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

It certainly wasn’t pretty, but the Texas Longhorns put a stop to their losing streak on Saturday night, grinding out a 56-40 win over Sam Houston State at the Erwin Center. Despite taking nearly six minutes to make their first bucket and shooting less than 32% from the field, the Longhorns were able to pull away in the final minutes to push their record back above the .500 mark.

What looked good

There was hardly anything that looked good in this one, but there were some bright spots for Texas. Most importantly, the Longhorns were able to come out on top of the rebounding battle, something they have struggled with all season. It should be noted that Sam Houston State went with a small lineup all night, oftentimes running four guards at a time. But when winning the battle on the glass is as tough as it has been for Texas this season, you have to take the victories when you can get them.

The Longhorns were able to reclaim more than 40% of their missed shots, only the second time they’ve done so this season. They also reached that mark in the loss to Oregon State, with their numbers in the three other games all mired in the mid-30 percent range. Defensively, they held the Bearkats to just a 30.6% offensive rebounding mark, but allowed those second chances to turn into 10 extra points.

Individually, the biggest breakthrough came from Alexis Wangmene, who scored seven of his 13 points in the final 7:28 to help Texas stretch their lead. Alexis was able to capitalize on his good looks inside, something that had proved difficult for the big man in the past, and he held onto rebounds and loose balls instead of fumbling them away. He logged eight boards in his 27 minutes.

The only player to outscore Wangmene was Jonathan Holmes, who also fought hard for his points inside and even tested his three-point range. Although the freshman was just one of three from behind the arc, getting that long-range shot on tape will give opposing defenses one more thing to consider while game-planning for the Horns. Holmes was just one rebound shy of a double-double, and could have had even more points if not for some point-blank misses.

It was also nice to see Wangmene and Clint Chapman getting extended minutes at the same time, and actually being successful while doing so. They certainly got some help from facing a the smaller Bearkat lineup, but when the pair was faced with defensive situations in the post, they performed admirably. On one particular occasion, Wangmene went to the floor trying to draw a charge, leaving his man isolated on a Texas guard. Chapman slid across the lane and blocked the shot, saving an easy bucket.

What needed work

Other than those bright spots, there wasn’t much else to get excited about for Texas. Although J’Covan Brown cracked double-digits in scoring, he did so by shooting just 26% from the field. He also continued to drive baseline against a Bearkat defense that had shown it would double along the boundary and cut off both driving and passing lanes. Julien Lewis also had a tough day at the office, missing all three of his three-point attempts and going just 1-for-7 from the field in his 26 minutes of work.

Texas struggled the most in the early stages of the game, allowing Sam Houston State to build a lead as large as 12 just eight minutes into it. While the Longhorns missed a few good looks early, they clearly started to press on the offensive end, taking quick shots instead of being patient with their possessions. Late in the first half, the team made a brief commitment to scoring in transition and working the ball in low, and that is when they found the most success.

It was also troubling to see the Longhorns struggle at the line late in the game. Texas was 8-for-9 from the stripe in the first half, but made just 8-of-17 in the second. Myck Kabongo missed three of four in the final 15 seconds, while Wangmene missed two opportunities to complete three-point plays down the stretch. When Texas finds itself in close games later this season, a repeat of this charity-stripe performance will surely end in defeat.

Not only did Kabongo struggle at the line in the final minutes, but he once again had a rough day from the floor. McClellan mentioned in the post-game interview that the Longhorns were overthinking on the offensive end, passing up good looks for fear of repeating their poor shot selection from earlier in the game. Kabongo certainly looked like he lacked confidence in this one, and he missed his first five shots before finally draining a last-minute three.

The freshman has had trouble finishing inside this season, so adding in these problems with the jump shot only makes him easier to defend. Without a shot to keep opponents honest, it’s going to be hard for Kabongo to find cracks, create, and dish out the assists.

Up next: vs. North Texas (1-2); Tuesday, 7 P.M. CT