Heading into Saturday night’s match-up against Oklahoma State, the Texas Longhorns had never lost a home conference opener since the arrival of Rick Barnes on the 40 Acres, boasting a perfect 13-0 mark in those games. Of course, the Longhorns had also never struggled to a 30% shooting percentage in any of those games, either. Texas earned that ignominious distinction on Saturday night against Oklahoma State, but still managed to keep their perfect record intact, knocking off the Cowboys by a 58-49 count.

Texas missed its first eight shots from the field, and headed to the locker room having made just 21.2% of its shots. J’Covan Brown was a ghost offensively in the first half, as the ankle injury he suffered against Iowa State on Wednesday night was clearly bothering him. Despite that, the Longhorns were able to keep pace with the Cowboys thanks to excellent defensive rebounding and a stingy defense that constantly forced Oklahoma State into mistakes.

What looked good

Although Brown was hobbled by the ankle injury and finished with just six points, his performance was huge. In the first half, he came up with a basket-saving block after losing his man on a backdoor cut. Minutes later, he stripped the ball right out of Markel Brown‘s hands just after the Cowboy had secured a defensive rebound. Those kinds of heady, hustle plays defined Brown’s night.

Still noticeably limping throughout the game, Brown didn’t force anything. He attempted just five shots from the field, and all but one were good looks. His first bucket of the game didn’t come until 31 minutes into it, but it was a clutch three that put the Longhorns ahead with 8:41 to play. J’Covan found space on the wings in transition and spotted up for a nice feed by Myck Kabongo.

Jaylen Bond also made a big difference without piling up the points. He intercepted two Oklahoma State passes, and swiped another ball to notch a career-high with three steals. As always, he was tenacious on the glass, leading the Longhorns with nine rebounds in his 22 minutes. His defensive rebounding mark for the season climbed to 21.6%, putting him just outside the top 100 nationally.

Another freshman who worked hard on the glass was Jonathan Holmes, who grabbed only four rebounds off of the bench, but turned every single one of them into points. All of his boards came on the offensive glass, and he went up strong after each one, logging two buckets and drawing two fouls. All told, those four offensive rebounds turned into seven key points for the Longhorns.

The frontcourt didn’t just shine on the glass, as Alexis Wangmene was pretty much the only Longhorn who could make a shot in the early going. He knocked down a jumper from the free-throw line, and had an excellent run in transition for an old-fashioned three-point play. Although the senior was limited to just 14 minutes, his early work on the offensive end kept the Longhorns from getting into a deep hole in the first half.

The other thing that kept Texas from getting too far behind was stifling defense that forced 21 Oklahoma State turnovers. The Cowboys coughed it up on 31.8% of their possessions, by far their worst performance of the season. Texas forced travels, drew charges, and frequently jumped the passing lanes, constantly frustrating the visiting Pokes.

The Longhorns also kept Oklahoma State from getting too many offensive rebounds, allowing the Cowboys to reclaim just 28.1% of their shots. The one troubling thing in this department was that when the Horns did give up the board, it often led to very easy putbacks or nasty dunks by Michael Cobbins.

The big story of the game, however, was the solid showing by Kabongo. The freshman has certainly had his growing pains this season, and the last few weeks have been especially hard. Against the Cowboys, he made some great passes and finished with six assists against just one turnover. Had the Longhorns actually been knocking down shots, Kabongo likely would have even cracked double-digits in assists.

Where he did crack that double-digit barrier was points, as Kabongo’s aggressive play led to twelve trips to the line and a final total of 15 points. Myck has had trouble attacking inside in recent games, so it was certainly a confidence-booster for him to find success against Oklahoma State. There’s no doubt that these next three opponents will make things a little tougher for the freshman guard, but last night was a long-awaited step in the right direction.

What needed work

The obvious problem for Texas on Saturday night was an inability to knock down shots. The good thing is that the Longhorns were actually getting pretty good looks, even without a healthy Brown available to create with penetration. On a typical night, many of those shots would go down for Texas, so it was huge for the Longhorns to grind out a victory despite the ice-cold shooting.

Sheldon McClellan and Julien Lewis each had a second-consecutive rough outing, combining to go just 6-for-26 from the field. Against Iowa State, the pair was 4-of-19, giving them a field goal percentage of only 22.2% in their last two games. With Brown still injured and his effectiveness in question for Wednesday night’s game, the Longhorns desperately need these two freshmen to bounce back quickly.

Texas also left quite a few points at the free throw line, something which fortunately did not come back to haunt them in a close game. The Longhorns made just 65.5% of their free throws, well off the team’s season average of 71.5%. Bond missed both of his free throws, while Kabongo managed to sink just 67% of his attempts at the line. The Horns also lost a potential point when one of Wangmene’s foul shots was taken away thanks to a lane violation by Brown.

All things considered, the Longhorns were fortunate to earn a win. On a night where the team would shoot just 30% and get only six points and 26 minutes from J’Covan Brown, a victory would seem like a pipe dream. But the resolve shown by this young team — even against a scuttling Oklahoma State squad — is a great building block for the future. The Longhorns defended well, worked hard on the glass, and finally proved to themselves that they could win when things got tough.

Up next: vs. Texas A&M (9-5 overall, 0-2 Big 12); Wednesday, 8 P.M. CT

The old adage holds that the best thing about freshmen is that they eventually become sophomores. Fans of the Longhorns can surely identify with that statement after Texas dropped their conference opener to Iowa State last night in Ames. Texas was without the services of J’Covan Brown down the stretch, leaving the six-man freshman class and Clint Chapman in charge of a comeback bid that fell just short.

Things looked promising for Texas when Iowa State big man Royce White went to the bench with two fouls just minutes into the game. But instead of cratering, the Cyclones built a ten-point halftime lead on the strength of 75% shooting from behind the arc. The Longhorns came out aggressive in the second half, erasing that lead in just minutes, fueled by Brown’s 19 points. Unfortunately, the junior guard injured his ankle as he finished a nice spin move in the lane, and the Cyclones were able to quickly rebuild a lead that they would cling to until the final buzzer.

