1. Greg Brown rose to the occasion.
Brown was in a good spot, being the lesser-thought-of lottery prospect on the floor with Cade Cunningham in town. Cunningham didn’t have as much to prove. Cunningham didn’t have as many to impress.
So when the game became the Greg Brown show—Brown throwing down multiple big dunks, Brown posting an easy double-double, Brown sparking a 17-0 run in the second half—it was all the more striking. Cunningham was clearly good. Brown looked, at times, like the best player on the court.
2. It was a guard-focused game.
This was a little bit of a surprise. Oklahoma State isn’t exactly a shot-blocking force, and interior defense isn’t counted as a strength, so when Texas’s big men—Jericho Sims, Kai Jones, and Royce Hamm—combined for only five attempts inside the arc (Jones took three threes, making one), it looks a bit concerning.
That said, Texas can win with guard play. And they did.
3. Andrew Jones had another good night.
That’s three straight solid outings out of the junior, who appears to be finding his rhythm.
4. Donovan Williams made plays.
Williams’s role seems to be growing, and whether that’s due to improving health or other causes is unclear. Whatever the case, he was a key part of the rotation yesterday, generating a whole lot of offense.
5. It’s hard to keep a Coleman down.
Matt Coleman shot 18% from the floor and still wound up with 15 points, most of them on free throws. The captain (I assume he’s the captain, if they have one) finished with seven rebounds, four assists, two steals, and no turnovers. What a guy.
6. Texas got away with some danger.
Much like in the Davidson and UNC games, Texas let their opponent back within arm’s reach after having the game in control. The outcome was never really in doubt over the last ten minutes, but there’s still this foreboding sense that if the Longhorns don’t learn to close the door, it’s going to go wrong for them at some important time. Hopefully they learn. Or I’m just wrong.
