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 ten minutes of the game were an absolute nightmare to watch. It felt like witnessing a murder, like something out of a horror movie. Or maybe it was closer to a movie like Apocalypse Now, where your hope for humanity begins to drain away and by the end, you just want to go to bed. It was unconstitutional and I won't stand for it.It was 13-11 Oklahoma State after the first 10 MINUTES, and then mercifully, for the moment, the offense improved for a bit. The score at the end of the first half was 35-26 Texas, and the Pokes were never really in danger of catching Texas once the Longhorns got control of the lead at the 8:57 mark of the first half. After going up 15-13, they never trailed for the rest of the game.
Oklahoma State had more turnovers than made field goals in the first half of this one, shooting an abysmal 33% and hitting a total of seven shots from the field. Th Cowboys kept themselves afloat with free-throw shooting ,where they were 11/15. Had Texas not fouled them so much, this probably would have been a 20-30 point game, even considering Texas' own offensive woes.
Still, Texas held a nine-point lead over Oklahoma State going into the half. If you're a Pokes fan, you've got to be thinking – only being down single-digits after that offensive performance? Surely the second half will be better. Right?
Second Half.
Wrong. Oklahoma State had a worse second half than first half; they shot 7/31 from the field and 2/15 from three, managing 21 total points for the back 20 minutes of the game. They could not hit anything. Their frustration began to show in the way they played offense, jacking up threes and just hoping to drop one in and get something going. As I just referenced, they shot 15 threes. For a team as bad as they are from deep, this offensive strategy is clearly the result of a mix of being irritated and being tired from playing last night's game.The second half started with a 7-0 Texas run to make it a 16-point lead for the Longhorns, a deficit from which Oklahoma State never really got close to overcoming. The closest it ever got again between the two squads was nine points, which happened a couple of times in the last three-ish minutes of the game, but Oklahoma State never threatened beyond that.
The Cowboys have struggled offensively all season long. Texas, who has been hit-or-miss defensively away from the Moody Center, definitely showed up tonight on that end of the floor. They stifled any kind of productivity from the perimeter, forcing them to shoot 3/21 from three overall. It was a really troubling game if you're an Oklahoma State fan, because it reinforces the same problems they've known they've had, especially emphasized when Avery Anderson went down.
Highlight of the Game.
The play of the game has to be Dylan Disu's nifty drive to the cup here from the high-post area, where Rice feeds him to get him wide open at the elbow. Instead of taking a jump shot, he pump fakes, drives the lane, hits them with another pump fake, before laying it off the glass in reverse.I can describe it, but it's more fun if you just watch him go to work yourself.
Player of the Game.
Dylan Disu is the player of the game for the Longhorns tonight with his 11-point, 11-rebound double-double, but it really could have gone to several Longhorns tonight, as five of them managed to score in double figures, without Timmy Allen. Disu and Tyrese Hunter had 11, Carr and Morris had 10, and Rice had 15.Disu led the team in rebounding as well though, banging with big players like Moussa Cisse and Kalib Boone down low. He consistently showed a confidence in attacking in the paint against OSU's bigs, specifically against Cisse, which was really impressive. On one possession, he drew a foul on Cisse when trying to get a lay-in to go, which got him to the foul line, where he hit both shots.
Of his 11 rebounds, nine were defensive, which is super important considering the issues Texas has had with rebounding on the defensive end. If Dylan Disu can become a hyper-assertive rebounder and swallow up boards on opponents' missed shots, Texas' ceiling for how far they can go in the tournament would be raised significantly.
Considering defensive rebounding is their biggest issue, maybe they've found a legitimate help in Dylan Disu.
Concerns.
• Marcus Carr's strugglesOver the last five games, Marcus Carr has been struggling pretty obviously. He's been under 30% from the field overall in five of his last six, including tonight's game, where he shot 2/10 and 0/3 from deep. He was really bad last game too, shooting 2/9 and 0/5 from three. This is beginning to turn into a pattern for Carr in the last few games. He's simply unable to get shots to fall, open or contested.
For example, of his last 26 three-point attempts, he's hit four of them. I'm not a math guy, but that percentage seems bad. 15% does not win big games for anyone. Carr is going to have to figure out what's wrong with his offense lately before really any more time passes, because next week, it's do or die time, and the Longhorns cannot advance in this tournament if Marcus Carr is shooting under 30% from the field and 15% from three. Hopefully for them, he does so.
• Allen's Injury.
Here is some information about the Allen injury from a colleague of mine, Nick Moyle of the SA-Express News.
Sounds like it's probably a minor injury, but wanted to share this information before anyone went to bed worried sick about how Texas is going to beat KSU/TCU. He should be fine for next week, but might just take the conference championship to rest while his teammates battle for the crown. Having a fresh Allen can only be a benefit on both ends of the floor.
***
Overall, a pretty good team win for Texas today, where several guys got involved in scoring and didn't rely on just one person to try to take over. They beat another tournament team in Oklahoma State, solidifying their two seed with the win today (if it wasn't already).
The next round will be significantly tougher. As I write this, TCU leads Kansas state early in the second half of their game which determines Texas' opponent. I'll have a preview written before noon tomorrow to talk about the Longhorns' next game.
Survive and advance, and for god's sake stay healthy.
We'll see how this TCU/KSU game finishes tonight as Texas awaits its next opponent.
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