A force in February, Andrew Jones' next step is success in March

On3 imageby:Joe Cook02/24/22

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Longhorn guard Andrew Jones’ 21-point performance as part of No. 20 Texas’ 75-66 win over TCU on Wednesday night was his third consecutive game with 20 or more points. The senior from Irving had not accomplished that feat in his UT career, a career which includes a fight with cancer and a return to the court to become a key part of the program.

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“Tonight, one of the better games I’ve seen him play,” Longhorns head coach Chris Beard said Wednesday. “I don’t think he made a three-point shot. He puts 21 on the board. Has the ball in his hands a lot and only has one turnover. I thought Drew’s basketball IQ tonight was off the charts.”

Though Jones may not have topped 20 points in three straight games in his previous 126 outings, Wednesday’s contest was not his first taste of success in the month of February. Jones has played in 31 games in the second month of the year, most of them against challenging Big 12 opponents.

His career scoring numbers during that 28-day, sometimes 29-day stretch? 14.3 points per game, a full 2.3 points higher than his career average. Plus, jones has scored 20 or more eight times in February.

He boasts a 42-percent mark from the field against teams who are familiar with his game, plan for him, and make consistent efforts to prevent him from heating up. He also plays with aggression, getting to the line at a rate higher than any other month in which he has played at least 20 games.

At the stripe, he shoots 79 percent during the shortest month of the year. He topped that on Wednesday versus TCU, hitting 7-of-8 free throws. During this recent stretch of 20-point games, Jones is 11-of-14 at the line. That rate equates to 79 percent.

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Jones mentioned following his 7-for-11 two-point shooting night on Wednesday that he’s utilizing defense to create easy offense, a credit to Beard’s coaching style. He also admitted he’s playing with good players who can open things up for him, a credit to the team Beard put together.

“He’s done a lot that we’ve asked him to do,” Beard said.

One of those players Jones was talking about? Marcus Carr, who added 19 points versus the Horned Frogs. Since both players became fixtures in Texas’ starting five, they have played off each other’s abilities.

“Are they going to sag off of me and help stop Marcus from driving and scoring, and allow me to get open threes?” Jones said. “Or are they going to contain me, keep me from getting open looks? That’s going to open the floor for our drivers.”

Jones did well to create for himself, but that’s not necessarily his forte. According to Beard, Jones’ teammates help him play his best ball.

“I think Drew is kind of a second or third touch guy,” Beard said. “It’s hard to come down the floor against this kind of competition and just throw the ball to one guy and ‘go score.’ When you start getting things side-to-side with a second and third touch, it just makes the game a lot easier offensively.”

When the Longhorns don’t move the ball, they can get into one of their scoreless slogs.

When they do? They can score, and Jones is right there leading the way.

February has been kind to Jones, but his experience in March is limited. He’s only played in 12 games in the third month of the year, seven of them regular season games and four of them Big 12 Tournament contests. The only NCAA Tournament game? Last year’s loss to Abilene Christian.

He could come back for a seventh college basketball season, but that’s not on his mind. The path ahead as February ends and March begins is where he has his focus.

“Right now, I’m living where my feet are,” Jones said. “Wherever God places me at the end of the season is where I’m going to be, but as of right now we’ve got three more games left in the regular season, a conference tournament to try to win, and an NCAA Tournament to try to compete for.”

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