Texas Defeats #25 Iowa State In Big 12 Quarterfinals

The Texas Longhorns are on to the Big 12 Semifinals after defeating the Iowa State Cyclones last night.  Texas came out of the gate slowly, like they normally do.  They missed easy shots, they took bad shots and they fell behind early.  Although things weren’t going their way early on, the Longhorns kept fighting like they have done all year.  They did just enough to stay within striking distance throughout the game, and then took it over in the 2nd half.  With about 16 minutes to play and down 7, Texas turned up the intensity offensively and defensively.  The play that turned the game happened on defense.  Iowa State’s Scott Christopherson lost his dribble on the right wing, and Myck Kabongo quickly dove on the ball and threw it to an open teammate.  The play resulted in a layup for Texas.  Iowa State immediately called a timeout.  You could see the momentum changing sides at that moment.  The Texas bench erupted and the Texas players that on the court sprinted to towards the bench in excitement, while Iowa State looked defeated heading towards their bench.  Texas never looked back after that.  They outscored the Cyclones by 11 in the game’s final 15:53.  The Longhorns got very good performances from a lot of different places last night.  Julien Lewis started his Big 12 tournament career with a splash.  The Freshman scored 9 points and grabbed 7 rebounds.  Myck Kabongo and Clint Chapman also had very good games.  Kabongo scored 11 points and handed out 5 assists, and Clint “Chappy” Chapman added 10 points and grabbed 8 rebounds for the Longhorns.  But of course, the guy for the Longhorns was J’Covan Brown.  Brown played like a man who wanted to go to his 3rd straight NCAA tournament.  He scored 23 points, including 2 key and 1 plays down the stretch.

Texas is now 20-12 on the season, and will face the Missouri Tigers in the Big 12 Semifinals tonight.  Some believe the Longhorns are safely in the dance because of yesterday’s other events.  Northwestern and UConn, 2 other teams who were considered to be on the bubble lost in their conference tournaments yesterday.  I believe the Longhorns need to beat Missouri to feel safe.

What Lies Ahead for Texas:

The Semifinals of the Big 12 tournament and the 5th ranked Missouri Tigers.  Texas also gets another chance at a signature win this year.  This will be Texas’ 7th chance to beat a top 15 team.  They have lost twice to Missouri, twice to Baylor and twice to Kansas.  In 4 of those 6 losses, Texas had a chance to win the game and made mistakes down the stretch.  Texas is hoping the 7th time is the charm.  In my opinion, with a win over Missouri, the Longhorns will surely be in the NCAA tournament.

Keys To Success for Texas:

– Guard the 3 point line: As Texas already knows, Missouri can light it up from 3.  Texas needs to be disciplined and not leave shooters open.  That means the guys guarding the ball have to do a great job.  They must not give up penetration.

– Make shots: I have this as a key to success every game for a reason.  Texas’ shooting woes are troubling.  Here is a team who is always in games against top 15 teams despite shooting the ball horribly.  They have to work so hard defensively to get turnovers and get stops in a row to mount a comeback every game.  If they can start making some of the easy shots they get, they’re a really dangerous team going forward.  McClellan, Lewis, Brown and Kabongo have to knock down open jump shots.  Holmes, Chapman and Bond have to score those easy put backs and layup opportunities.

– Rebound: Without Alexi Wangmene, Texas will need everybody focusing on grabbing defensive rebounds.  Texas cannot afford to give Missouri extra opportunities to score.  The Tigers are one of the most efficient teams in the country offensively.  Giving them 2nd and 3rd opportunities to score is a recipe for disaster.

Game Notes:

– J’Covan Brown led all scorers with 23 points.  He also grabbed 5 rebounds

– Myck Kabongo scored 11 points and handed out 5 assists

– Clint Chapman scored 10 points and pulled down 8 rebounds

– Julien Lewis scored 9 points and grabbed 7 rebounds