What looked good

Even with Brown exploding for 19 points in just 25 minutes, the real story of the night was the surprising emergence of fifth-year senior Clint Chapman. The Canby, Oregon native had earned his first start of the season in the team’s previous game against Rice, but immediately found himself in foul trouble and was completely ineffective. Last night’s game provided Chapman a second-straight start, and the Longhorns made an immediate effort to get him the ball.

The big man responded with the best game of his career, putting in 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting, while also locking down the glass on both ends of the floor. His 14 rebounds were a career high, and he led all players in both offensive and defensive boards. Most importantly, Chapman was making the point-blank shots that he — and many of the Longhorns — have struggled with all season. The Longhorns don’t necessarily need Chapman playing this ridiculously well in every game, but his consistent conversion of the easy looks is imperative to the team’s success in Big 12 play.

While Chapman raised the eyebrows in Hilton Coliseum, Brown tied him as leading scorer for the game. This was J’Covan’s most complete, efficient game in quite some time, and it’s not a stretch to say that the team could have pulled out a win if he played the last 12 minutes of the game. He was dicing up the Iowa State defense in the second half, penetrating at will for points inside. When he came out of the game for the last time, Texas trailed just 49-47 and was moving the ball well, notching assists on all three buckets that he didn’t score himself.

On the night, Brown shot 70% from the floor, knocked down all four free throws, and coughed it up just once. After posting 16 turnovers against just nine assists in his last three games, Brown’s lack of miscues against the Cyclones is a huge development.

Longhorn fans can also be reassured by the performance by freshman Sheldon McClellan. His shot was off all night, as evidenced by his 2-of-11 line. He missed all four of his shots from behind the arc, including some where he was completely wide open. Instead of going into a shell and being totally ineffective, he continued to put the ball on the floor and attacked the paint, drawing a ton of fouls on the baseline defenders. McClellan made it to the line 13 times in this game, grinding out a 14-point performance.

Once again, McClellan also avoided any turnovers despite all of his moves to the basket. With another clean sheet, his incredible turnover rate creeps even lower, to just 5.2% on the year. A number that low is typically reserved for your three-point specialists, who rarely attack or try to feed the ball inside.

Texas also did a good job on the defensive glass, ensuring that Iowa State couldn’t extend possessions. The Longhorns held the Cyclones to an offensive rebounding mark of just 22.6%, their worst percentage of the season.

What needed work

Of course, that impressive defensive rebounding performance didn’t mean quite as much when the Horns let the Cyclones knock down 51% of their shots. On top of the poor defense, the few offensive rebounds that Iowa State did manage to grab happened to come at the worst possible moments. Of the seven missed shots that Iowa State reclaimed, two of them were free throws missed as Texas tried to come back down the stretch. With the Longhorn offense already struggling to climb back into it, letting Iowa State have extra chances just made the task even tougher.

While Iowa State made more than 51% of their shots, the real killer was the team’s success from long range. In the first half, the Cyclones made 9-of-12 from outside, and most of the shots were completely unchallenged by the Horns. A simple look at the stat sheet shows how much Iowa State relies on the outside shot, and just how successful they are when they take them. For the Longhorns to continually allow those open looks just speaks to the youth of the team and their inability to remember the scouting report once the bright lights come on.

Texas also struggled to stop Iowa State in transition, giving up numerous dunks and layups on the secondary break. The only thing that gets a crowd more juiced up than a clutch three is a nasty dunk, and the Longhorns let the Hilton Coliseum crowd explode on more than one occasion. The Horns also had two or three possessions in a row where they let White take it coast-to-coast, with no one stopping the ball before White had reached the paint. That kind of lackadaisical defense is going to be absolutely deadly against the kind of athletes Texas will face in the Big 12.

In the half-court, Alexis Wangmene and Jaylen Bond had a particularly tough time defending White. To be fair, we’ve known all season that Wangmene would struggle against bigs who have a good face-up game, so this was a terrible match-up from the start. Bond’s issues, on the other hand, came as a surprise. He further compounded his defensive struggles by wasting his fouls on the offensive end, limiting him to just 11 minutes on the court.

While we mentioned the success Brown and McClellan both had controlling the ball, the same could not be said for the rest of the Horns. Texas coughed it up on 22.6% of its possessions, the fifth time this season that the team has exceeded the 22% mark. Three of those poor showings have come in the team’s last four games, which is a scary trend to start as conference play gets cranked up. The Longhorns have to make their possessions count during these next two months, so they will have to quickly cut down on the errors.

Four of those turnovers came from Myck Kabongo, who once again struggled when Brown was out of the game. When J’Covan fouled out on a technical in New Jersey, Kabongo looked lost and overwhelmed by the moment and extra pressure. Against the Cyclones, he at least tried to break the defense down off the dribble a few times, but that really just meant that he ran full-tilt into ill-conceived drives. On multiple occasions, he simply made a beeline towards the baseline and threw up a wild prayer of a shot against two or three defenders. One of those shots even went off the side of the backboard.

When Myck is on his game, his dribble penetration is just as effective as Brown’s. While he’s not the finisher inside that J’Covan is, Myck has even better floor vision to find passing lanes that his counterpart might not. Unfortunately, finding a way to consistently perform that well has been a challenge for the freshman. Expectations were set very high for Kabongo based on his impressive play at the high school level, but it’s clear that it’s going to take some time for him to adjust to the pressures at this one. Texas’ growth this season will likely follow Kabongo’s own trajectory.

The Longhorns lacking any real penetration threat allowed Iowa State to focus on shutting down Chapman. As a result, in the waning minutes of the game the Texas offense often turned into a stagnant two-man game. The Cyclones could force Chapman well off the block, while Kabongo waited on the perimeter for an entry feed that could only be made much too far from the hoop.

Texas didn’t solely focus on forcing the ball in to Chapman, as there were a few sets where Julien Lewis was able to find some space on cuts without the ball, and Kabongo also worked to get it to McClellan when Chapman was guarded. None of that turned into points, however, and the Horns were only able to manage an and-one putback from Chapman during an especially futile span of more than six minutes down the stretch.

The offense was at least moving somewhat without Brown in this game, which is a vast improvement from how it looked when they were without his services in New Jersey. Unfortunately, “moving somewhat” didn’t equal any points, and it isn’t going to cut it in the Big 12. At this point, it seems that for Texas to succeed without Brown on the floor, there will have to be much more motion off the ball to give Kabongo and the Horns more options.

