The center of the college hoops universe planted its flag in Austin, Texas this weekend, and the Longhorns (15-8, 5-5) responded by creating one of the best Frank Erwin Center atmospheres in some time, which fueled a 79-74 win over No. 12 Oklahoma (16-6, 6-4). Despite a lackluster start and trailing by double-digits in the second half, Texas made adjustments and its freshman point guard starred against the frontrunner for National Player of the Year. Here are 10 postgame thoughts:
1) Matt Coleman.
A few days removed from missing three straight free throws and fouling out late against Texas Tech, the freshman point guard responded by playing perhaps his best game as a Longhorn. In the second half, Coleman scored 17 of his career-high 22 points, and knocked down all four late-game free throws.
“It felt really good. It's all about response when things don’t go your way. Last game, it was uncharacteristic of me last game to miss three-straight free throws in a row,” said Coleman. “Coming back today, you still live to see another day. At the end of the day, we just have to fight. When my number was called again to make my free throws, I did. Thank God.”
Oh, and he also was asked to guard Trae Young during the game’s most critical stretch.
Down 50-40 with 16:26 remaining in the game, Texas desperately needed a spark.
“I told him he had to,” Shaka Smart said about Coleman providing a spark. “We called a timeout. We were down 10 and I was just pleading with these guys to get back to the process. Get back to each other. Fix your face, is what we say in our program all the time because some of them had this look on their face like they were frustrated. Then coming out of the huddle, I grabbed Matt and I said, ‘Matt, if we play with spirit we'll win the game,’ and he of all people knows what I mean by that and he did a great job leading.”
Coleman provided it with a move that nearly sent his defender tumbling to the floor, and drilled a three-pointer to the delight of the Texas crowd.
“I would say that was probably the turning point of the second half,” the freshman stated about the three-pointer. “We were down 10 and I felt like our spirit wasn’t great at that moment. We needed something to get us over that hump. We found something, and we ran with it.”
Now trailing just 50-46, Texas had found its spark. And it came from its young floor general.
“I just treat every game as a gift and opportunity,” responded Coleman when askd about embracing the moment. “The crowd really gave us that extra oomph. I was just trying to use that to our advantage. They were loud. They were enthusiastic. And then on the other end, we were playing against Oklahoma and probably the future national player of the year, so you just feed of those things right there. At the end of the day, we're not fighting not just to win, but we're fighting for Andrew (Jones).”
2) A quick 12-2 run tied the game at 52-52, but the Longhorns would again be faced with adversity. Struggling offensively, Texas trailed 66-57 with 7:54 remaining. Then, it asked Coleman and Kerwin Roach II to take the game over. Roach pumped some confidence into Texas with a three-pointer to make it 66-60 Oklahoma, which began a 13-0 Texas run to put the home team in front 70-66 with 3:41 left.
Texas started picking on Young defensively by inviting the switch around the perimeter and driving at him in isolation situations with either Coleman or Roach. Defensively, the Longhorns started to defend ball-screens better by blitzing them, which forced the ball out of Young’s hands and at times into Texas’s in the form of turnovers. Throw in some occasional full-court pressure, and OU lost its rhythm. During the final seven minutes, Oklahoma committed seven turnovers. Texas also changed one of its matchups to slow Rashard Odomes down in addition to assigning Coleman on Young.
But most importantly, the Longhorns simply started playing harder and with more determination.
3) Maybe they’d get overlooked otherwise, but two plays that really caught my attention and defined the effort and grit Texas was playing with in the second half:
With 2:52 remaining, Dylan Osetkowski, who struggled from the floor and finished 3-of-14 shooting, missed a three-pointer. Rather than give up on the play, Osetkowski sprinted after the rebound, wrestled it away, and drew a foul in the paint. He then made both free throws to put Texas ahead 72-68.
Around that same time, Roach dove aggressively after a loose ball on Oklahoma’s end, and took away what looked like an offensive rebound for the Sooners during a key possession. And not only did Roach get his hands on the ball, he also was able to throw it to a teammate.
