Sponsorship.
Seth Fowler graduated from Texas in 1998. Since 2004, he has been helping home buyers and sellers in the DFW Metroplex. Whether new construction, existing homes, investment property, or land, he is your Real Estate Sherpa - guiding you through the process, making it an enjoyable experience. Based in Tarrant County, however, he will help connect you with a quality Realtor anywhere in Texas, the United States, or in the world. When looking to purchase or sell real estate in this new market, call Seth at 817.980.6636.First Half.
The first half of the game was very back-and-forth, and completely dominated, for the second game in a row, by big Dylan Disu, who is getting hot at the right time for the tournament. He started the game 5/5 for 10 points, two rebounds, a block, and a steal.In a game that flipped the script on their previous tilt, Texas physically dominated in the paint for the first half; at one point, they had 26 points in the paint...out of 27 total points. Dylan Disu and Christian Bishop continued to battle down low, and without Eddie Lampkin in the center spot, TCU didn't have anyone who could bang with a very confident front court.
Still, there were a lot of problems on the Texas offense; pretty much, everything outside of Disu's and Bishop's play was not great. Though they finally got at three-pointer when Tyrese Hunter hit one with 2:33 left in the first half, they shot abysmally from the guard position for the first 20 minutes.
As I mentioned on Twitter, the guards better buy Dylan Disu dinner, because he kept them afloat when the guards couldn't hit a damn thing from the field. They had more success towards the later part of the first, but overall, were pretty terrible shooting.
Despite these problems, Texas' defense was fantastic – they held TCU to just 26 total points, and forced every shot of theirs into some sort of awkward look. No one was scoring, but if you're a Big XII basketball fan, you're probably pretty used to this.
Texas held a 34-26 lead at the end of the first half.
Second Half.
Throughout the second half, TCU hung in with Texas, never allowing the Longhorns to achieve a lead bigger than nine. Seemingly very time Texas made a run, or got the lead near double digits, the Horned Frogs would respond with a three-pointer, where they shot 42% (8/19) in an area where they typically shoot a really bad 30.1%, ranking them in the bottom 20 teams out of 363 in the country.But they continued to let them fly and hit them, nearly always in a crucial moment. The three-ball kept TCU around in this one, which is probably not something you'd expect after having watched this team this season. Still, despite this magical ability to shoot threes suddenly conjured by the Frog Gods, TCU still struggled to shoot in other areas, as they finished just 36% for the game.
Despite the win, Texas' guards continued to have issues in this half. The shooting just never improved, as Texas finished the game an abysmal 2/14 from deep. Christian Bishop and Dylan Disu combined for 30 points, 15 boards, five blocks, and three steals, keeping the Longhorns alive as their guards continued to really have trouble getting good looks and making the good ones they did get.
Marcus Carr was a terrible 3/15 from the field, while SirJabari Rice himself wasn't much better at 2/12. Getting 5/27 from your leading guards is not going to get it done in most cases, unless of course two front court players, one of whom doesn't even start, go off for 30 points combined. The win was impressive despite the shooting performance, as they locked down defensively, which has been a pattern as of late with this team, getting it together at the right time.
The final score was 66-60 after a war of a game with two teams that are primed to make great tourney runs.
Highlight of the Game.
Below was the most important sequence in the entire game, and the catalyst was Dylan Disu, once again. His block on Micah Peavy led directly to Marcus Carr's scoring on the other end with a layup in transition. In a game full of big moments for Disu, this was the biggest, adding to his 15-point game, eight-rebound game another block which left him with two for the game.Watch the magic below, which happened at 2:02 left in the second half, giving Texas a six-point lead of which they never let go.
Player of the Game.
