Lovell’s Thoughts Following a 72-65 Texas Win Over Vanderbilt

Texas opened play in the SEC Tournament against the Vanderbilt Commodores on Wednesday, a team that had already beaten them earlier this season in Nashville. The Longhorns, with slim hopes of an NCAA Tournament invitation, defeated Vanderbilt 72-65 to keep those hopes alive. The win was one of the more impressive performances from Texas in quite some time. The Longhorns led by as many as 18 in the second half before Vanderbilt rallied late to make it closer.

It is no secret that Texas is on the wrong side of the NCAA tournament bubble, but adding another quad one win over Vanderbilt helps. They likely need to beat Texas A&M in the 2nd round on Thursday to feel good about their odds of making the Big Dance. It goes without saying, but Rodney Terry needs to make the NCAA Tournament and likely win several rounds in the tournament to keep his job.

Tre Johnson Finally Received Some Help

Tre Johnson has carried the Texas offense virtually all season. Even with his tremendous season, it has not provided enough wins. The supporting cast around him had their best game in a long time against Vanderbilt. It was the first time in conference play that Texas had balanced scoring. Tre Johnson tied Tramon Mark for a team-high 19 points, but it was not Johnson’s best game, so the support was needed. Mark had his best game of the season at the best time possible. He finished with 19 points, shooting 5-8 from the field and 9-11 from the free throw line. That secondary scorer is what Texas has needed all season. Beyond Mark, Jordan Pope and Arthur Kaluma added 14 and 11 points each. Should Texas get that kind of production on offense consistently, they may make a run in the SEC tournament that nobody saw coming.

Chendall Weaver Is a Difference Maker

Chendall Weaver played more than five minutes in a game for the first time since the conference opener on Wednesday and it showed. Weaver had been battling injury for most of the year but his presence makes a big difference. He makes winning plays, and while they may not show up in the box score, they show in the end result. The 50/50 plays become 80/20 plays when Weaver is on the floor. It does not matter if it’s diving on the floor for a loose ball or colliding with bodies for a rebound, he’s doing it. That is to go along with the fact he may be the Longhorns’ top perimeter defender. In just 18 minutes against Vanderbilt, Weaver had 6 rebounds, and 2 assists to go along with 1 block and 1 steal. His defense against Wade Taylor will be pivotal on Thursday against Texas A&M.

Texas Must Finish Games Better

Against Vanderbilt, Texas led by 18 points with under nine minutes remaining, yet Vanderbilt cut it to 7 with over a minute left. The Longhorns won in the end so it didn’t matter, but that was a situation in which Tre Johnson should have been on the bench resting for the next game. Texas could not hold the lead, so he played 38 minutes. Against a better team, letting a lead like that slip away will cost the Longhorns. The nine missed free throws does not help either. The inability to make free throws down the stretch is similar to a turnover and opponents will make you pay.

Texas and Texas A&M are scheduled to tip at 2:30 pm in a second round matchup with the game being televised on SEC Network.