Cowboys’ easy rout stunts Longhorns’ NCAA hopes
AUSTIN – The noise was unsettling. So much so that a few fans figured they’d had enough before a headache set in.
So midway through the second half a stream of fans fled the Erwin Center as one of the ancient arena’s speakers emitted a piercing, wholly unpleasant sound. Some might claim the screech as their reason for exiting. More likely, it was the product they’d all come to see.
Oklahoma State (17-14, 711 Big 12) cancelled the party at Club Erwin. The Cowboys raced to a 20-3 lead in the opening seven minutes and never let up, throttling Texas Saturday afternoon throughout an 81-59 win in a game with profound NCAA tournament implications.
“That was not us, from start to finish,” said a solemn Matt Coleman.
It would be more accurate to say this outing was a drastic departure from what we’d seen over the past five games. Texas (1912, 9-9) reverted in this one, slipped back into those nasty old habits that had the Longhorns sitting at 4-8 in conference play not so long ago.
The path to an at-large bid for Texas wasn’t complicated. Take care of business against Oklahoma State, secure third place and a No. 3-seed in the Big 12 tournament and receive an at-large bid that was once a pipe dream.
Instead of escaping the bubble, Texas receding further into it.
“Felt like we were the opposite of who we’ve been the last five games,” Texas coach Shaka Smart said. “We really the last few days have tried to impress upon our guys how dangerous Oklahoma State is. We didn’t do nearly a good enough job obviously making them miss or defending them with urgency, and that’s really our formula.”
What Oklahoma State did to begin the game left Texas shell-shocked.
Longhorns guards Matt Coleman, Courtney Ramey and Andrew Jones struggled to make clear passes or break into the lane while being hounded by double teams on screens and high pick-and-rolls. Cowboys senior Thomas Dziagwa kept splashing 3-pointers like it was an open gym practice, regardless of where the nearest defender was. Guards Lindy Waters and Issac Likekele kept carving their way to the rim, whether it be in transition off a miss or in the halfcourt.
The Longhorns’ body language reflected the beating it took. Heads drooped. Eyes wandered. Hands rested on hips.
They shot with hope, not confidence. They defended with disinterest, not urgency. They let the Cowboys break their spirit, just like West Virginia and Iowa State did earlier this season in miserable routs.
“I think our guys got that way after the start of the game for sure,” Smart said. “And if you get down big early there’s still a ton of time. We kept imploring our guys to respond and go win the next round, but you could see kind of on their faces early after they got down, they couldn’t believe it was happening.”
Texas trailed by at least 20 points for all but one second of the second half.
Freshman forward Kai Jones at least played with desperation until the end, finishing with a careerhigh 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting plus seven rebounds in 32 minutes. Extract his offensive numbers from the box score and Texas shot just 26 percent from the field and 12.5 percent from 3-point range.
“They really, really were playing with some avoidance and not to make a mistake,” Smart said. “Only way we can really be good with the group that we have and the guys we have out is we have to flatout go after it.”
Texas now has work to do at next week’s Big 12 tournament in Kansas City. One win at the minimum, maybe a pair to feel safe enough. There’s no time to let self-pity take hold.