Texas 62, Iowa State 55

Tuesday night at the Erwin Center, the Texas Longhorns were able to successfully avenge a January 4th loss at Iowa State by defeating the Cyclones 62-55. With J'Covan Brown continuing to struggle shooting from the floor, this time going 3-16, a full-fledged supporting cast for the Horns stepped up to ensure an ever-important conference victory. While freshmen guards Myck Kabongo and Julien Lewis finished with 13 and 12 points a piece, significant frontcourt contributions from Clint Chapman and Jaylen Bond put Texas in the driver's seat. For once, not having to overcome a double-digit deficit allowed the Longhorns to coalesce into the complete team it needs to be in order to win ball games.

Credit head coach Rick Barnes this time out for his plan to yield shots to Iowa State's Royce White in favor of having him drive the lane in order to set up open 3-point shots for his teammates. The Cyclones shot only 33.3% from the field and the Longhorns duly took advantage, proving their ability to adjust in the name of correcting former mistakes. After coming so close against Kansas and now beating a strong Iowa State squad, the Longhorns just might be salvaging what was quickly becoming a season of unfulfilled potential. As teams continue to lock down J'Covan Brown with their most tencious defender, it will be up to the lesser known Longhorns to determine whether this season will be forever cited as a transition year or yet another feather in the hat of a winning program.