Up next: vs. Oklahoma State (8-6 overall, 1-0 Big 12); Saturday, 6 P.M. CT

The Texas Longhorns wrapped up 2011 and their non-conference slate on a high note Saturday afternoon, outlasting a pesky Rice Owl team for a 14-point victory in front of the largest home crowd of the season. The win pushed Texas to a 10-3 mark as they head into Big 12 play, which begins with the Longhorns heading to Iowa State on Wednesday night.

Coach Rick Barnes employed a new lineup against Rice, the first time he had adjusted the starting five all season. Julien Lewis was inactive after slamming his hand in a car door on Thursday, while Jaylen Bond and Clint Chapman earned their first starts of the season thanks to quality play over the last few games. For Chapman, it was his first start since November of 2008.

What looked good

Sheldon McClellan took over Lewis’ slot in the starting lineup, and he responded with a 19-point performance, the fifth time in the last six games he’s cracked the double-digit barrier. Over that stretch, McClellan has averaged 14.8 points per game while shooting an impressive 53.6% from the field.

McClellan’s emergence as the team’s second scoring option is a much-needed development for Texas. The Longhorns will not find success this season if they can only rely on J’Covan Brown, a fact that was underscored by the team’s meltdown when he fouled out against N.C. State in New Jersey.

Sheldon has shown the ability to drain the quick catch-and-shoot coming out of the numerous baseline screens the team runs for him, but also can put the ball on the floor and create pull-up jumpers or easy layups for himself. Combine that with an incredible turnover rate of just 5.9%, and the Longhorns can now feel much more comfortable if Brown isn’t available in crunch time.

While McClellan was stepping up as a new starter, Jonathan Holmes was performing well in his new role of sixth man. The forward played 27 minutes off the bench, but still posted seven rebounds. The most impressive came off of a missed free throw by Bond, where Holmes literally wrestled the ball out of the hands of a Rice player and put in the follow while being fouled.

In addition to the boards he earned credit for, Holmes had quite a few hustle plays that don’t show up in the box score. His active hands on defense disrupted quite a few plays and deflected a few passes, and he kept rebounding opportunities alive by tipping out the loose balls that were just beyond his reach.

Sterling Gibbs also earned some praise for his continued success from long range. The tiny guard nailed all three of the three-pointers that he took, proving that he is going to be a valuable role player for the Horns in conference play. There’s a strong chance that his incredibly flat shot arc will result in some blocked shots when taller players close out on him, but Gibbs has a very quick release that helps to avoid that problem.

What needed work

While Gibbs did a great job shooting the trey, he and the rest of the Longhorns had major issues trying to penetrate the Rice zone. Gibbs picked up two charges in the first half when he attempted to create with the dribble, and he wisely elected to stick to the perimeter after that.

Myck Kabongo and Brown also had difficulties getting inside when Rice lined up in the 2-3. The pair of guards combined for 10 turnovers against the Owls, mostly as a result of forcing things that weren’t there. Brown repeatedly drove the ball into two or three defenders and got himself airborne before realizing there wasn’t a play available. Unfortunately, there weren’t passing outlets available either, and he threw the ball right to waiting Rice defenders.

The positive thing about these problems is that the Longhorns were at least attempting to penetrate the zone. Often, Texas teams faced with a zone defense do little more than pass the ball back and forth around the perimeter rather than take an active approach to breaking down the defense. Gibbs, Brown, and Kabongo had the right idea, but will have to be more aware of how the defense is reacting to avoid getting themselves into bad situations.

It should also be noted that for a few possessions in the second half, the Longhorns were able to do exactly that. Although the final 20 minutes lacked flow thanks to a deluge of whistles, Kabongo and Brown had a few nice plays where they attacked the paint off the bounce and made the right pass before the defense completely collapsed on them.

Up next: at Iowa State (10-3); Wednesday, 8 P.M.

Coming into Wednesday night’s showdown with North Carolina, it was clear that the Longhorns had a very tough match-up on their hands. The Tar Heels had the size advantage at every position, much more experience, a roster full of future NBA players, and a rowdy home crowd of nearly 22,000 thirsty for revenge.

Even with that deck of cards stacked against the Longhorns, it was tough to see this kind of destruction coming. A seven-minute field goal drought in the first half put Texas in a big hole, and North Carolina just kept shoveling more dirt on top of them. The Tar Heels built a lead as big as 24 points in the second half, toying with the Longhorns all night as they repeatedly added footage to the team highlight reel, cruising to an 82-63 win.

What looked good

In a game as one-sided as this, it can be tough to find the bright spots. Coach Rick Barnes was frustrated from the opening tip, as the Longhorns failed to even run their scripted first play correctly. Regardless, there were still some brief moments of success, giving fans something to take away from the beating.

Although the Longhorns gave up 42 points in the paint, they actually did remarkably good defensive work on Carolina big man Tyler Zeller in post-up situations. Alexis Wangmene and Clint Chapman held him to 2-of-7 shooting in the first half and 3-of-11 overall. When the Longhorns didn’t completely lose Zeller in the half-court, his offense was mostly limited to turnaround jumpers and his trademark hook shot, which simply wasn’t falling last night.

Texas also turned in a good effort on the offensive glass, but had very little to show for it. The Longhorns reclaimed 38.6% of their missed shots, a very good mark against a sizable Carolina squad that has only allowed opponents a 30.5% offensive rebounding percentage this season. Unfortunately, Texas shot just 13-of-31 from the paint, missing far too many easy ones.

Freshman Jaylen Bond was a big reason why the Longhorns were able to succeed on the offensive glass, as he put in his third-straight solid effort off the bench. Bond grabbed 22.7% of his offensive rebounding opportunities, pushing his season mark up to 13.7%, sixth-best in the Big 12, and just outside of the Top 100 nationally. In his last three games, Jaylen has grabbed 29 total boards while averaging just over 20 minutes per game. One can only hope that his relentless work on the glass will translate into even more playing time as conference play begins.

What needed work

While there were a few bright spots, there were far too many problem areas that could be addressed. Rather than try to beat Tolstoy in a word-count battle, we’ll focus on some of the most egregious ones.

