Longhorns avoid attempt at upset
AUSTIN — The No. 4 ranking that materialized next to Texas’ name Monday was a Rorschach test. And coach Shaka Smart wouldn’t be certain what his players saw until Tuesday’s home game against Iowa State.
But Smart had his own interpretation. The team’s highest Associated Press ranking in almost a decade was a noxious trap in an innocuous disguise, lethal poison concealed within an enticing cocktail.
“If where you’re ranked dulls your edge, then you’re not a real competitor,” Smart said Monday. “If your last game is still impressive to you two, three days later, that doesn’t really say much about what you’re trying to be or where you’re trying to go.”
That “rat poison” — media reports, rankings, social media posts, scorching takes from talking heads — is, Smart believes, a relentless threat to teams with lofty aspirations. “Our job as players and coaches,” he said, “is to fight that.”
No. 4 Texas (9-1, 3-0 Big 12) showed just enough resistance Tuesday night inside an empty Erwin Cen
ter to avoid a letdown, holding off scrappy Iowa State (2-6, 0-4) in a 78-72 win. It’s the Longhorns’ best start since they opened10-1 in 201415, the program’s final campaign with coach Rick Barnes.
“Really happy to win tonight in a game that easily could have been a trap for us coming off of Kansas, with a big road game (at West Virginia) coming up later this week,” Smart said. “I’ll tell you, it was a really just a weird feeling in there with no fans. But our guys did a good job settling in and attacking and building the lead for us at halftime, which obviously ended up being a big difference.”
There was concern over how Texas would perform coming off a striking 25-point road win over No. 3 Kansas last Saturday. Iowa State might be a Big 12 doormat this season, but the Cyclones are plucky and talented enough to blindside a good team on a bad day, especially one riding the high of its most prominent victory in years.
Texas trailed for the first nine minutes, slogging through possessions as Iowa State forward Solomon Young established a presence in the post. But the Longhorns woke up on defense, holding the Cyclones to 5 of 20 over the first half ’s final 12 minutes as Texas forwards Jericho Sims and Kai Jones controlled the glass and created second and sometimes third chances.
Freshman forward Greg Brown rose up for a long 2 to give Texas its first lead, 17-16, with 10:25 left in the half. That came in the midst of a 16-3 run that served as an awakening for redshirt junior Andrew Jones, who erupted for a gameand career-high 23 points on 10of-20 shooting with four assists and six rebounds.
“We had some lapses early on,” Jones said. “We didn’t come out aggressive like we wanted to, we didn’t reach our goal defensively with deflections, so we could be a lot more active, a lot more sound in the defensive end. We were fortunate, you know, that a couple shots went our way. So we’re going to really focus and get back in the lab and tighten up our defense.”
Jones emerged as Texas’ second-half focal point, snaking into the paint for soft touch shots, squirming around defenders for layups and burying 3-pointers to keep Iowa State at arm’s length.
But it’s never a one-man show with this team.
Junior guard Courtney Ramey shook off an unsightly shooting night to splash an all-net 3 with 5:46 left, then stepped up later to hit two game-sealing free throws. Senior guard Matt Coleman (13 points, four assists) stepped up again as clutch shot-maker extraordinaire, working the clock down before connecting on a long step-back 2 that gave Texas a 76-70 lead with 26 seconds left.
“To be able to find it within himself to go make a big play, that that was the biggest shot for us, is big,” Smart said. “That’s where those three guards really are an asset for our team.”
Texas might have more assets than any other program in this stacked conference.
Five Longhorns scored in double figures. Sims, Brown and Kai Jones combined for 25 rebounds, nine offensive, and three blocks.
Junior wing Brock Cunningham plucked two steals in his brief playing time. Group effort.
The Longhorns will have to be sharper next time, though. Up next is a meeting with No. 14 West Virginia (9-3, 2-2) at WVU Coliseum, where Texas lost last season by 38 points.
Asked whether they owe the Mountaineers some payback, Jones replied, “we owe everybody something.”
“We got a lot to prove,” he added. “We’re going to make let everybody know Texas is here and we’re going to stay.”