Horns win battle of top freshmen
AUSTIN — The confidence brimming deep within Greg Brown is undeniable.
That supreme self-assurance has, at times, come at a price for Texas and its freshman forward, who on occasion still plays like he’s back at Vandergrift starring in, as Brown said, “a one-man show.” But Sunday at the Erwin Center, with the nation’s No. 1 freshman recruit in town for a battle, Brown exuded a more focused bravado and Texas was all the better for it.
Brown erupted for 24 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks in No. 11 Texas’ 77-74 win over Oklahoma State (6-2, 0-2 Big 12) and its own star freshman, guard Cade Cunningham.
“My mindset coming in was just win, just win,” Brown said. “I did raise my level for this game because I knew it was a Big 12 opponent and we want a Big 12 championship first before we do anything else.”
Brown and Cunningham have history.
They hooped together for the star-studded Nike EYBL Texas Titans, though Arlington-born Cunningham played his final two years of prep ball at Florida powerhouse Montverde Academy while Brown stayed home. And it was the Austinite who got the better of this matchup despite Cunningham’s 25 points, 18 of which came during a furious secondhalf rally.
“I love Cade, that’s my dog,” said Brown, laughing about some in-game jawing with his former running mate. “It’s just two great
players going at it. We’re brothers off the court, enemies on the court.”
Neither freshman dazzled in the first half. Then again, no one on the court did.
Texas (7-1, 1-0 Big 12) couldn’t figure out how to slice apart Oklahoma State’s stingy zone. Couldn’t shoot over the top, either, going an arctic 3 for 16 on 3s and 11 for 34 overall with nine turnovers.
And Cunningham could barely breathe through the smothering defense of Texas’ guards. Senior Matt Coleman and junior Courtney Ramey did the bulk of the work on the 6-foot-8 point guard despite surrendering plenty of height, weight and length. A flurry of sideline and baseline traps also forced Cunningham to surrender the ball quicker or rush into a panicky shot or pass.
“Other than a few possessions where we fouled unnecessarily, I thought our guys did a nice job on Cade,” Texas coach Shaka Smart said. “At the same time, he scored 25 points. There’s a reason everyone has him as the No. 1 pick next year. When you have a guy like that you have a chance to be in pretty much every game.”
Every halftime Smart grants players somewhere between three and five minutes to meet together. What he saw on their faces and heard in their voices was urgency, a roaring desire to avoid starting 0-1 in league play.
A few minutes into the second half, with Texas trailing by two, Brown dropped from the rafters to throw down a baseline lob from Coleman. The freshman followed with a corner 3, a heat-check transition triple from about 30 feet and a rejection of Cunningham in a rare one-on-one duel.
That sequence sparked Texas on a 17-0 run that flipped a fourpoint deficit into a 13-point lead with 10:49 remaining in the game.
“He did a really good job a couple times today of not forcing the issue when there wasn’t something there,” Smart said of Brown, who scored 18 second-half points. “I’m just really proud of the improvements he’s making.”
Cunningham wasn’t going to let Brown have it that easy, though. He got into the lane for four straight makes late in the half, including one over Brown’s outstretched fingertips, and helped shave Texas’ lead to two twice in the closing minutes.
In the end, Brown had more help.
Redshirt junior Andrew Jones danced in place and backed Cunningham off just enough to fire away and connect on a 3 to put Texas up nine points with 3:33 left.
Jones finished with a seasonhigh 22 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Coleman added 15 points and four helpers while playing all 40 minutes.
Fittingly, it was Brown who sealed the game. He snared three rebounds, blocked one shot into the stands and hit four free throws over the final 84 seconds to earn the win over the Cowboys and his frenemy, Cunningham.
“Thought our guys really won this game by the way they came out of the locker room at halftime,” Smart said. “That’s been a big point of emphasis. They defended with a level of presence, being in the moment. They did a great job turning the page.
“Andrew was a big spark offensively all game. Then Greg, this is by far the best that he’s played. Excited about the great progress he’s made.”