As previously mentioned, the Longhorns were incredibly ineffective in the paint, only turning their extended possessions into more missed shots. For all of the good things Chapman had done defensively, his ineptitude from within two feet was infuriating. His final line was 1-of-6 shooting, with all of those misses coming from within spitting distance of the rim.

The Longhorns also did a terrible job protecting the basketball, a stat that is even more troubling considering how infrequently Carolina had turned its opponents over prior to this game. Texas gave it up 13 times, resulting in 17 Tar Heel points, but also had numerous bad bounces go against them. Time after time, Longhorn players bobbled loose balls or batted rebounds out of bounds or to the other team. If the Dean Dome weren’t so loud and bathed in powder blue, it would have felt like being in a Buster Keaton film.

The worst results, however, came on the defensive glass. While the Longhorns did a great job defending Zeller in the post, it seemed like every one of his missed shots resulted in a weak-side rebound and putback. The Tar Heels grabbed 56.4% of their missed shots, a number that is practically unheard of. In fact, the 43.6% of the defensive rebounds that Texas did manage to grab added up to the worst performance for a Longhorn team in at least 12 years. Unfortunately, that’s as far back as the tempo-free stats at KenPom and Stat Sheet go, so there’s no telling just how historically awful that number actually is.

Finally, Longhorn fans might also start worrying about the point guard situation. Myck Kabongo once again had a terrible start to the game, leading Coach Barnes to openly voice his frustrations with the freshman guard in the post-game presser. “We’re going to get guys in here that want to play,” the coach told the media. “I’ve been doing this a long time. I’ve never seen a guy who wouldn’t want to be in this atmosphere.”

Kabongo was dealing with a bad back in this game, and his playing time was limited to an ineffective 15 minutes. There’s no telling how much of that was due to injury and how much was due to Barnes’ frustration. Fans have to hope it was the former, and that the injury can heal quickly. While Myck has started slowly in nearly every game, there’s no question that the Longhorn offense is infinitely better when he’s on the floor and clicking.

With Kabongo on the bench for a majority of the game, Texas handed the reins to freshman guard Sterling Gibbs. While he has proven himself to be mostly serviceable as the backup point, Gibbs still has major issues with any hard traps. Carolina took advantage of this on a few second half possessions, bull-rushing the guard with two lengthy bigs well beyond the perimeter. By the time conference play starts on January 4th, opponents will have picked up on this fact and are sure to put added pressure on Gibbs when he’s running the point.

The big picture

In the grand scheme of things, this doesn’t change much. While the game was tough to watch and the result was more lopsided than some may have expected, only the certifiably insane believed that such a young Texas team had a strong chance to knock off this Carolina team on the road.

The Longhorns will likely enter conference play at 10-3, as only Rice remains on the non-con docket. Twenty wins is often pointed to as a magic number for making the NCAA field, but Texas lacks quality victories in their non-league slate. Last weekend’s win over Temple will hold weight, but outside of that, the Horns can only hang their hat on a road win against a UCLA team that was unraveling at the time.

Texas is going to have to defend its home court once Big 12 play begins, stealing a few wins against the likes of Baylor, Kansas, Missouri, or A&M. The Big 12 is definitely down this year, so anything short of 10-8 in conference play could mean the end of the school’s 13-year NCAA tournament appearance streak.

Up next: vs. Rice (7-4); 1 P.M., Saturday, Dec. 31st

Jaylen Bond came to Austin by way of Philadelphia, PA. Once committed to play for Jamie Dixon and the Pittsburgh Panthers, Bond was a victim of the numbers game, forced out by the reclassification of Khem Birch to the class of 2011. With his scholarship taken by Birch, Bond had to leave his home state and ended up a late addition to the recruiting class for Rick Barnes.

On Friday, Pitt announced that Birch was leaving the program for personal reasons. Couple that news with Bond’s eight-point, 12-rebound performance against the Temple Owls, a salty team from his own hometown, and it wouldn’t be a stretch to call it Redemption Weekend for the quiet freshman forward. Add in the 12-point Longhorn victory, one that will be incredibly important come Selection Sunday, and you might be hard-pressed to find a happier person on the 40 Acres than Bond.

Things didn’t look so bright for the Longhorns in the early going on Saturday afternoon. The Owls were consistently finding easy buckets in the lane and capitalizing on their open looks from outside. Texas, meanwhile, was playing right into the hands of the Temple defense and settling for questionable shots. The Longhorns shot just 28.6% from the field during the first ten minutes of the game, allowing the Owls to build a lead as large as eight points.

The biggest edge Texas had in this game was a massive size advantage, as the Owls had only one big man available — 6’9″ Anthony Lee — and he sat most of the first half thanks to foul trouble. The Longhorns took advantage, outrebounding Temple 12-7 over the final nine minutes of the half as they clawed back to tie the game. Only an incredible three from Khalif Wyatt drilled in the face of a Texas defender gave Temple a three-point edge at the break.

In the second half, Texas finally attacked the Owls inside. The Longhorns piled up 26 points in the paint and outrebounded Temple by a whopping 30-8 margin during the final twenty minutes. Texas smothered the boards so well that the Owls were only able to reclaim 12.7% of their offensive rebounding opportunities, their worst mark since a loss to Kent State on November 21st, 2006.

A big part of the second half revival was the play of Myck Kabongo, who took charge and attacked the Owls with dribble penetration. All three of his assists came in the second half, including an excellent pass to Bond for a dunk that gave Texas a six-point lead 7:16 into the second half — their largest of the game at that point — and forced Temple to call timeout. Kabongo added three layups in the second half, finishing 50% from the field as he posted 18 points.

For the second-straight game, junior guard J’Covan Brown led the Longhorns with 23 points. Despite the team lead in points, Brown was one of Texas’ worst offenders when it came to bad decisions on Saturday. He was consistently pressing and forcing the issue against Temple, trying to score when the defense wasn’t going to allow it. That resulted in six turnovers and an ugly 10-for-21 shooting line, including a 2-of-9 mark from behind the arc. Even a few of Brown’s baskets came on terrible shots, as he dribbled himself into trouble and forced up off-balance looks that somehow went in.

