The game started out fast for the Texas Longhorns men’s basketball team as they hit six of their first seven shots from the floor. Many of those coming right at the rim to lead the West Virginia Mountaineers 13-8 early on. It was even right off the bat with all five starters getting involved in the first four-plus minutes in the first half.
The Longhorns turned the ball over on several occasions that gave the Mountaineers opportunities to go on a 7-0 run. The defense began pressing the Horns forcing them to hit some shots from the perimeter, Andrew Jones and Greg Brown trying to get the lead again after falling behind. A deep three from Jones gave them a 19-18 lead with 11:33 to go.
Taz Sherman was a pest for the Horns defense coming off of the bench for West Virginia. He quickly made his mark with perimeter shooting. After back and forth of trading perimeter shots, the lead grew to four with under eight minutes to go in the half.
Texas’ interior defense continued to struggle with covering Derek Culver in the paint. He was big on the boards and difficult to guard. In transition, West Virginia was able to take advantage with Sherman hitting 3/4 three-point attempts.
Andrew Jones was 3/5 from behind the arc in the first half of the game to lead all Longhorns scorers as the half came to a close. In the second half of this matchup, the Horns need help from their bench. Kai Jones was the only bench player to contribute with six points. Defensively, they need to limit Taz Sherman’s effectiveness from deep.
Halftime Stats:
| Player | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| A. Jones | 11 | 2 | 0 |
| C. Ramey | 9 | 3 | 5 |
| K. Jones | 6 | 4 | 0 |
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