Even though it has been a brutal season for Texas, their tournament hopes are still alive after a massive win against West Virginia, 67-57. It is the third win in a row for the Longhorns, making them 7-8 and tied for fourth place in the Big 12.
Once again, guard play is the reason Texas got the victory. This time, the main man was Andrew Jones, dropping a career-high 22 points. Jones was a threat from behind the three-point line, going 5-9 from deep. His right-hand man was Courtney Ramey, who had 21 points on 9-14 shooting from the field.
Texas has struggled to get to the free-throw line all season, ranking dead last in the country. Against the Mountaineers, the Longhorns attempted 20 shots from the charity strike, making 14 of them. Those numbers are huge improvements for Shaka Smart’s team and must continue in the final three games of the season.
The downfall of West Virginia was their poor three-point and free-throw shooting. Sean McNeil was the only player to hit a shot from deep, going 3-3. Everyone else was 0-8, shooting 27.3%. From the foul line, Derek Culver really struggled, going 2-8. As a whole, the Mountaineers were 10-21, well below their season average of 64.2%.
Now for Texas, comes an even bigger set of games coming on the road. They will now travel to Lubbock and Norman to face off against Texas Tech and Oklahoma, two teams considered in the picture of the NCAA Tournament. Even if they go 1-1 in those two games, their resume is boosted and they a firmly on the bubble.
To get those wins, Andrew Jones, Courtney Ramey, and Matt Coleman must continue to play at the elite level they have been. They have been scoring at a level that makes the Longhorns worthy of an NCAA Tournament bid.
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