Surging Longhorns feel ‘sense of urgency’
AUSTIN — Texas is an enigma. It has been all season.
The road win over No. 23 Purdue in Game 2 felt like a statement. Eking out a win over McNeese State, then getting thrashed by Georgetown and Providence in the span of a month felt like something else. There was little sense of continuity or carryover from game to game.
The Longhorns have remained a confusing team right up through the end of February. This topsy-turvy campaign reached peak “huh?” mode Monday with a convincing 67-57 win over 20th-ranked West Virginia at the Erwin Center for the Horns’ third straight win.
With three regular-season games left to play, these puzzling Longhorns (17-11, 7-8 Big 12) still have hope. And a dose of desperation.
“The sense of urgency,” redshirt freshman Brock Cunningham said Monday of what’s inspired this recent surge. “We were at a point in our season where if we lost any of these past three games, our postseason dreams would’ve been shattered. Now that we’ve put ourselves in a good position moving forward, I think that brings new life.”
Texas will need all the liveliness it can muster today against No. 22 Texas Tech (18-10, 9-6) at United Supermarkets Arena. The Red Raiders, who are 13-2 in front of an always-raucous Lubbock crowd, enjoy a home-court adthat should make the Longhorns seethe with envy.
Given that its only two home missteps came against No. 4 Baylor and No. 15 Kentucky (in overtime), Texas Tech will enter as the heavy favorite, even after Monday’s 65-51 loss to Oklahoma in Oklahoma City. And if Texas is to keep alive its chance of sneaking into the NCAA Tournament, it needs to find a way to win.
“Our guys obviously want to play in the NCAA Tournament,” Texas coach Shaka Smart said Monday. “Our guys are smart enough to know, and we’ll make the point to them, that we’ve had some good wins of late, but we have to continue to grow and improve. We’ve got some really, really challenging opponents coming up starting with Tech on the road, which is as tough a place to play as there is in this league.”
It’s possible this haze of mystery encircling the Longhorns has played to their advantage.
Texas doesn’t have its most important interior presence (Jericho Sims) or its most respected floor spacer ( Jase Febres). Junior point guard Matt Coleman is battling a heel injury that hasn’t fully healed. Sophomore forward Gerald Liddell (back) is unlikely to play again this season. And if sophomore big Kamaka Hepa (strep throat) misses another game, Smart again will be down to just eight scholarship players.
Yet, Texas has looked its best of late.
Sophomore guard Courtney Ramey had played like an echo of himself most of this year after showing flashes of brilliance late last year. But Coleman’s injury forced the pugnacious St. Louis product to take command of this team, and he’s reached another level over the past four games by averaging 20.8 points on 50 percent shooting, 5.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.3 steals.
And redshirt sophomore Andrew Jones, maybe the most miraculous story in men’s college hoops, has found another gear in conjunction with Ramey. Not even six months removed from his last leukemia treatment, the wiry guard has grown into a 3point dynamo and go-to closer.
During this three-game winning streak, Jones is averaging 18.3 points on 48.7 percent shooting and hitting 3.7 3s on 57.9 percent shooting.
“Since Matt hurt his heel, Courtney and Andrew have been much, much more aggressive,” Smart said. “Those guys have taken it upon themselves to be our lead guards.
“Matt’s still done a nice job when he can, but he’s obviously not 100 percent. But Courtney and Andrew, their aggressivevantage ness and their ability to make plays is huge.”
The Red Raiders were on the ropes late in the first meeting between these two teams. Ramey drilled a deep 3 with 2:03 left to put Texas up 57-56 before the Longhorns self-destructed down the stretch.
Texas didn’t score again as Coleman was blocked repeatedly at the rim. The Red Raiders kept calm, sank their free throws, and escaped Austin with a 62-57 win.
A win today would be a nice bit of revenge against a program Texas fans have grown to envy. Though nothing is guaranteed with these mercurial Longhorns, they’ve begun to embrace the uphill climb.
“We’re just trying to fight,” Smart said. “We’ve been through some challenges. You’re in a dynamic where it’s really, really hard for young people to stay focused on what’s inside and what really matters.
“So we’ve just been trying to fight tooth and nail to win the battle for our guys’ hearts and minds and get them to stay connected to each other and stay fighting for Texas.”