I have to split this award today and just give it to the font court in Dylan Disu and Christian Bishop. They both went for 15 points a piece; Disu had eight boards and two blocks, while Bishop had seven boards and three blocks. Combined, they shot 11/16 and 8/10 from the line, each getting an and-one at one point in the game.They were everywhere on both sides of the floor. Disu dominated the first half, while Bishop took over the second. At the beginning of the game, Dylan Disu scored 10 of Texas' first 19 points, putting in work on the block and getting into his bag with some post moves and pass fakes. He looked unstoppable for the first 10 or so minutes of the game, and you could tell it was an area in which TCU was really, really missing the big-bodied center Eddie Lampkin, who left the Horned Frogs basketball team for personal reasons.
Bishop took over this half, scoring 10 of his 15 during the second and coming through with big plays all night. He also had one of the dunks of the game below:
...And the actual dunk of the game right here.
What I'm saying is, if Christian Bishop was 6'11, he'd play NBA minutes. He plays like he's 6'11 anyway.
This is also Dylan Disu's second player of the game in a row, as he had an 11-11 double-double against Oklahoma State. Seeing him come on this strong at this time of the year is so massive for this team. If he and Bishop can play as physically as they did today, watch out. This team could really make a run.
Rebounding against TCU.
If you'll remember the last Texas/TCU basketball game, the Horned Frogs out-rebounded Texas by 18. Given, they had Eddie Lampkin at the time, which is very important for eating up space around the rim and preventing easy takes in the paint. But regardless, Texas was so much better on the boards today. The effort was better, the physicality was real. Disu's skill and Bishop's explosive athleticism lifted the Longhorns to a much better output on the glass, winning the battle, 40-38.They weren't the only ones – Cunningham and Rice had six each, and Carr grabbed an additional four. Rebounding by committee has to be their game in the NCAA Tournament, even if Disu's and Bishop's rebounding continues to be really solid. They need as many bodies as possible out there vying for loose balls.
Luckily, Texas has a team full of guys willing to buy into their roles. Getting them to dive on the floor for possessions isn't a hard sell for a group of guys that have been team-focused all season long. It's hard not to really like this team; they're a bunch of guys with no egos. All they want to do is win, and they play that way. They play for each other and for Rodney Terry. It's pretty inspiring basketball.
Defense Away from Home.
Back-to-back games in the Big XII Tournament, back-to-back excellent defensive performances for the Longhorns, who have always defended well at home but have had trouble bringing the defense with them. The old saying "defense travels" didn't really apply to this Texas team for a while.But after two tough games against Big XII competition, the defense stood out. They held their first-round opponent Oklahoma State to a whopping 47 total points, and then stifled TCU, holding them to 60. This is a massive development for a team that has had trouble on the road (or at least away from the Moody Center). Of course, no one is going to crush a Big XII road schedule (I guess except for Kansas).
When their offense stalls, which it will at times during the tournament, it will be massive for them to play that clamp-up defense they have been playing in the last week, including only allowing Kansas to score 59 points.
In the last two games, Texas has allowed field goal percentages of 26.9% to Oklahoma State and 36% to TCU. While neither team is particularly known for its offense, Texas has absolutely bullied these teams in the last two days from a physicality standpoint.
Next Round.
The next round is the matchup many were anticipating: Texas vs. Kansas, the top two seeds in the conference tournament, will meet for a rubber match tomorrow at 5PM CST on ESPN. In their last game, Texas hammered Kansas, 75-59, at the Moody Center behind 23 points from SirJabari Rice. It was kind of an ass-kicking from the jump in that one, where Texas struck first and held an eight-point lead at the half.The first matchup between Texas and Kansas, Marcus Carr had 29 in a loss at Phog Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas. The Jayhawks won that battle, 88-80, where Gradey Dick had 21 points of his own and, combined with 17 from DaJuan Harris and 16 from Kevin McCullar, they were just too much to beat. That shootout of a game between then-fifth-ranked Texas and then-ninth-ranked Kansas was an indication at the time that, yes, Texas, though they lost, belonged in the conversation.
I'll have a full preview of tomorrow's game before noon.
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