Longhorns could make big statement with road win over No. 3 Houston
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Longhorns men’s basketball team plays only once this week, but like most games in the Big 12 Conference, it’s a game of utmost intrigue and importance to postseason implications.
After falling in overtime 76-72 to No. 3 Houston at Moody Center earlier in the season, the Longhorns head to the Fertitta Center at noon Saturday for the return matchup. If Texas can pull off the road win, something they’ve made a habit of doing in Big 12 play this year, it would give them a big win to improve their resumé for the NCAA tournament.
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It would be Texas’ fifth Quad 1 win in its NET ranking, currently at No. 31, and would even their conference record at 6-6 with six games remaining. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi projects that Texas will make the national tournament as a No. 8 seed in the West Region, facing off against future SEC foe Mississippi State in the first round. Houston leads the all-time series 33-32, and this matchup will be televised on CBS.
Texas head coach Rodney Terry said all his team needs to do is focus on what’s directly in front of them, which is the best defensive team in the country playing on their home floor. Houston is 13-0 this year in the Fertitta Center and the Cougars have won their five Big 12 home games by an average of 22 points.
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“The only thing we can look at is a really good Houston team on their home court. They are one of the best teams in college basketball,” Terry said. “They have an incredible home court, but we’ve got to control what we can control. We have to take care of the ball and be locked in with everything.”
Manor native Jamal Shead helped lift the Cougars to the win in Austin with 25 points on 11 of 24 shooting, but the Longhorns were able to produce some offense of their own and score well over what Houston typically allows on average. The Cougars lead the country in scoring defense, allowing 54.7 points per game, but three Longhorns got to double-figures led by 20 points from Max Abmas last time.
Dylan Disu scored 14 points on 5 of 14 shooting in the loss, but over the past two games, he’s played so well that he earned one of five national player of the week awards from the United States Basketball Writers Association. He averaged 27.5 points per game against Iowa State and West Virginia last week, sinking his first eight shots against the Mountaineers, and drilling 10 of 16 3-point shot attempts. He’s gaining confidence every week with his outside shooting with help from Terry and his teammates, Disu said.
“RT has put a lot of trust in me and encouraged me to shoot the ball,” he said. “In a game, any time I don’t shoot, RT yells at me and tells me to shoot. The trust he and my teammates have in me gives me even more confidence to take open shots and not turn any down.”
From a percentage standpoint, Disu is the best 3-point shooter on the team. He has made 56.4% of his attempts this season, 31 for 55, and he leads the team in scoring in Big 12 games, averaging 18.9 points per game.
In preparation for the Houston game, Disu said he specifically focused on getting his shot off quicker because the Cougars close out so hard on pick-and-pop plays. He said he put up “around 200” shots after practice Thursday.
“Every individual workout is going to be different depending on who we’re playing, how they play the ball screens and what looks they might give me, and that’s what I work on,” he said.
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