Longhorns look to set the table for the Big 12 stretch run with win at No. 3 Houston
The time is now – but the task is uber-daunting – for the Texas men’s basketball team to make a statement in the race up the Big 12 Conference standings and cement a place in the NCAA Tournament.
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Standing in the way is a titanic road game against No. 3 Houston on Saturday afternoon in the raucous Fertitta Center at noon on CBS, and the Cougars will not go down without a battle for every shot, every possession and every inch of the hardwood.
Texas (16-8, 5-6 Big 12) would likely be in the NCAA Tournament if the field was drawn today, but a win over Houston, which is tied for first place in the league standings, would be a considerable bold line on the Longhorns’ resume. Texas played some of its best basketball of the year when it squared off against the Cougars in Austin on Jan. 29, roaring from behind to erase an 11-point second half deficit, taking the lead late and then falling 79-76 in overtime.
It will take an even bigger effort to beat Houston on its home floor. The Cougars have won 18 straight games at home and all 13 this season, with their five Big 12 contests at the Fertitta Center captured by an average of 22 points.
“We’ve got to be in a coordinated game and try to value taking care of the basketball and working this game for 40 minutes,” Texas coach Rodney Terry said. “It’s gonna be one of those games where you gotta be locked into everything that you need to do.”
The Longhorns have had a week to rest for Saturday’s clash after romping past West Virginia 94-58 on Feb. 10 in Moody Center in Austin. Dylan Disu led Texas in that win with 27 points – 19 of them in the dominating first half, while Tyrese Hunter and Max Abmas added 19 points each, Chendall Weaver tallied 13 and Dillon Mitchell hit for 12 points.
The Longhorns put together their most complete first half of the season, building a 27-point lead just before halftime and cruising to the finish line.
Disu heads to Houston with plenty of confidence after garnering Big 12 Conference Player of the Week accolades and being named one of five Oscar Robertson Trophy National Players of the Week. He averaged 27.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks in 28.8 minutes per game during the Longhorns’ past two contests.
“(Coach Terry) has put a lot of trust in me and encouraged me to shoot the ball,” Disu said Thursday. “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.”
The Cougars (21-3, 8-3 Big 12) also had a week off heading into Saturday’s game after a gritty 67-62 come-from-behind win in Cincinnati on Feb. 10. J’Wan Roberts finished with 20 points and eight rebounds and Jamal Shead added 16 points as Houston dominated in the paint, building a 41-34 edge in rebounds, a 17-9 advantage on the offensive glass and outscoring the Bearcats 38-22 at close range.
“It’s going to be critical for us to try to keep those guys off the glass,” Terry said. “They’re one of the best in the country at an offensive rebound. Another part of the game that people don’t talk a lot about is that they really excel at getting the 50/50 balls.”
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Houston is ranked No. 1 in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency ratings and is one of the top contenders to grab a No. 1 seed for the NCAA tournament.