Alexis Wangmene had an even tougher time, struggling to stop the Temple guards from the opening tip. He picked up three fouls and played just 12 minutes, with the bulk of his usual minutes going to fellow senior Clint Chapman. The Oregon native took full advantage, playing excellent interior defense in the second half while also leading the Longhorns with 13 rebounds. Chapman added a pair of blocks, and could have had even more than his seven points if he would not have had his standard handful of point-blank misses.

The other star in the frontcourt was Bond. His near double-double came as a result of tenacious work on the offensive glass, where he grabbed four boards and put each of them back in for a bucket. After going three straight games without an offensive rebound, Bond has grabbed 12 in his last two. At this point, his 12.7% mark on the offensive glass would rank in the Top 150 nationally, but he is currently eight total minutes shy of the cutoff to qualify.

The Longhorns also continued to do an excellent job planting their feet and drawing charges. They forced at least five Temple turnovers by earning the whistle on a charging foul, the second straight game in which they have done so. With many of the early-season games airing on the Longhorn Network, accurate charting of this trend is hard to come by. As the calendar rolls into conference play, this will be something worth keeping an eye on, and something we may chart for a future piece.

Up next: at North Carolina (9-2); Wednesday, 6 P.M. CT

The Longhorns wrapped up the easy part of their schedule in impressive fashion, running away with a 53-point victory over Nicholls State in front of 4,435 at the Erwin Center last night. Texas started slowly, as has become the norm this season, leading the Colonels by just 10 with 5:23 left in the first half. That was as close as Nicholls State would get, as the Longhorns finished the game on a torrid run, limiting their opponents to just 13 points the rest of the way.

It’s easy to look at the numbers and get far too excited about the results. While there were certainly quite a few things to make Texas fans giddy, they can’t forget just how bad Nicholls State is this season. As we pointed out in yesterday’s game preview, the Colonels came into the matchup as the 21st-worst team in Ken Pomeroy’s rankings.

What looked good

Even against an opponent as overmatched as Nicholls State, the defensive performance by Texas was noteworthy. The Longhorns held their opponents without a field goal for a stretch of 15:37 that started late in the first half, allowing just five free throws during that time frame.

While Texas was able to find success by making the Nicholls State shooters take long jumpers, they also eliminated possessions by forcing turnovers and dominated the defensive glass, keeping the Colonels from extending possessions after missed shots. Nicholls State was 0-for-18 from the field during the drought, were forced into nine turnovers, and grabbed just five offensive boards.

The turnovers weren’t limited to that lengthy period of stifling defense, either. Texas was consistently jumping the passing lane and starting fast breaks. On the night, the team caused 20 Nicholls State miscues, earning a turnover rate of 28.8%. The only other team to force more mistakes by the Colonels was Louisiana State, who did it in the season opener. Texas also took advantage of all of the errors, scoring 25 points off of the turnovers.

One way the Longhorns got the ball back was by drawing charges. By my count, there were at least five times that Texas players drew the offensive foul, and there certainly could have been more. This has been a noticeable trend this season, with J’Covan Brown and Alexis Wangmene being particularly fond of planting their feet and earning the whistle. It’s a dangerous game to be playing with such a short bench and the constant risk that the referees will call a blocking foul, but so far the Longhorns seem to have mastered the skill.

When not taking charges, J’Covan simply took charge, scoring 11 of team’s first 17 points. He added three assists and four rebounds on the night, and kept a few other rebounding opportunities alive for his teammates by racing in from the perimeter and tipping the ball away from a Colonel. Brown finished with 23 points, his fifth game of at least 20 points this year. Only two of those 20-plus scoring nights have come in the last seven games, though. The Longhorns have proven to be well-balanced, but they will need Brown to perform like this more consistently as the schedule gets tougher.

Freshman Myck Kabongo is also trending upward as the team heads into the end of the non-conference slate. He only took two shots all night — both three-pointers — but was constantly able to set up his teammates with excellent court vision and an array of passes. He posted an excellent eight assists against just one turnover, with half of those assists setting up three-pointers for his teammates. He even added one for the highlight reel, tossing an alley-oop to Clint Chapman on a fast break in the second half.

The Longhorns also had their first double-double of the year, and it came from the bench. Jaylen Bond had a career night, scoring 18 points while grabbing 12 boards. He was practically unstoppable inside, as he scored 12 of his points right after ripped down offensive rebounds.

Tempo-free stats allow us to look at Bond’s numbers on a level playing field against those who play more minutes, and the stats are staggering. His offensive rebounding mark was 31%, which surprisingly was only his second-best performance of the year. Against Sam Houston State, Bond snagged almost 39% of his opportunities. Unfortunately, there have also been six different games where the freshman failed to secure even a single offensive board. With Wangmene and Chapman still rebounding inconsistently, it would be huge for the Longhorns if Bond could find some consistency of his own and become a reliable presence on the glass as conference play begins.

Finally, the play of Sterling Gibbs must be noted, as the freshman guard was perfect from the field, drilling all five of his shots en route to 14 points. In East Rutherford, Gibbs looked frightened and lacked confidence against even the slightest pressure. Last night, his quick catch-and-shoot rhythm was flawless, and he showed confidence in attacking the defense. Gibbs has shown this level of poise in the last two games, and he’s seen a spike in his minutes as a result. If he can keep this up against real competition, his role this season is going to be much larger than most people imagined.

What needed work

While the Texas defense was absolutely dominant for the last half of the game, the team still had its struggles coming out of the gate. Nicholls State was able to get to the paint far too easily, oftentimes without the aid of a ballscreen for the driving player. Alexis Wangmene had a particularly rough night, finding himself out of position far too often, and that difficulty kept him on the bench for much of the night. Fortunately, the Longhorns made adjustments and kept the Colonels in front of them, forcing long jump shots for much of the second half.

Clint Chapman also had his own struggles in this game, missing a ton of short, point-blank shots. He was 2-for-7 from the field, with one of those makes coming on the alley-oop from Kabongo. While Chapman missed a lot of easy looks, he at least made up for it on the defensive end, setting a career high with five blocked shots in just 22 minutes.