4) Coleman (8-of-13) and Roach (7-of-11) combined to shoot 15-of-24 from the floor, 6-of-8 at the foul line, and 5-of-10 from three-point range. The duo accounted for 41 points, and was also tasked with defending Young. To defend a player like Young requires a team effort, but both those guards were assigned the challenge. Late in the game, Smart actually moved Roach away from Young and put Coleman on him.
Young finished with 19 points, 14 assists and five turnovers, which is a heck of a night. However, he assisted on just five makes in the second half and committed four turnovers during that period. Texas made him uncomfortable shooting from the perimeter, which resulted in a 2-of-14 night from beyond the arc and also just three free throws.
Tonight was only the third time this season when Young didn’t score 20 points or more, and one of those games was the first of the season.
5) The crowd at the Erwin Center was electric. When Eric Davis, Jr. threw a lob to Mohamed Bamba with under 40 seconds left and the freshman big man slammed home the reverse dunk, the following pop was as loud as I’ve ever heard the Erwin Center.
The Texas fans absolutely made a difference tonight, and that was an outstanding college basketball environment.
“I think the environment, the fans were awesome for the (recruits) that were here,” responded Smart when asked what today could mean big picture for his program and the recruits in attendance. “What they saw was The University of Texas playing in front of a sold-out crowd, an unbelievable atmosphere, an atmosphere earlier today at GameDay that was terrific and our guys gritting it out and finding a way to win,” the Texas head coach said. “We want to display that as much as we can.
"I told our guys in the locker room (that) I'm proud of the way they approached this week. We didn't finish on Wednesday and that's why we lost. Texas Tech deserves a lot of credit, but all week long our guys have had a level of grit and toughness, trying to follow our plan. It hasn't been the prettiest. There are a lot of things we need to get better at, but if we can approach weeks like we did this week and then finish, we have a chance to win a lot of games.”
And it began this morning at College GameDay.
“The turnout at GameDay was phenomenal. I guess (ESPN) was hesitant to put it here, because the last time it was here it wasn't as good. I want to give a lot of credit to all the folks that work in our administration that really pushed to get a great group here, and obviously all of the students and fans that came out. I think it set a tone because our guys saw that, and they were a little bit surprised. That was one of the best GameDay atmospheres, the ESPN guys said, that they've had.”
6) With about seven minutes remaining, Texas’s win probability, according to KenPom.com, was 9.2 percent. How big was Roach’s three-pointer to make it 66-60? It basically accounted for a seven to 10-percent change in probability.
7) Considering the way they started the game, the Longhorns were fortunate to trail just 40-35 at halftime. It was a weird first half. Oklahoma was the hungrier team while Texas at times looked tentative.
“There was a ton of energy in the building when the game started and we needed that because our guys weren't at our best early on. We were a little bit on our heels. I think they wanted to win so bad, it got away from the focus that we needed to do in terms of our process,” said Smart. “But they hung in there. Our guys battled and fought. Our theme that we talked about was just finish the game, because obviously we struggled to do that on Wednesday (at Texas Tech) and our guys did a nice job at the foul line and overall just finishing the game.”
Bamba especially looked odd during the first period. He barely challenged any shots defensively, was often out of position on defense, and was beaten for some defensive rebounds he normally grabs. In the second half, though, he looked more like the Bamba Texas has seen over the last month. The freshman from Harlem, New York finished with 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting (0-of-1 from three-point range and 5-of-7 at the free throw line) with nine rebounds, one assist, one turnover, and one block.
“Mohamed (Bamba) wasn't at his best tonight. He's a little banged up from the other night, but he didn't cave, you know, he kept fighting,” said Smart. “Matt was able to bring some good stuff out of him. (Dylan Osetkowski) didn't have his best offensive night, but I thought he led the charge in terms of just a toughness with us. We tried to deny (Oklahoma guard) Trae Young, he helped us there, so that's what you have to do in games like this.”
8) Texas finished 20-of-27 from the free throw line, and at one point down the stretch made 12 free throws in a row.
9) Up next for the Longhorns is a home game Wednesday against Kansas State, who will present a really good offense and a suspect defense.
