Texas Rallies to beat Oklahoma 72-64

Senior Night started about as badly as it could for the Texas Longhorns.  They couldn’t seem to make a shot and Oklahoma couldn’t seem to miss.  The Sooners were led by the sweet shooting of Romero Osby and Steven Pledger, who started the game a combined 8-8 with 17 points.  Like they’ve done all season long, Texas hung around long enough to get hot and take the lead.  It looked as if it would never happen though.  Every time Texas got within 4 or 5, Oklahoma would make a play or 2 to stretch the lead out to 7 or 8.  The Sooners did enough to keep the Longhorns at arm’s length until midway through the 2nd half.  The Longhorns’ inability to make shots helped the Sooners’ cause as well.  Texas didn’t make a field goal the for the game’s first 5 minutes.  It wasn’t until Freshmen guards Sterling Gibbs and Sheldon McClellan got going that Texas got going.  Gibbs and McClellan’s play was nothing short of spectacular.  Gibbs, who had been relegated to the bench for much of the Big 12 schedule has played very well lately.  He scored 6 points off the bench at Oklahoma State a couple of weeks ago, and then scored 8 points last night in only 13 minutes of play.  I firmly believe that Gibbs can give the Longhorns good minutes off the bench, if given the chance.

The 2nd half started much like the 1st, with Oklahoma taking control.  But this half, the Longhorns were prepared to play.  Freshmen forwards Jaylen Bond and Jonathan Holmes started snatching rebounds instead of just ball watching, Sheldon McClellan continued to hit shots, and J’Covan Brown finally jointed the party.  The talented Junior guard got going with a step back 3 pointer from the left corner.  He then hit another 3 pointer from the same spot with 2 Sooner defenders in his face.  After that, it was all Texas.  The Longhorns had seized the momentum.  Momentum they would ride all the way to the finish line.  The win puts Texas at 19-11 on the season, and allows them to keep dreaming of the NCAA tournament.

What Lies Ahead For Texas:

A trip to Lawrence to take on the Big 12 Champions, the Kansas Jayhawks.  Kansas doesn’t lose very often in Lawrence, but the Longhorns beat them there last year .  A win against Kansas on Saturday, and Texas can start making plans for the NCAA tournament.

Keys to Success for Texas:

– Contain Tyshawn Taylor: Taylor makes the Jayhawks go.  Texas let him shoot too many open shots last game.  The Longhorns will need to limit Taylor.

– Make shots: Let’s face it.  Texas has not shot the ball well all season long.  Despite the win last night, they were 6-24 from 3 point range and made only 67% of their free throw attempts.  That is not winning basketball.  The Longhorn big men need to make easy baskets.  Holmes, Bond, Chapman and Wangmene miss a disturbing amount of easy layups.  The guards also need to start making more shots.  They miss way too much open shots.

– Rebound: Kansas has a lot of size.  Texas will need to control the glass to have a chance to beat Kansas.

– Be fired up: A trip to the NCAA tournament is on the line.  The whole season is on the line.  If the Longhorns aren’t fired up for this game, they don’t deserve to dance.

Game Notes:

– Sheldon McClellan led Texas in scoring with 24 points.  He also had tied his career high with 3 steals

– J’Covan Brown added 22 points, pulled down 6 rebounds and handed out 5 assists

– Jaylen Bond led Texas in rebounding with 8 rebounds in only 13 minutes of play

– Myck Kabongo handed out 9 assists

– Jonathan Holmes played a strong game, scoring 6 points and pulling down 7 rebounds.

– Sterling Gibbs played a great game off the bench.  He scored 8 points in only 17 minutes