Texas is real close to “the sky is falling” territory. They’re also real close to “everything is great”-land. There’s something about the early-season excitement that’s caused this, as well as evidently some hunger for Shaka Smart to produce a postseason result other than winning the greatest of all tournaments (people don’t appreciate art), and maybe something about the irrationality of Texas fans. Anyway, Texas goes on the road this week, with that the context.
It’s a road trip, but it isn’t a terrible one. Ames. Norman. Fort Worth. Three winnable games, two of which are expected victories.
Which is not to say, of course, that the expected ones will be easy.
The Game
Texas at Iowa State
The Time
6:00 PM Texas Time
The Television
ESPN+
The Opponent
Iowa State probably isn’t the worst team in the Big 12, but they are the only one that’s winless in conference play. Maybe they’ve been more consistent than K-State and TCU? Not sure. Anyway, it’s a light night for Texas, but still a Big 12 opponent.
What Texas Needs to Do
There’s the opportunity this week to string some wins together and go into the Big 12 Tournament on a 6-2 run. Of course, that’d be a 2-2 run against the Big 12’s top teams, but it’d still be a positive development. Would be nice to see an easy win. Grabbing those when they present themselves is big.
On the Court
Iowa State struggles to hold onto the ball. They do shoot free throws well (when they get to the line, which is rare), so don’t be violent defensively, but show some aggression. Go in there and take the game away. Being able to win in the trenches was something Texas did not show on Saturday in Lubbock. The trenches won’t be out tonight, but Texas taking the game in that direction and claiming some of that identity for themselves might be helpful for a team whose talent gets more billing than its toughness. Make some people scared!
Hook them.
