Longhorns Fall To Kansas 73-63

The game was completely dominated by Kansas from start to finish.  They beat Texas in every aspect of the game.  Tyshawn Taylor and Thomas Robinson scored at will.  Taylor scored 22 points, while Robinson scored 25 points and pulled down 14 rebounds.  The rest of the Jayhawks did their part as well.  Kansas shot 49% from the field and 40% from behind the arc.  Texas on the other hand, struggled shooting the basketball again.  Had it not been for J’Covan Brown’s 33 points, the Longhorns would have never been in the game.  The Big 12’s leading scorer took matters into his own hands when Kansas threatened to run the Longhorns out of the gym early in the 2nd half.  He scored 29 of his 33 points after halftime, reminiscent of the 2nd half performance he had against the Jayhawks his Freshman year in Austin.  Clint Chapman also had a very good game.  He scored 10 points, pulled down 7 rebounds and blocked a shot.

The Big 12 schedule ended for the Texas Longhorns with the loss in Lawrence last night.  The loss brings Texas’ overall record to 19-12 and their Big 12 record to 9-9.  The Longhorns are squarely on the bubble, and need to beat Iowa State on Thursday to feel good about their chance to get an at large bid on Selection Sunday.  Before the game, Texas was 1 of ESPN analyst’s Joe Lunardi’s “Last 4 in”, meaning Lunardi believed they were in the field of 68.  He now has Texas as one of his “First 4 out”, meaning he doesn’t believe Texas will make the tournament if it were to start today.  One wouldn’t think a loss to the Big 12 Champions and potential #1 seed would hurt Texas that much, but apparently Lunardi thinks so.  That isn’t good news for Texas and their fans because Lunardi is usually right.  Good thing for Texas they have a chance to play their way into the field.  A win over Iowa State would be a good start.

What Lies Ahead For Texas:

The Big 12 tournament is next.  Iowa State is the Longhorns’ first opponent on Thursday.  It’s a must win for Texas.

Keys to Success for Texas:

– Guard the 3 point line: Iowa State has shooters.  Texas learned that the hard way in the first matchup.  The Longhorns will need to close out strong and force those guys to put the ball on the floor

– Control the glass: Texas needs to win the rebounding matchup to have a chance to win the game.  Iowa State will shoot a lot of 3s, which will cause a lot of long rebounds.  That can be great for Texas if Myck Kabongo is running under those to start the break.

– Contain Royce White: Texas did a good job on him in the 2nd matchup.  They will need to keep him from having a good game if they want to win.  Limiting White forces Iowa State’s guards to try to create, something they aren’t very good at.

– Make shots: This one is pretty self explanatory.  Texas is not a very good shooting team, yet they shoot a lot of long jumpshots.  Either make them, or stop shooting them.  Sheldon McClellan was 2-10 last night, while Myck Kabongo was 0-7.  It’s very hard to win when 2/3 of your starting backcourt shoots 2-17.

– Believe: Texas has beaten Iowa State before.  They need to be confident going into the game and believe that they can do it again.

Game Notes:

– J’Covan Brown scored a game high 33 points and grabbed 5 rebounds

– Clint Chapman had a solid game with 10 points and 7 rebounds