Texas 71, Iowa State 65

Thursday night in Kansas City, the Texas Longhorns defeated the Iowa State Cyclones 71-65 to advance to the semi-final round of the Big12 Tournament. J'Covan Brown overcame a subpar shooting night (7-19 overall, 0-5 from the 3-point line) to hit a series of clutch shots down the stretch, including a 3-point play with only 36 seconds to play that iced the game. Down by as many as 11 in the 2nd half, the Longhorns tightened up their defense and went on a 22-4 run that completely changed the complexion of the contest. With senior forward Alexis Wangmene out with a wrist injury, Texas bigs Clint Chapman, Jonathan Holmes, and Jaylen Bond might of been spread thin, but ultimately got the job done, collecting an advantageous 11 offensive rebounds between them. As J'Covan led the backcourt charge with 23 points to his credit, the freshman guard trio of Myck Kabongo, Julien Lewis, and Sheldon McClellan amply complemented his heroics with 29 points netted between them. Coach Rick Barnes had to be pleased with the both the team cohesion and effort exemplified in what was a must-win for the Longhorns. With an overall record of 20-12, Texas is now all but assured an invitation to play in the NCAA Tournament. Tonight will further test their mettle though, as the Longhorns now face the #5-ranked Missouri Tigers who swept Texas in 2 regular season games.