Eric Davis sank 4 three-pointers in the first half en route to a Texas-sized 85-78 win over the West Virginia Mountaineers in Austin on Tuesday night. The win secures a regular season sweep of the Mountaineers, the first sweep of a Big 12 opponent by the Longhorns this season. West Virginia was a top-10 ranked team in each of the head-to-head victories by the Longhorns.
Player of the game
Isaiah Taylor
It’s time to give Isaiah Taylor his due once again. The junior has been consistent all season. Even if another Longhorn has a big game, Taylor seems to come up with a double-digit performance. That consistency gives the team confidence to take shots they wouldn’t typically take. Tonight, it was one of the Fab 3, Eric Davis Jr., who shined with a gritty first-half performance. 13 of Taylor’s 23 points came from the free throw line. That sort of consistency is what the Texas Longhorns need to make a run to the Sweet 16 or even deeper in the NCAA Tournament.
Play(s) of the game
The Mountaineers jumped out to a 12-4 lead headed into the first TV timeout. The Longhorns worked their way back into the game and after the final TV timeout, Texas held a one-point lead. Like many coaches will say, the most important part of any basketball game is the last 4 minutes of the first half and the first 4 minutes of the second half. In that time-frame, the Longhorns outscored the Mountaineers 21-11. After that, the Longhorns never looked back.
Epilogue
After a grueling road trip, the Longhorns were able to show the resolve necessary to beat a Top-10 opponent at home. This win puts the Longhorns in a tie for 4th place in the Big 12. That’s not an ideal place to sit, as no team below a 4-seed has ever won the Big 12 tournament. The Longhorns have an opportunity to secure a higher seed in the Big 12 tourney and have a chance at their first Big 12 tournament title (Yes, I am crowning Kansas with their billionth straight Big 12 regular season title).
Upcoming, the Longhorns will face the Baylor Bears on Saturday. If they take care of the Bears, they could move up to 3rd place, depending on results from other games. Dickie V is right, Texas fans are really excited about the Texas basketball program, and the excitement is about to grow even more.
Stats
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