How did the No. 4 Longhorns (9-1, 3-0) respond to their next challenge after hammering No. 6 Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse by 25 points? By playing with the confidence of a team that just beat Kansas by 25 and getting the imperfect but victorious, 78-72 result against Iowa State (2-6, 0-4) it needed.
Here are 10 postgame thoughts:
1) A win is a win in the Big 12, and the Longhorns deserve credit for creating a double-digit first half lead and holding that lead deep into the game. However, they lacked the killer instinct they showed in Lawrence when they ran a much, much better team out of its home gym.
While the Cyclones made life difficult for the home team with some tough shotmaking, Texas played with too much carefree confidence on offense and played one of its worst halves of defense all season. Iowa State finished with 1.29 points per possession in the second half, a startling number against a defensive that entered the game consistently elite.
2) In the end, what could be the biggest difference about these Longhorns showed when Matt Coleman buried a deep, stepback jumper to put his team in front 75-67 with 43 seconds left. They have a senior point guard capable of providing the huge play late to push his team to victory even when the team isn’t playing particularly well during the final moments. It was exactly what Texas needed – a guy to go make a play while also using as much time on the clock as possible.
Coleman finished with 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting (0-of-3 from three-point range and 1-of-2 at the free throw line) with five rebounds, four assists, two turnovers and one steal in 37 minutes.
3) Here’s the most interesting thing about the way tonight finished, though: there was never, ever a feeling on the court that Texas was going to lose the game. Again, Texas had too much confidence at times, which showed in its shot selection and defense. But consider what you’re reading...
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