All things considered, it's been a pretty good season for the Texas Longhorns. The most commonly cited detail has been the lack of a "signature win", meaning Texas was swept by each of Kansas, Missouri, and Baylor, all top 10-caliber teams, and couldn't beat North Carolina either. But the Longhorns did wind up beating each of Temple, Kansas State, and Iowa State (twice), all top 25-caliber teams. And coach Rick Barnes did a great job avoiding any horrible losses to inferior teams. An overall record of 20-13 really isn't so bad for a team with 6 freshmen in its 9-man rotation.
Junior J'Covan Brown led the Big12 Conference in scoring. That was expected all along. What wasn't expected was senior Clint Chapman successfully playing a prominet role for the Longhorns. Chap averaged 7.3 points per game to go along with a team-leading 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. His 19 point, 14 rebound performance against Iowa State was nothing short of an eye-opener.
Freshmen-wise, the Longhorns carried a full pack. Point guard Myck Kabongo was immediately thrown to the wolves, including an oft-angry coach Barnes, and fortunately steadied his roller coaster ride upon an upward trajectory. Averaging 9.8 points and 5.3 assists per game, Kabongo closes his season as a perfectly servicable sparkplug to a sometimes listless offense. Wings Julien Lewis and Sheldon McClellan proved themselves worthy of all the playing time a limited roster afforded them. With Lewis filling the role of defensive stopper and McClellan kickstarting the offense with 11.3 points per game, the freshmen duo certainly earned their stripes. Forwards Jonathan Holmes and Jaylen Bond did as well, with Holmes scoring 7.2 points and Bond grabbing 4.6 rebounds per game.
So beyond the tough early-season losses to Oregon State and North Carolina State, and then the struggle to remain at least in the middle of the Big12 Conference pack, Texas finds itself in its 14th consecutive NCAA Tournament. Short of J'Covan Brown averaging 30 points per game and Myck Kabongo jumping right out of the gate with a T.J. Ford-like season, the Longhorns achieved all that could realistically be expected of them. And now they travel to Nashville to face the Cicinnati Bearcats, a Big East team with a monumental chip on its shoulder. Having suffered through suspensions stemming from an early season brawl with Xavier, the Bearcats rebounded to come within 6 points of winning the Big East Conference Tournament.
Cincinnati will try to bait Texas into a low-scoring, grind-it-out contest, which Texas must avoid by pushing the tempo at every turn. With Kabongo zipping up the court with the ball off of long rebounds and turnovers, it will be up to those filling lanes to position themselves for quality shots on the run. If any of J'Covan Brown, Julien Lewis, or Sheldon McClellan shoot poorly from the field, it could be a dreary afternoon for the Longhorns. With senior Alexis Wangmene out due to wrist injury, Texas can't afford to have any of its few remaining big men foul out early trying to contain Yancy Gates.
What's actually great about this match-up is that Texas comparably has nothing to lose. There is a chance that it could be the last college game for Brown and possibly Kabongo, but what better an incentive than potential NBA millions for both of them to shine as brightly as possible? Look for the Longhorns to let it all hang out. Barnes knows full well that if his team comes out tight and tentative that they will get crushed. In other words, let those young Runnin' Horns run!
No comments:
Post a Comment