1. Greg Brown found his shot.
I don’t know how tuned into coverage of his own play Brown is, but either way, happy for him to have a night like that one. Knocked down some shots that ended up being quite important.
Outside of happenings at the three-point line, it was a more routine evening for the freshman. His turnover rate was comparable to what it’s been. His rebounding was solid. But he made two or three more shots than he would be expected to make (given the attempts), and it not only helped Texas a lot, but it also bolstered Brown’s momentum, if not on the actual court then in the media ecosystem.
Love this guy.
2. Matt Coleman had a great game and one terrible play.
The missed dunk was dumb. The seven assists and no turnovers were huge.
3. Andrew Jones can make so many things happen.
Another big night from the guard, who’s really found his step again as the third head of the monster.
4. Texas made its free throws.
After missing the vast majority against Baylor, there was some concern about this, but down the stretch, they hit ‘em.
5. Royce Hamm.
Royce Hamm didn’t play, something Shaka Smart attributed to wanting to get Kamaka Hepa and Jase Febres some run. Hepa and Febres can be valuable pieces, and being up by a lot, as Texas was for a long time, made getting them in the game appealing. But the communication seemed to be lacking, as Royce Hamm tweeted something along the lines of (it’s now deleted, so I don’t have the exact phrasing), “Loyalty means nothing.”
What appears to have happened is that Hamm didn’t know he wasn’t going to play, and Smart didn’t immediately, postgame, address why he hadn’t played. With the backdrop of two other Texas big men leaving the team earlier this year to transfer, Hamm, one would guess, feels like he was the loyal one, and is disappointed to sit out an entire game despite his loyalty.
Hopefully it gets cleared up. Especially because Hamm’s a valuable piece.
6. If the game could’ve just ended ten minutes earlier…
It wasn’t a good night for Texas. It looked like it was going to be one, but Kansas State roared back into it, and the final stretch was concerning. Oddly, it was a defensive problem. I don’t think the game was over 70 possessions, but Kansas State was allowed to pour in 77 points.
The piece of this that feels like it’ll be ok is that it was a letdown on Texas’s stronger end of the floor, and it was the kind of letdown that happens when you get too comfortable. Texas, generally speaking, plays good defense. Focus lapses, generally speaking, aren’t that hard to address.
The piece of this that’s concerning is that it’s now been a month since Texas really looked like that team that was so good in the season’s opening act.
Hopefully it was just a focus lapse.