In the meantime, Texas, for at least one night, showed what its total potential is as a basketball program, and that it is in good hands with Coleman.
10) How about Andrew Jones tweeting for the first time since his diagnosis? Awesome.
1) Matt Coleman.
A few days removed from missing three straight free throws and fouling out late against Texas Tech, the freshman point guard responded by playing perhaps his best game as a Longhorn. In the second half, Coleman scored 17 of his career-high 22 points, and knocked down all four late-game free throws.
“It felt really good. It's all about response when things don’t go your way. Last game, it was uncharacteristic of me last game to miss three-straight free throws in a row,” said Coleman. “Coming back today, you still live to see another day. At the end of the day, we just have to fight. When my number was called again to make my free throws, I did. Thank God.”
Oh, and he also was asked to guard Trae Young during the game’s most critical stretch.
Down 50-40 with 16:26 remaining in the game, Texas desperately needed a spark.
“I told him he had to,” Shaka Smart said about Coleman providing a spark. “We called a timeout. We were down 10 and I was just pleading with these guys to get back to the process. Get back to each other. Fix your face, is what we say in our program all the time because some of them had this look on their face like they were frustrated. Then coming out of the huddle, I grabbed Matt and I said, ‘Matt, if we play with spirit we'll win the game,’ and he of all people knows what I mean by that and he did a great job leading.”
Coleman provided it with a move that nearly sent his defender tumbling to the floor, and drilled a three-pointer to the delight of the Texas crowd.
“I would say that was probably the turning point of the second half,” the freshman stated about the three-pointer. “We were down 10 and I felt like our spirit wasn’t great at that moment. We needed something to get us over that hump. We found something, and we ran with it.”
Now trailing just 50-46, Texas had found its spark. And it came from its young floor general.
“I just treat every game as a gift and opportunity,” responded Coleman when askd about embracing the moment. “The crowd really gave us that extra oomph. I was just trying to use that to our advantage. They were loud. They were enthusiastic. And then on the other end, we were playing against Oklahoma and probably the future national player of the year, so you just feed of those things right there. At the end of the day, we're not fighting not just to win, but we're fighting for Andrew (Jones).”
2) A quick 12-2 run tied the game at 52-52, but the Longhorns would again be faced with adversity. Struggling offensively, Texas trailed 66-57 with 7:54 remaining. Then, it asked Coleman and Kerwin Roach II to take the game over. Roach pumped some confidence into Texas with a three-pointer to make it 66-60 Oklahoma, which began a 13-0 Texas run to put the home team in front 70-66 with 3:41 left.
Texas started picking on Young defensively by inviting the switch around the perimeter and driving at him in isolation situations with either Coleman or Roach. Defensively, the Longhorns started to defend ball-screens better by blitzing them, which forced the ball out of Young’s hands and at times into Texas’s in the form of turnovers. Throw in some occasional full-court pressure, and OU lost its rhythm. During the final seven minutes, Oklahoma committed seven turnovers. Texas also changed one of its matchups to slow Rashard Odomes down in addition to assigning Coleman on Young.
But most importantly, the Longhorns simply started playing harder and with more determination.
3) Maybe they’d get overlooked otherwise, but two plays that really caught my attention and defined the effort and grit Texas was playing with in the second half:
With 2:52 remaining, Dylan Osetkowski, who struggled from the floor and finished 3-of-14 shooting, missed a three-pointer. Rather than give up on the play, Osetkowski sprinted after the rebound, wrestled it away, and drew a foul in the paint. He then made both free throws to put Texas ahead 72-68.
Around that same time, Roach dove aggressively after a loose ball on Oklahoma’s end, and took away what looked like an offensive rebound for the Sooners during a key possession. And not only did Roach get his hands on the ball, he also was able to throw it to a teammate.
4) Coleman (8-of-13) and Roach (7-of-11) combined to shoot 15-of-24 from the floor, 6-of-8 at the foul line, and 5-of-10 from three-point range. The duo accounted for 41 points, and was also tasked with defending Young. To defend a player like Young requires a team effort, but both those guards were assigned the challenge. Late in the game, Smart actually moved Roach away from Young and put Coleman on him.