Up next: vs. Temple (6-2); Saturday, 1:30 P.M. CT

It was a one-sided affair at the Erwin Center on Saturday night, as Texas used runs of 26-4 and 29-10 to blow open the game against Texas State and cruise to an 86-52 victory. The Longhorns set season highs with 50% shooting from behind the arc and a 56.3% mark from the field.

What looked good

The excellent shooting percentage was the result of the team executing especially well in the half-court. Texas found great success on pick-and-rolls, and also scored a nice chunk of points off of dribble penetration with kicks to the crashing bigs on the baseline. In the second half, great ball movement against a short-lived Texas State zone allowed the Longhorns to drill six three-pointers within four minutes of leaving the locker room.

Amidst all of the excellent looks and easy buckets, Julien Lewis had a career night. The freshman led the team in scoring with 19 points, making him the fifth different player to lead the team in the last five games. Lewis made four three-pointers and a pull-up jumper during the first six minutes of the second half to put the game definitively out of reach.

Although Sheldon McClellan didn’t follow up his breakout game against UT-Arlington with another scoring barrage against the Bobcats, he quietly chipped in 13 points to the winning effort. He had another excellent game rebounding from the wing, securing six boards, and added an excellent block from behind during a Texas State fast break. McClellan also earned a steal for Lewis by pressuring Texas State’s Vonn Jones to throw an errant pass. For his hard work, McClellan scored a layup on the ensuing break.

That type of team defense is what allowed Texas to build such an insurmountable lead. In the first half, the Longhorns absolutely stifled the Bobcats, limiting them to only three field goals and 13.6% shooting. Texas played solid help defense and frustrated Texas State into forcing challenged shots. The Bobcats had one stretch of more than 14 minutes in the first half without a field goal. Unfortunately, the Longhorn effort waned as the team’s lead ballooned to nearly 40 in the second half, or else we could be talking about this as one of the team’s all-time best defensive games.

Texas also had a great night on the glass, as was to be expected against a much smaller Texas State team. The Longhorns posted their second-best defensive rebounding number of the season, securing 72% of the Bobcat misses. Combined with the excellent team D, that dominant work on the defensive glass completely shut down Texas State. While Texas will not see many teams this small as they move into conference play, hopefully this outing will crystallize the importance of defensive rebounding for the youngsters.

It was also great to see confident, aggressive play inside from Wangmene. In the past, he was often bobbling passes or rebounds, but over the last few weeks, he’s doing a much better job controlling the feeds and going to the rack. As Wangmene said in the post-game presser, “Either I would get fouled, or I would make the basket.” He also did really good work on the glass and could have challenged for a double-double if not limited to just 20 minutes in the blowout. The senior finished with 11 points and nine rebounds.

Over the last three games, Wangmene is averaging 9.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in 24.3 minutes. The most telling stat, though, is his 78.6% shooting percentage over that stretch. The guards are finding him in good spots to set up easy looks, and the big man is finishing. While the Longhorns could use even more rebounding from Wangmene, what he is providing right now on offense is exactly what Texas needs from him.

Freshman Sterling Gibbs also played very aggressively coming off of the bench. Listed generously at just 6’1″, Gibbs had issues against taller, active defenders earlier this season. Against Texas State, he put the ball on the floor and attacked the paint, earning eight free throws as a result. He knocked down seven of them, setting a career-high in the process with nine points.

What needed work

Texas still looked flustered against any type of pressure in the backcourt, but Clint Chapman was especially discombobulated. This has been a recurring problem for the big man, and it’s something that will have to be addressed before Big 12 teams start gameplanning for it. Although Chapman can hold the ball high to avoid a steal, he consistently has difficulty finding an outlet against pressure and looks panicked as a five-count approaches.

It was also disappointing to see the Texas defense give up a lot of easy looks in the second half. While that lack of focus can clearly be attributed to the huge lead, it still can make you wonder if the team will maintain the attention needed to play all-out, suffocating defense for 40 minutes. For the Longhorns to be successful in Big 12 play, there’s no doubt that they will have to play sound team defense from tip-off to the final buzzer.

It’s also worth noting that while Texas was consistently executing in their half-court sets, the Horns were also forcing things at times. The team ended up with 16 turnovers, which equates to a miscue on more than 24% of their possessions. Most of those came from guards trying to thread the needle on the pick-and-roll when the passing lanes were closing. Brown and Myck Kabongo combined for six turnovers on the game, many of them coming this way. The Longhorns have to make sure that they are only taking what the defense gives them and not trying to push the envelope too much.

Up next: vs. Nicholls State (2-6); Tuesday, 7 P.M. CT

It’s not just the J’Covan Brown show anymore.

Just a little over two weeks ago, the Longhorns absolutely melted down against N.C. State in East Rutherford with Brown on the bench. After the junior guard picked up a personal foul followed by a technical, he spent the final 8:25 of that game on the bench and watched as the Wolfpack rapidly erased a 13-point Texas lead.

Since then, the Texas offense has turned into more of a family affair. Led by Sheldon McClellan and his career-high 23 points, the Longhorns had five players score in double figures last night en route to an 80-62 win over a solid UT-Arlington squad.

Prior to the N.C. State disaster, Brown was averaging 29.3 points. In the four games since that loss, his scoring average is just 12.5 per game. The Longhorns are spreading the wealth and have enjoyed a 1.19 point-per-possession average over their last three games as a result.

What looked good

If McClellan’s 23 points aren’t enough to raise eyebrows on their own, the multitude of ways that the freshman was scoring should do the trick. In addition to nailing 4-of-6 from behind the arc, he impressed with slashing moves to the hoop and quick turnaround jumpers, including one that came just before the shot-clock buzzer. McClellan also did an excellent job on weak-side rebounding, logging six total on the night.

Julien Lewis also had an impressive game, scoring 13 points on 60% shooting from the field. On two different occasions, he drove the lane and pulled up for floaters in traffic. His body control and soft touch on the shot were very impressive, and make him another perimeter player that opponents cannot crowd on D.

After a rough start, Myck Kabongo really kicked it up a notch. He turned it over on two of the team’s first three possessions and was immediately replaced by Sterling Gibbs. But once the freshman came back in the game, he was on. Kabongo consistently drove the lane and found passing lanes, logging seven assists on the night. He had two great drive and dish plays to open his teammates up for three, plus a nifty no-look job on the fast break and a nice shovel pass to Wangmene for a dunk after driving baseline near the end of the game.

