Texas picked up a much-needed victory to open Big 12 play as they cruised past a short-handed West Virginia team, 74-59.
- It was announced shortly before tip-off that West Virginia would be without 3 players due to Covid-19 protocol, including leading scorer Taz Sherman. The Mountaineers certainly missed Sherman, as they struggled mightily on the offensive end of the floor for the entire first half.
- The stats may not jump off the page, but the Texas offense looked to be in a much better rhythm than they had for much of non-conference play. The ball movement was excellent and the Longhorns were routinely getting open looks from the perimeter.
- Marcus Carr had his best game of the season after several days of unsubstantiated rumors that he was unhappy with his current role with the team. Carr finished the afternoon with 20 points on 7 of 11 shooting, including a pair of three pointers. The transfer from Minnesota looked comfortable for the entire game and played 34 minutes.
- Fellow guard Courtney Ramey had the hot hand early in the game and finished with 15 points to go along with 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Ramey has responded really well since being called out by Chris Beard earlier in the week.
- Defensively, Texas continues to play at an extremely high level. The Longhorns forced 20 turnovers and continue to have one of the top turnover margins in college basketball.
- Texas continues to be one of the best free throw shooting teams in the Big 12. The Longhorns were 15 of 16 from the foul line today. As conference play continues and Texas finds itself in close games, solid free throw shooting will be a big positive for Chris Beard’s team.
What’s Next?
Texas travels to Manhattan on Tuesday to face Kansas State. Tip off will be at 6:00 and the game will be shown on ESPN+.
