1. This is familiar.
Well, well, well……..if it isn’t Texas beating Oklahoma in the regular season’s final week and reminding everyone how great Shaka Smart is. Thankfully, last year’s Oklahoma game was the final contest of the year, and nothing happened four days later at the Erwin Center. Unless there was a concert or something. Definitely wasn’t a basketball game, though. Don’t be silly!
2. Tough win.
In all seriousness, that was a tough win. Texas hit ‘em in the mouth. Oklahoma hit back. Texas landed the final blow. The outcome was in doubt for a while there. Even in the closing minute it was far from safe. But multiple guys stepped up.
3. Too much hero-ball.
We’ll get to the good stuff, but both Courtney Ramey and Matt Coleman had black hole possessions towards the end. Thankfully, Coleman’s worked out. Need movement on things other than inbounds plays, though. They’re great in the closing minutes if Smart has a whiteboard and thirty seconds. Otherwise, it’s a crapshoot, with bad odds.
4. Greg Brown’s smile.
Greg Brown unleashing that smile between free throws was amazing. I didn’t know whether it meant he was absolutely going to make the second or if it meant he was absolutely going to miss the second, but what a moment. Love that guy so much.
5. Jericho Sims is resilient.
Sims’s defense doesn’t get enough credit (the guy seems capable of guarding just about anybody on the perimeter as long as they’ve got the ball), but neither does his resilience. He’s bounced back after bad games again and again this year, and not that his last game was bad, but he was more physically aggressive tonight than I think I’ve ever seen him. Had Oklahoma not been helping so much when they were switching Sims/Ramey ballscreens he might have had 25.
6. Andrew Jones quietly had a great night.
Jones made some huge plays and was ruthless with his efficiency. I always forget how good his hops are. I also always think he’s shorter than he is. He looks shorter than he is. Ramey hit the big shots, but Jones got them there.
7. Jase Febres is an asset.
Man, fun to see him knock some down. Looks comfortable out there. Love to see him back and more than just a minute-filler. Also kind of funny to see when the situation calls for Febres and when it calls for Brock Cunningham. Good to keep games in Febres territory.
8. Kai Jones is still growing.
One of the fun things about Jones is that he’s still learning things like just how far from the basket he can take off from a standstill when trying to posterize someone of comparable size. Glad it worked out in the end, but that was a tense ten seconds and a rough four-point swing.
9. The vibe is good.
It’s not what it was in December, but that’s not who this team turned out to be—not after the Covid bout, anyway. They’ve rallied, though, and against teams who aren’t real bad, the Longhorns are now 2-2 in their last four, which is respectable, and with some convenient scheduling feels like some kind of momentum. It’s a fun team. It’s a likable team. Now please extend Shaka Smart so I can get back to hoping for a Texas NIT dynasty.
