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.
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1st Half Summary.
For the second game in a row, Texas came out very flat against a conference opponent. They trailed the entire first half of the game, playing extremely sloppy basketball on the offensive end. They couldn't hit anything from deep, and turned it over with regularity. They dribble into double teams, didn't box out, allowed for second-chance points, and could not get into any kind of rhythm. The Red Raiders came out and punched them in the mouth a little bit, letting the Longhorns know that despite Tech's record, they are going to do everything they can to upset UT. Pop Isaacs led all scorers with 11 points on 3/4 from deep and 4/9 from the field. Timmy Allen led the way for Texas with seven. Texas Tech shot 45% to Texas' 34.6%. It would take a massive effort in the second half to overcome the deficit.
2nd Half Summary.
You know that massive effort I was talking about earlier in the piece? Well, the Texas players gave it again, and like the TCU matchup, the held onto it and pulled off the victory. They won 72-70 after outscoring Texas Tech 47-36 in the second half, which was hotly contested throughout. Whenever Texas would get a big couple of buckets in the last few minutes, the Red Raiders would answer. Ignoring TTU's 0-4 conference record coming into this game, they looked like a team that could legitimately knock Texas off at the Moody; they nearly did. But Texas got excellent second halves from Timmy Allen, Jabari Rice, and Marcus Carr to keep them afloat and in the win column.
Highlight of the Game.
There are a few different plays I could have picked for this, but one in particular stands out to me: the pick and pop from Marcus Carr to Brock Cunningham. Aimaq gets caught in the PNR set and Cunningham flares out, leaving him wide open at a crucial point in the game where he nails the three to make it a two-possession game.
Player of the Game (Texas).
This is another situation in which I could award this to multiple players. Lately, it's been the following three guys who have played really well.
SirJabari Rice – Rice had yet another night of hitting clutch free throws, going 8/10 from the line and keeping the Texas lead big enough to prevent Texas Tech from sneaking back into the game at the end,. Rice is such a consistent player from the guard spot, always making plays down the stretch that impact the game for the Longhorns. His 18 points tonight were good for second on Texas and third in the game, behind just Marcus Carr and Pop Isaacs. Speaking of Marcus Carr..
Marcus Carr – Carr established himself as one of the two alphas on the team with Timmy Allen last year, and is continuing to be a leader on this team with his clutch play. Whenever Texas needs a big shot, Marcus Carr is the guy. He scored 20 points tonight, hitting three threes in the second half to lead him to 15 in that period. He struggled some last year with his shot, but this season, he's been the best version of himself, the version that played for Minnesota two years ago, i.e., a total badass. This team would not be nearly as good without him on it.
Timmy Allen – Allen scored 17 points on an ultra-efficient 6/9 from the field. He scored 10 in the second half: 3/3 from the field, 4/4 from the FT line. The improvements Allen has made to his game from last season are impressive as well, playing a more efficient version of basketball that minimizes bad takes and plays to his strengths like the mid-ranger jumper and strength in the post to finish through contact. The team often goes as Allen goes; if he's having a good night, the team generally is too. Luckily for Texas, he's been having good nights most nights in the last few games after a rough start to the season.
Player of the Game (Texas Tech).
For Texas Tech, the player of the game was obvious: freshman guard Pop Isaacs was a scoring machine tonight with 23 points on 5/9 from three. He hit clutch shot after clutch shot, keeping the Red Raiders in the game even when it looked very dire. Though they ended up losing, had they won, it would've been in major part due to the abilities of the 6'2 Las Vegas native. He added three assists and two rebounds on top of being the game's leading scorer. He's a very impressive player that will only get better and more efficient over time.
Second-half motivation.
This is the second game in a row where Texas struggled in the first half before finding itself in the second half and pulling out a victory against a Texas-based conference opponent. They had a bad first half from a shooting perspective, but it's not an effort problem. It's simply just the way basketball works: when you're shooting poorly, your defense just isn't going to be as inspired. When you start knocking down shots, you start stringing stops together. This was evident in the second half for the Longhorns, where they outscored Texas Tech by 11.
Deep shooting.
Texas had another night of rough shooting from deep, but most of the bad misses were in the first half, where they shot 2/13. As I tweeted out during the game, the Longhorns were very lucky to only be down nine at the break considering how they were playing. The second half saw them go 6/15 from deep, which is not a crazy number, but definitely a major improvement over hitting two and missing 11 like they did in the first. Carr hit 3/9 and Rice hit 2/5, but the shots they did hit were at very important junctures in the game. You also can't forget about Brock Cunningham's three, as I posted above as my highlight of the game.
Overall.
This game means a lot more than a victory over a team that doesn't have a conference win yet. Texas Tech completely disrespected the Longhorns last year by taking over the Frank Erwin Center and turning it into Lubbock South; they were louder than the Texas fans were, and it showed when the Red Raiders won 61-56 in Austin. This was a major game for the team's mental toughness; yes, Texas is a better team than Tech, but could they prove it on the court? You saw the answer tonight. The next question will be if they can do it on the road in Lubbock. We'll have to see. One thing is for certain though: this is a team of which Texas fans should be proud.
