots to chip away at our one time substantial lead.  Credit goes to the good guys for not caving in the last couple of minutes.  As Aaron pointed out, Texas made free throws at the end when it counted after some of our better free throw shooters missed some earlier in the half.

As Aaron pointed out, winning one of the next two against WVU and Kansas might help us get on a role to end the regular season ... we are going to need some unexpected wins to get into the Dance and we are going to need to win all the games we should win.

Realistically, I see sixteen wins against fifteen losses in the regular season.  In the past the magic number has seemed to be twenty wins to get to the Big Dance - I am not so sure that that will change but, to our credit, we are in a pretty tough conference - and I seem to remember that you need to to have wins in half your regular season games to qualify for the NIT, so that seems to indicate the need for a run ... I would really like to see us get a run of some extra games in the Conference Tourney and further, most likely the NIT, to build for next year and the future.

All that being said, I really am enjoying watching Longhorn basketball this year.  As our roster currently stands, all of our scholarship players are providing  productive minutes - some more in some games than in others.  I really get the feeling that we are working toward something in the near future.  We will have a good core returning next year and we have the makings of a very good recruiting class for next year.  Since Isaiah in all likelihood will go pro and since Jordan Barnett has decided to transfer, I would not be surprised to see Coach add another guard, small forward, and post player for next year.

In the past, I have tended to be an infernal optimist, but this time I think that there is a whole lot of substance to back up the optimism ... so now, I think our future is so bright that we gonna have to wear shades !!!  B)

PostScript - Aaron, I really appreciate your adding the photo gallery at the end of the article.

 

[Sirhornsalot]

Good post, Budreau. It would be great to be able to add another big in there. After this season, we get rather small.

 

[BudreauReye]

Good post, Budreau. It would be great to be able to add another big in there. After this season, we get rather small.

You are right SHL.  As the roster stands now for next season, our team will play right into Coach's past style of play at VCU.  However, being at Texas should open his recruiting up to a level of players that he would have had trouble attracting to VCU.  I do not have any information to base this on, but I would not be at all surprised to see Coach add an athletic power forward and small forward to our recruiting class for next year.  All that baseless conjecture being made, I think that Coach is astute enough to adjust to however next years roster turns out.  The thing is, I think that it is gonna be a whole lotta fun to watch.

Looky here!  Prince had a pretty good game.  Here is one part of it ...

https://vine.co/v/iOgr2uPBvrb

Kerwin the Hopmeister and Connor Lammert get in on the action ... Connor goes to the top of the key to screen and it is great to see how quickly he recognizes how they had over committed to Kerwin and left the far side of the paint wide open.  Quickness of body is one thing, but recognition is sometimes quicker.

https://vine.co/v/iOgI60YgmZ2

Thanks to that Bitterwhiteguy (click on his profile and check out his profile image)  over at Barking Carnival for the Vines.

I could not resist adding BWG's profile pic ... I knew a guy that looked like that back in the early seventies ... My! how the times have changed !!!

 

[Sirhornsalot]

I'm really proud of how far he's come since he got to Austin. Kid's a baller.

 

[BudreauReye]

I'm really proud of how far he's come since he got to Austin. Kid's a baller.

I am assuming that you are talking about Prince.  I agree.  Most folks may not realize that he had surgery on his shooting hand since he got to Texas and had a bone that had died removed from that hand.  He had a good year last year, but he mysteriously developed a bad case of Foulitis Putridis early in this season.  He has begun to show signs of recovery of late and is providing some quality minutes in lieu of Cameron Ridley being out probably for the rest of the year, not to mention his career at Texas.  Prince is an excellent athletic post defender.  He will probably not ever develop close to Cam's or even Shaq Cleare's  offensive capabilities, but if he keeps on coming on, he may earn himself some paychecks on somebody's pro team here or over the waters as a defensive center.  Athleticism and tallness sometimes can go a long way.

 

[Juan]

— Twitter API (@twitterapi) November 7, 2011

 

[Juan]

Been told that ^ is illegible?

Here is the pic that accompanied it

 

[BudreauReye]

Been told that ^ is illegible?

Here is the pic that accompanied it

Juan and I were having a conversation about this off line ... here is my latest post in that conversation in case some of you are having trouble reading some twitter related posts in this or some of the other threads ...

"Not using an office computer ... it is a graphics computer that I built for home.  It has Windows 7 as an OS and I use the Vipre Security Suite.  Here is the address that results from clicking the twitter link ...

https://twitter.com/tweets/status/https://twitter.com/big12conference/status/689099524703432705

It gets you to the Twitter, "Sorry, that page doesn't exist!" page with a search box, so that address is coming in from the server.  If you cut and paste the number at the end of the web reference into the twitter search box, the twitter page that I assume that you are referencing comes up.  I suspect  this must be caused by the software package that the HornSports web site uses.  For me, most of your twitter references and some from others do the same thing, where some show up as they are intended to appear.

I just checked the post on my "smart" phone and it appears, I think, as you intended it to appear.  So ... I am assuming that the twitter posts that you and others are making that are unreadable on at least some windows computers are being posted from Android devices and are not being formatted in a manner that is optimal for all computers.

I have noticed that my computer does not have trouble reading twitter related posts from other sites such as Barking Carnival and Burnt Orange Nation.  This leads me to believe that the problem occurs with the software package that HornSports uses so that some twitter references, that I am assuming that are created on Android devices, are unreadable by some Windows computers.

I am going to post this on that thread after your last comment in  case anybody else is having the same problem."