In a game that was essentially over before I sorted out my DirecTV app issues, the Texas Longhorns blew out the UT-San Antonio Roadrunners 116-50. Texas started the game on a 36-9 run, then were kind enough to let UT-SA only be outscored 20-8 for the rest of the half because Shaka is nothing if not a gracious host to our university cousins visiting the big city. Well, as gracious as you can be while beating someone by 66 points. This was an old-fashioned whooping and a welcome change from some unnecessarily close games earlier in the year.
The Good
Putting Away An Inferior Opponent
With all due respect to UT-SA, they're awful - OK, that's not respectful, but it's true - and Texas shouldn't have won this game by less than 15 points under any circumstance short of a pregame Chipotle buffet. The one thing I wanted to see more than anything else was Texas getting a lead & continuing to expand it throughout the contest. Texas stepped on UT-SA's neck early and never offered even a hint of letting the Roadrunners back into the game. This is an ability Texas didn't show against Samford, so it's nice to see.
Tevin Mack
Tevin's offensive struggles are well-documented; he needed a night like tonight to happen. 7-11 from the field & 2-5 from 3 is hopefully a sign that he's getting on track because Texas needs another scorer to step up.
Cameron Ridley
Cam did Cam things. If I were home, I'd have put up at least a couple Vines of his domination. Cam put up a 19/9 with 4 blocks and could have probably gone for more if the game hadn't gotten so far out of hand.
Jordan Barnett
Jordan scored 12, grabbed 5 rebounds, and got a good run. I'm not going to proclaim he's turned a corner on account of the competition he faced, but it's nice to see him have success on the court.
The Walk-Ons Scored
Danny Newsome, Ryan McClurg, and Joe Schwartz all got in the game and all got to watch the ball go through the basket. It's usually a good sign when your walk-ons combine for 14 points.
The Bad
Free Throw Shooting
Texas shot 13-22 - that's less than 60% - from the line and that was actually an improvement from where it was at halftime. So far it seems like the only players Texas can rely upon to shoot 70% or better are Javan Felix, Isaiah Taylor, and Eric Davis Jr.. Kerwin Roach & Tevin Mack could join this list soon, which would help. Unfortunately - and this reminds me of Tristan Thompson's season - the team's average is being submerged by the big men. We're 25% through the season; Cam's at 41%, Prince Ibeh has zero made free throws. Shaquille Cleare is 7-10 on the season, he's the only big to show any sort of stroke from the line this season.
Texas spent most of the game in the diamond press, which leads me to believe we won't see much man/FIST press this year. If Shaka isn't testing it out against UT-SA, he's probably not using it any time soon. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, just a sign which press he thinks fits the talent on hand. Next up is the North Carolina Tar Heels, a program that should give Texas a decent measuring stick for how they'll fare against the top of the Big 12. Suffice it to say Texas will be a decided underdog, even at home. Tip is Saturday 4:15p CT on ESPN.