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1st Half Summary.
For the second game in a row, Texas came out very flat against a conference opponent. They trailed the entire first half of the game, playing extremely sloppy basketball on the offensive end. They couldn't hit anything from deep, and turned it over with regularity. They dribble into double teams, didn't box out, allowed for second-chance points, and could not get into any kind of rhythm. The Red Raiders came out and punched them in the mouth a little bit, letting the Longhorns know that despite Tech's record, they are going to do everything they can to upset UT. Pop Isaacs led all scorers with 11 points on 3/4 from deep and 4/9 from the field. Timmy Allen led the way for Texas with seven. Texas Tech shot 45% to Texas' 34.6%. It would take a massive effort in the second half to overcome the deficit.
2nd Half Summary.
You know that massive effort I was talking about earlier in the piece? Well, the Texas players gave it again, and like the TCU matchup, the held onto it and pulled off the victory. They won 72-70 after outscoring Texas Tech 47-36 in the second half, which was hotly contested throughout. Whenever Texas would get a big couple of buckets in the last few minutes, the Red Raiders would answer. Ignoring TTU's 0-4 conference record coming into this game, they looked like a team that could legitimately knock Texas off at the Moody; they nearly did. But Texas got excellent second halves from Timmy Allen, Jabari Rice, and Marcus Carr to keep them afloat and in the win column.
Highlight of the Game.
There are a few different plays I could have picked for this, but one in particular stands out to me: the pick and pop from Marcus Carr to Brock Cunningham. Aimaq gets caught in the PNR set and Cunningham flares out, leaving him wide open at a crucial point in the game where he nails the three to make it a two-possession game.
Player of the Game (Texas).
This is another situation in which I could award this to multiple players. Lately, it's been the following three guys who have played really well.
SirJabari Rice – Rice had yet another night of hitting clutch free throws, going 8/10 from the line and keeping the Texas lead big enough to prevent Texas Tech from sneaking back into the game at the end,. Rice is such a consistent player from the guard spot, always making plays down the stretch that impact the game for the Longhorns. His 18 points tonight were good for second on Texas and third in the game, behind just Marcus Carr and Pop Isaacs. Speaking of Marcus Carr..
Marcus Carr – Carr established himself as one of the two alphas on the team with Timmy Allen last year, and is continuing to be a leader on this team with his clutch play. Whenever Texas needs a big shot, Marcus Carr is the guy. He scored 20 points tonight, hitting three threes in the second half to lead him to 15 in that period. He struggled some last year with his shot, but this season, he's been the best version of himself, the version that played for Minnesota two years ago, i.e., a total badass. This team would not be nearly as good without him on it.
Timmy Allen – Allen scored 17 points on an ultra-efficient 6/9 from the field. He scored 10 in the second half: 3/3 from the field, 4/4 from the FT line. The improvements Allen has made to his game from last season are impressive as well, playing a more efficient version of basketball that minimizes bad takes and plays to his strengths like the mid-ranger jumper and strength in the post to finish through contact. The team often goes as Allen goes; if he's having a good night, the team generally is too. Luckily for Texas, he's been having good nights most nights in the last few games after a rough start to the season.
Player of the Game (Texas Tech).
For Texas Tech, the player of the game was obvious: freshman guard Pop Isaacs was a scoring machine tonight with 23 points on 5/9 from three. He hit clutch shot after clutch shot, keeping the Red Raiders in the game even when it looked very dire. Though they ended up losing, had they won, it would've been in major part due to the abilities of the 6'2 Las Vegas native. He added three assists and two rebounds on top of being the game's leading scorer. He's a very impressive player that will only get better and more efficient over time.
Second-half motivation.
This is the second game in a row where Texas struggled in the first half before finding itself in the second half and pulling out a victory against a Texas-based conference opponent. They had a bad first half from a shooting perspective, but it's not an effort problem. It's simply just the way basketball works: when you're shooting poorly, your defense just isn't going to be as inspired. When you start knocking down shots, you start stringing stops together. This was evident in the second half for the Longhorns, where they outscored Texas Tech by 11.
Deep shooting.
Texas had another night of rough shooting from deep, but most of the bad misses were in the first half, where they shot 2/13. As I tweeted out during the game, the Longhorns were very lucky to only be down nine at the break considering how they were playing. The second half saw them go 6/15 from deep, which is not a crazy number, but definitely a major improvement over hitting two and missing 11 like they did in the first. Carr hit 3/9 and Rice hit 2/5, but the shots they did hit were at very important junctures in the game. You also can't forget about Brock Cunningham's three, as I posted above as my highlight of the game.
Overall.
This game means a lot more than a victory over a team that doesn't have a conference win yet. Texas Tech completely disrespected the Longhorns last year by taking over the Frank Erwin Center and turning it into Lubbock South; they were louder than the Texas fans were, and it showed when the Red Raiders won 61-56 in Austin. This was a major game for the team's mental toughness; yes, Texas is a better team than Tech, but could they prove it on the court? You saw the answer tonight. The next question will be if they can do it on the road in Lubbock. We'll have to see. One thing is for certain though: this is a team of which Texas fans should be proud.
