Chris Flanagan’s notes and thoughts on the Longhorns’ 58-57 loss to TCU in Fort Worth (1/9/16)
1st Half‘”
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[*]Well, it’s one of the weirdest things I have seen in quite a while… A technical foul on the Longhorns for having Demarcus Holland in the starting lineup? So, even before the opening tip, Texas was down 1-0.
[*]Texas is able to get into the paint early. That’s great for success in this game.
[*]TCU is starting to take over. The Horned Frogs go on a 7-0 run to take a 5 point lead.
[*]The TCU run is now extended to 12-0, giving the Horned Frogs a 10 point lead over the Longhorns.
[*]With 7:23 to go, both Cleare and Ibeh are in foul trouble. That’s not a good sign. With Ridley’s absence it cannot be underscored enough how important it is for the Texas bigs to play smart and stay out of foul trouble.
[*]Two foul shots end the run for TCU.
[*]Javan Felix is doing work. His floater is falling and he should keep shooting that shot.
[*]The press is creating turnovers but not really points.
[*]Isaiah Taylor is a 1,000 point scorer with the Texas Longhorns with a free throw to cut the lead to 2. He is a gamer and you have to appreciate his work. I remember his first game and thought he would be a great 4 year player. He has made mistakes but he has been the clutch player that will be one of the greatest point guards in Longhorns history. He will be missed but hopefully he doesn’t leave just yet.
[*]Shaq Cleare is nailing free throws. 4-4 from the line and 6 points overall. That’s exactly what you want from Cleare.
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Halftime: TCU leads 34-32
The Longhorns were down 10 at one point but cut the lead to 2. This team plays with urgency and doesn’t give up.
2nd Half‘”
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[*]As I predicted, Texas goes on an 8-2 run to start the second half.
[*]The freshmen (Roach, Mack, and Davis) are struggling tonight. 2-8 from the field. Luckily Felix and Taylor have stepped up tonight but it would be nice to see them hit a few shots to make the lead more comfortable.
[*]Under 16 timeout. Longhorns by 4. A 10-4 run to start the half is great but the Longhorns need to find a way to get this lead extended.
[*]In 3 straight possessions, both teams hit 3 pointers. Longhorns still up by 4.
[*]TCU cuts the lead to two. If you are a Texas fan, youre nerves are probably fried.
[*]Now TCU has taken the lead by 2. TCU is playing lackluster basketball in the 2nd half and Texas is playing with them.
[*]TCU shouldn’t win this game. Actually, no one should win this game.
[*]Bad foul on the defensive rebound with less than a minute to go. But Parrish missed both.
[*]Ibeh fouled out. Played a good game. Brandon Parrish missed both again.
[*]10 seconds to go, Taylor gets a look, misses. Lammert shoots but nothing.
[*]Ball game. TCU wins.
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TCU wins 58-57
Epilogue
UGLY. Road games in the Big 12 are not easy but this was the most winnable game on the Big 12 road schedule and Texas lost. They were already fighting an uphill bttle to make the NCAA tournament, now they need some big wins to get to that point.
Nothing from the freshmen 3 which spelled trouble. The 2 bigs contributed a lot considering their typical production but Connor Lammert added just 1 point in 35 minutes of play. That is unacceptable. I was shocked at how little playing time Shaka Smart gave to Tevin Mack. Only 5 minutes and he only only attempted one shot. That didn’t make any sense.
The Longhorns travel back home to play Iowa State and Oklahoma State. If they take care of home court, they will be 3-2. The Longhorns have beaten great teams at home this year so there is hope for success against the Cyclones and Cowboys, but a road victory on the schedule will be tough to come by.
