Sponsorship.
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First Half.
The first half was a really impressive one for Texas, even after losing Dylan Disu once he re-aggravated a bone bruise in his leg. Marcus Carr was unconscious, scoring 15 points on 6/11 from the field, and they got a lot of good minutes out of Timmy Allen (eight points) and Christian Bishop (10 points).They played elite defense thanks to most of the members of the team – Arterio Morris deserves a shout out for his perimeter play on the defensive end, even though he struggled on the other end of the floor. They did an excellent job forcing Xavier into awkward looks, no matter what the Musketeers tried.
The offense was impressive as well – 42 first-half points is their highest so far in the tournament, narrowly edging their 41 points scored in the first half of their matchup against Colgate. They blew the doors off the Musketeers in about every fashion, not allowing Jack Nunge to ever get into any kind of rhythm.
In fact, no one on the team really got into rhythm. They held a team that averages in the mid-80s to just 25 points, completely shutting down the Xavier offense. It was extremely impressive, but could they maintain the lead?
Second Half.
The answer is yes. Texas refused to allow Xavier to get back into the game, as the Musketeers never got it closer than 12 points, and that was in garbage time when they hit four shots in a row to make it a 12-point game.The defense was stifling and extremely discouraging; you could see the frustration in the Xavier players as they began to get chippy and emotional. Frankly, they never stood a chance to come back with the defense that Texas was playing.
Not only did the defense show up – the offense did, too. Texas had several players in double figures, including Tyrese Hunter (19 points on 7/11), Marcus Carr (18 points on 7/16) SirJabari Rice (16 points on 6/10), and Christian Bishop (18 points on 8/12).
Without Disu, this team didn't rest a beat. They came out focused, hungry, ready to dominate, and under the leadership of Rodney Terry (who better get the HC job), they didn't take their foot off the gas.
Being up 18 early in the second half can be almost a precarious position – if the other team starts mounting a comeback, all of the pressure is on. But this is a veteran team.
The upperclassmen leadership shows itself in many ways, and one of these indicators is turnover margin. Texas finished +3 today, only turning the ball over nine total times. The way teams get back into games usually begins with the leading team turning it over several times in a short span, leading to points on the other end.
Texas didn't allow this to happen, as they gave up just seven points off of turnovers in the whole game. Again, it was just an outstanding performance from a team that has been not just outstanding in the last three weeks, but the whole season, really.
Texas wins, 83-71.
Player of the Game.
This could go one of two ways, so once again, I'm going to split the award between Christian Bishop and Tyrese Hunter.In Dylan Disu's absence, the question of who would dominate the paint came up. Christian Bishop decided to emphatically answer this question by putting up 18 points on 8/12 from the field and nine boards. He was tenacious on defense as well, absolutely clamping Jack Nunge, forcing him to shoot an inefficient 6/19 from the field.
He was absolutely huge on both ends of the floor, filling a role that is absolutely not easy to fill. Texas dominated in the paint, scoring 40 points down low. Bishop was the primary driving factor here.
Tyrese Hunter is your other player of the game, who seems to be getting hot at the exact right time. He scored 19 points and dished a couple of assists as well. He was efficient, going 7/11 from the field, including shooting 3/3 from deep. He looked like the Tyrese Hunter Texas fans watched at the beginning of the season: aggressive, attacking the rack, not being denied despite his 6'1 frame.
Hunter was also fantastic on the defensive end no matter which guards Texas put him on. As I previously mentioned, "frustration" would be the right term to describe how the Musketeers felt.
Highlight of the Game.
This one is going to be obvious. Timmy Allen's half-court shot that put the Texas lead to 17. There was nothing Xavier could have done about it, and it seemingly broke them psychologically, as you could understand. Allen just threw up a prayer and banged it through. Here's the shot below.Unsung Heroes.
This team played so well today that I have to give credit to some of the Longhorns who played lesser roles in this victory, particularly Arterio Morris, who was bad on offense but absolutely lockdown on the defensive end. People don't realize how big Morris is – he's 6'4, 220, which is essentially the size of an outside linebacker.Despite his size, he moves so nimbly, and has fantastic lateral quickness, making it easier for him to stay in front of opposing ballhandlers. This also plays perfectly into the kind of defense that Texas runs, where funneling ball handlers to the corners is sort of the goal. They didn't allow dribble penetration at all, contested every look, and just completely dismantled Sean Miller's Xavier team.
Dillon Mitchell also played excellent defense when he was on the floor. Though the two freshmen players have been very underwhelming this season, they are both pretty fantastic defensive players. If either can develop an offensive game, which is a big if, they could both be really good college players wit a shot at the Association.
History for Texas, and Tournament Context.
This is the first Texas team to make the Elite Eight since 2008, where they lost to eventual national runners-up Memphis, led by future NBA MVP Derrick Rose.After defeating the Houston Cougars in the Sweet 16, the Miami Hurricanes will draw the Texas Longhorns in the Elite Eight. The Hurricanes have been playing out of their minds lately, just like the Longhorns. But it's March, so only the best teams are left.
Houston wasn't the only 1-seed to lose today, as the San Diego State Aztecs also upset the Alabama Crimson Tide. This leaves Texas as the highest remaining seed left in the tournament, which really marks them as the favorite to win the whole thing, although UConn has made a strong case for themselves as well.
The Elite Eight is now:
• FAU vs. Kansas State
• UConn vs. Gonzaga
• Creighton vs. San Dego State
• Texas vs. Miami FL
Texas, should they make the Final Four, would play the winner of Gonzaga and UConn. If you're a Texas fan, you want Gonzaga. It's not that they can't beat UConn, it would just be easier to take down Gonzaga again. UConn has so many weapons, mostly in Adama Sanogo and first-round talent in shooting guard Jordan Hawkins.
Having defeated the Zags already, Texas would have to do so again on a neutral floor after thrashing them at the Moody, winning by 19. Overall, Texas just matches up better with Gonzaga than they do with UConn, but the way this Longhorns team is playing, winning either of these games is a possibility.
Overall, this Texas team just continues to impress. It doesn't matter who they play against, they just continue to win and win. It's a terrifying team to go up against because they can beat you in so many ways. They also don't rely on a single star to score all their points, so you can't just focus on taking away one guy. They can't double anyone because of how many weapons Texas has at its disposal.
Texas will take on the Hurricanes on Sunday night, seeking their first Final Four since 2003.
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@keenanwomack