With Kabongo in the game, Texas also did a good job of being patient and dictating the tempo. As mentioned in our game preview, UT-Arlington loves to get out and run, and they often rush opponents into mistakes. After their initial jitters, the Longhorns were methodical on offense, often using more than 25 seconds of the shot clock. Three different times, in fact, the Horns drilled a shot as the buzzer sounded. Their careful ball control also limited UTA’s efficiency, as Texas’ 17.3% turnover mark was the best performance by a Maverick opponent in seven games this year.

The Longhorns also found success stretching the defense with a high-low game, pulling Alexis Wangmene and Clint Chapman out to the wings and feeding McClellan and Jonathan Holmes on the low block. Although Wangmene was the only one of the bigs to record an assist from these sets, it is great to see it working so early in the season for Texas. Not only will it lead to easy hoops on the block, but it will also pull bigger defenders out of the lane and open up the drive for all of the athletic Longhorn guards and wings.

In addition to the inside bucket, Holmes also showed solid elevation on his pull-up jumpers. He finished with seven points and shot just 3-of-8 from the field, but his form on the made jumpers was beautiful. If he can consistently do that this year, he’ll find even more success against the bigger, tougher, and more experienced frontcourts in the conference.

We should also note that while the Longhorns had another middling performance on the offensive glass, they did an excellent job shutting out the Mavericks on the other side of the rebounding battle. UTA entered the game as one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country, but they were only able to reclaim 33.8% of their missed shots. That mark was the second-worst for the Mavs all season, just marginally better than their 33% performance against Baylor.

What needed work

Initially, it looked like the biggest problem for the Longhorns was going to be needless turnovers. But, just like they did against UCLA, the Horns tightened up the reins and held on to the ball. The area that did still cause them problems was inbounding against the full-court press. On two different occasions, Chapman had major difficulty finding an outlet, even resulting in a five-count and turnover in one instance.

It was also concerning how much Brown was forcing it the first half of the game. He limited himself to three-point shots, even taking a couple when the defenders were in his face. Rather than put the ball on the floor and attack to either score or open up his teammates, he restricted himself to a perimeter game that just wasn’t there.

In the second half, J’Covan changed his approach. Although he didn’t score his first field goal until 34 minutes into the game, he worked his way to the line by drawing fouls on the dribble penetration, and utilized the drive-and-dish to add four assists. With Kabongo’s confidence picking up over the last few contests, having both the freshman and Brown willing to attack the defense with the bounce will make Texas much harder to defend.

Next up: vs. Texas State (6-2); Saturday, 7 P.M. CT

It looked like more of the same early Saturday afternoon for the Longhorns. UCLA beat them handily on the offensive glass, while Texas coughed it up at inopportune times. The Bruins even managed to get hot from long range, where they had been struggling all year long. Then, the lights went out.

A power outage extended the under-four media timeout to roughly a fifteen minute intermission, a break that Rick Barnes and the Longhorns used to make adjustments and charge back from an 11-point deficit. Texas went on a 9-4 run to close out the half and then opened the second stanza with a 17-7 spurt to build a lead they would never relinquish.

The tale of two games renders moot our usual post-game structure of “What looked good” and “What needed work,” because everything that needed work in the first half was adjusted in the second. Fans can only hope that this game is a microcosm of the season as a whole, with the young team learning and adapting for a stretch run in conference play.

The most glaring issue for Texas in the opening twenty minutes was a tendency to give away possessions. Whether it was turnovers or an inability to secure defensive rebounds, the Longhorns constantly gave UCLA extra opportunities with the ball. Texas allowed eight second chance points on eight offensive rebounds, including one possession where the Bruins grabbed their miss three times and only gave the ball back when a shot bounced over the backboard.

The Longhorns also coughed it up seven times in the first twenty minutes, which fortunately only led to six UCLA points. But in a game that finished with only 56 possessions, that many self-inflicted wounds were huge. Many of the turnovers could have been easily avoided, as Alexis Wangmene and Clint Chapman were each stripped while holding the ball near the free throw line, and a handful of Texas passes were thrown off the mark.

Both of these issues were practically erased in the second half. While the Longhorns still gave up another nine offensive boards, they only allowed one second-chance point. UCLA players who grabbed the missed shots typically found themselves amidst a cadre of Longhorn defenders standing tall and altering shots. In the first half, UCLA made 46% of their shots from inside the arc, with most of them coming in the paint. In the second, Texas limited the Bruins to just 24% on their two-point shots.

The Horns also limited their miscues in the second half, turning it over just four times. In fact, two of those came in the game’s final minutes, with the result already well in hand. As Texas came from behind and took charge in the second half, the team went nearly 16 minutes with only one turnover.

While we’ve spent much of the season’s first month talking about the problems facing Texas on the glass, that storyline has evolved. The Longhorns are still one of the worst defensive rebounding teams in the country, and gave up more than 44% of their chances against UCLA. But at times this season, Texas has done excellent work on the offensive glass, as was the case again yesterday. The Longhorns posted their best offensive rebounding percentage of the year, reclaiming 49% of their missed shots. Against a formidable frontline like UCLA’s, that was a huge accomplishment.

Texas also impressed with their ability to find easy looks in the second half. The Longhorns scored 22 points in the paint, with a majority of the buckets coming on the fast break or excellent passes to the interior. Dribble penetration and great passing also opened up good looks from the perimeter, where the Horns knocked down 5-of-11 to fuel the scoring run. All told, the ball movement led to 13 Texas dimes, for an assist percentage of nearly 45%.

Individually, Myck Kabongo really stood out. He logged eight of the 13 Texas assists, and added 13 points on 55% shooting. His success from the field came as a result of being patient, a point best illustrated on the one three-pointer he knocked down. Kabongo received a ball screen, but the defense reacted. He simply waited for the screen to be set a second time, then took advantage of the brief space and drilled the triple.

From a statistical standpoint, it’s interesting to note that Kabongo’s best game to-date came on a day where he didn’t attempt a single free throw. Coming into the UCLA game, the freshman guard had the highest individual free-throw rate in the country. Kabongo’s sky-high FTR of 128.6 meant that he had taken even more free throws than field goals.

