1. Ouch.
A real gut-punch for the Horns. Could’ve used that win.
2. Was the Ramey/Jones dustup really what caused the collapse?
West Virginia had already started to chip away at the lead when Courtney Ramey and Andrew Jones got into it, so I’m not sure I buy the narrative that that was what caused Texas to fade. Texas hasn’t been practicing much. They’ve been all over the place logistically and health-wise for six weeks. It’s a brutal time mentally, and it would make sense if they were out of shape. All of those things probably affect on-court play more than Ramey being pissed Jones’s head wasn’t in it for a possession defensively, and then getting further pissed by Jones’s pissed-off reaction to him.
I generally like Fran Fraschilla, but he’s seemed to have some itch against Texas the last few times he’s been on the call. There were the Greg Brown “no game” comments. There was his ceaseless focus on this. There was—and this isn’t about Texas, but it came out in the same “grumpy old man” manner—his dismissal of Jalen Johnson as having quit, something he dropped into the middle of gameplay yesterday in such a way that he didn’t have to explain himself or defend the stance and Jon Sciambi couldn’t ask him more about it, which is a real cowardly way to say something controversial. I don’t know what’s going on with Fraschilla, but it felt like he wanted the Ramey/Jones thing to have been a fight, and for that to have destroyed Texas. And that narrative became the narrative.
3. That said, nerves were frayed.
You also saw it with Shaka Smart getting on Brock Cunningham after the technical in the first half (but that doesn’t get any attention from broadcasters or the press, because Cunningham’s evidently untouchable for reasons I think I know and I hope I’m wrong about). Texas is going through it. They’ve been going through it for six weeks. Things are hard. That’s the real challenge—not getting Ramey and Jones to “get along.” The real challenge is finding a mindset that allows them to find a groove, with the added complication that such a mindset is inherently unreasonable right now, which Smart’s been pretty transparent about.
4. Also that said, Andrew Jones had a terrible game.
He almost hit the huge three at the end—tough bounce on that—but he really struggled. Offensively. Defensively. He had a big slump out of the gate this year and ended up alright, so hopefully that happens again. Want the guy to do well.
5. Courtney Ramey rocked.
What a performance. Lights out.
6. Matt Coleman was quietly excellent.
Statistically, that was Coleman’s best game of the year. Which is especially impressive given how well he’s played at other times this season. He and Ramey playing like that is awesome news for the Longhorns.
7. Kai Jones struggled.
After being so, so good early in the year, the taller of the Joneses hasn’t looked great recently. It’s been more of a return to expectations than an outright struggle, but it’s still tough to see.
8. Royce Hamm played some good minutes.
Not spectacular or anything, but pretty solid outing from the guy in his first time on the floor since the whole Twitter thing.
9. Jericho Sims was good.
Good day by the big man.
10. The fouls do hurt.
Texas is allowing so many free throws. I don’t entirely know why—it seemed like an approach earlier in the year, to just play rough defense—but it’s reached diminishing returns.