Young finished with 19 points, 14 assists and five turnovers, which is a heck of a night. However, he assisted on just five makes in the second half and committed four turnovers during that period. Texas made him uncomfortable shooting from the perimeter, which resulted in a 2-of-14 night from beyond the arc and also just three free throws.
Tonight was only the third time this season when Young didn’t score 20 points or more, and one of those games was the first of the season.
5) The crowd at the Erwin Center was electric. When Eric Davis, Jr. threw a lob to Mohamed Bamba with under 40 seconds left and the freshman big man slammed home the reverse dunk, the following pop was as loud as I’ve ever heard the Erwin Center.
The Texas fans absolutely made a difference tonight, and that was an outstanding college basketball environment.
“I think the environment, the fans were awesome for the (recruits) that were here,” responded Smart when asked what today could mean big picture for his program and the recruits in attendance. “What they saw was The University of Texas playing in front of a sold-out crowd, an unbelievable atmosphere, an atmosphere earlier today at GameDay that was terrific and our guys gritting it out and finding a way to win,” the Texas head coach said. “We want to display that as much as we can.
"I told our guys in the locker room (that) I'm proud of the way they approached this week. We didn't finish on Wednesday and that's why we lost. Texas Tech deserves a lot of credit, but all week long our guys have had a level of grit and toughness, trying to follow our plan. It hasn't been the prettiest. There are a lot of things we need to get better at, but if we can approach weeks like we did this week and then finish, we have a chance to win a lot of games.”
And it began this morning at College GameDay.
“The turnout at GameDay was phenomenal. I guess (ESPN) was hesitant to put it here, because the last time it was here it wasn't as good. I want to give a lot of credit to all the folks that work in our administration that really pushed to get a great group here, and obviously all of the students and fans that came out. I think it set a tone because our guys saw that, and they were a little bit surprised. That was one of the best GameDay atmospheres, the ESPN guys said, that they've had.”
6) With about seven minutes remaining, Texas’s win probability, according to KenPom.com, was 9.2 percent. How big was Roach’s three-pointer to make it 66-60? It basically accounted for a seven to 10-percent change in probability.
7) Considering the way they started the game, the Longhorns were fortunate to trail just 40-35 at halftime. It was a weird first half. Oklahoma was the hungrier team while Texas at times looked tentative.
“There was a ton of energy in the building when the game started and we needed that because our guys weren't at our best early on. We were a little bit on our heels. I think they wanted to win so bad, it got away from the focus that we needed to do in terms of our process,” said Smart. “But they hung in there. Our guys battled and fought. Our theme that we talked about was just finish the game, because obviously we struggled to do that on Wednesday (at Texas Tech) and our guys did a nice job at the foul line and overall just finishing the game.”
Bamba especially looked odd during the first period. He barely challenged any shots defensively, was often out of position on defense, and was beaten for some defensive rebounds he normally grabs. In the second half, though, he looked more like the Bamba Texas has seen over the last month. The freshman from Harlem, New York finished with 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting (0-of-1 from three-point range and 5-of-7 at the free throw line) with nine rebounds, one assist, one turnover, and one block.
“Mohamed (Bamba) wasn't at his best tonight. He's a little banged up from the other night, but he didn't cave, you know, he kept fighting,” said Smart. “Matt was able to bring some good stuff out of him. (Dylan Osetkowski) didn't have his best offensive night, but I thought he led the charge in terms of just a toughness with us. We tried to deny (Oklahoma guard) Trae Young, he helped us there, so that's what you have to do in games like this.”
8) Texas finished 20-of-27 from the free throw line, and at one point down the stretch made 12 free throws in a row.
9) Up next for the Longhorns is a home game Wednesday against Kansas State, who will present a really good offense and a suspect defense.
In the meantime, Texas, for at least one night, showed what its total potential is as a basketball program, and that it is in good hands with Coleman.
10) How about Andrew Jones tweeting for the first time since his diagnosis? Awesome.