After a couple of quiet games where J’Covan Brown was deferring to teammates, there was no question who was the go-to guy when the team kicked it up a notch. Brown was absolutely nails from long range, making 4-of-8 en route to a 22-point performance. Three of those triples came in a 3:29 stretch that sandwiched the half, a time span that saw Texas outscore the Bruins 13-4 and tie the game.

Clint Chapman also had a solid performance in front of friends and family who had made the trip from Oregon. Although his mid-range jumper was cold and he refused to follow his shot, he came up with a ton of clutch rebounds in the second half to keep UCLA at bay. He also had two big blocks, including one on Reeves Nelson just before the half that helped to maintain the Texas momentum heading into the locker room. While Clint still needs softer hands at times, he answered the bell when it mattered against a good group of UCLA forwards.

With UCLA sputtering to a 2-5 start to the season — and with one of those wins coming against Division II Chaminade — the Bruins are dangerously close to spiraling out of control. Nelson sat for the entire second half of the game, which coach Ben Howland said was due to a missed defensive assignment at the end of the first half. While that might be the case, Nelson’s recent history suggests that he may have said or done something in the locker room to warrant the punishment.

If Nelson’s attitude issues bring this team down, Texas will be deprived of a quality win when it comes time to build the brackets in March. The Longhorns will certainly get credit for winning on the road, but Texas fans have to hope that UCLA can get things figured out and put together a respectable conference record.

Texas meanwhile, has a trio of winnable home games next on the docket. If they can take care of business in those games, the Longhorns will be sitting at 8-2 as they head into a tough pair of tests against Temple and North Carolina.

Up next: UT-Arlington (4-2); Tuesday, 7 P.M. CT

After blowing two second-half leads in New Jersey and sleepwalking to a win over Sam Houston State, the Longhorns needed a solid, convincing win heading into this weekend’s road trip to UCLA. Texas got exactly that against North Texas last night, cruising to a 16-point win in front of a paltry crowd of just 5,415.

What looked good

It was clear from the start that Myck Kabongo was going to have a solid game. Right out of the gate, he was attacking the paint off the dribble, but more importantly, he was getting to the line. In the first two weeks of the season, Kabongo had oftentimes thrown himself into the midst of the defense and was unable to finish inside. Against North Texas, he found the defender’s body and drew the whistle, resulting in ten tries from the stripe. Only one time did Kabongo fail to go up strong towards the basket, taking an awkward running jumper early in the game as he cut directly across the lane. That would be his only missed field goal all night.

Kabongo also looked more confident shooting the basketball. In these last two games, Sam Houston State and North Texas often gave him space on defense, neutralizing his speed on the drive and forcing him to beat them with a shot. On one occasion in last night’s game, he simply drove to the top of the lane and dropped a jumper as the defense converged. Behind the arc, he drilled both open looks that the defense gave him.

Julien Lewis also had a sound game after struggling against Sam Houston State. Not only did he score 11 points, including two three-pointers, but he had incredibly active hands on defense and made some excellent passes to find open teammates. Lewis was credited with two steals and two assists on the night.

Fellow freshman Jonathan Holmes also turned in a solid effort, leading the team in rebounds on a night where they were very hard to come by. He also continued to shoot the three when it presented itself, something that is going to keep opponents honest and help to spread the floor. He only knocked down one of his three looks from behind the arc, but confidently stepped right into the open jumpers when he received the pass. On one of the three attempts he did hesitate before shooting it, and it messed with his rhythm. As expected, that attempt clanged off of the iron.

As a team, the Longhorns not only spaced out the floor with their big men, but also utilized excellent ball movement. The team ended up with 13 assists on 24 buckets, and sometimes might have even been too unselfish. J’Covan Brown only ended up with six points, and could have had more if not for a few plays where he passed up a short jumper for an interior pass that ended up being tipped by the defense.

All told, being too unselfish is a good problem to have. Coach Barnes took a few players aside when they passed up shots that they shouldn’t have, so there’s little doubt that they will learn throughout the season when to pull the trigger. After seeing a few stretches this year where the guards became ball-dominant and the offense stalled around the perimeter, it’s great to see the team making a clear commitment to spacing and ball movement.

The Longhorns also seem to have made improvements on the defensive end. In New Jersey, the team piled up the fouls, not only sending their opponents to the line, but also causing issues with their limited bench. The team was whistled for just 17 personal fouls against North Texas, leading to just 19 free throw attempts. As a point of comparison, the Horns were whistled 28 times against N.C. State, resulting in 44 free throws.

It’s also worth noting that Sterling Gibbs showed a little bit of scoring punch, adding five points in his 11 minutes on the floor. He drained a three when the defense sagged off of him and scored on another mid-range jumper after an aggressive drive. Unfortunately, he still has major issues when the defense puts pressure on him, and it resulted in two turnovers. As teams get more film on him, it’s almost certain that the book will be to trap him on the wings in the halfcourt and to press when he brings it up the floor.

What needed work

Just as rebounding will likely be one of our “Keys to the Game” in every single preview this year, it will also likely lead our “What needed work” section in every game wrap. Texas was soundly beaten on the boards in this one, as the Mean Green dominated with a 46-30 rebounding edge. The Horns gave up 16 offensive boards in the second half, including eight in the final three minutes. There is no doubt that the game was in hand by that point, but a team that struggles this much on the glass can’t afford to mentally check out when there is still game-speed practice to be had.

In terms of tempo-free numbers, it was the worst defensive rebounding performance yet for Texas. They allowed North Texas to reclaim 49.4% of their offensive rebounding opportunities, the third time this year they’ve allowed a mark of at least 43%. Offensively, it was also the team’s worst performance, as Texas grabbed just 26.8% of its own missed shots. While the Longhorns have had a tough time on the glass, their own offensive rebounding percentage had yet to dip below 30% this season.

The Longhorns also only made 33% of their three-point attempts against North Texas, a performance that comes on the heels of their 23.5% night against Sam Houston State. While the team’s season average is still hovering just above 36%, it is beginning to look like the insane 42.6% start in the first two games was built on outlier performances and that the numbers are regressing to the mean.

Up next: at UCLA (2-4); Saturday, 3:30 P.M. CT