The Texas Longhorns men’s basketball team has been on a roll as of late. The team led by Shaka Smart was coming off four-straight losses including a 29-point embarrassing blowout from Iowa State. It was looking like they might not win another game this season with out how the team was playing. Smart needed a spark to save the season and his job, what was once hopeless suddenly has life.
Unlikely Heroes
Will Baker. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to see Baker step up against the TCU Horned Frogs, after all he was a top five recruit in the state and a four-star prospect. After averaging just two points a game this year, Baker exploded for 20 points. He was the second-leading scorer in that game nailing four of six three pointers. After the game it felt like Smart was trolling the faithful dropping a John Beilein reference about Baker’s play.
“A shooting five man changes the world”- Shaka Smart on Will Baker’s performance
Backcourt Help
Baker isn’t the only one that has stepped up, Andrew Jones has really made his presence felt on the offensive side of the ball. Jones has absolute caught fire from behind the arc shooting 57.8 percent. It certainly feels like he is becoming the old Andrew Jones once again after a fight with Leukemia. Averaging 18.3 points per game during the streak has been a huge lift for this team.
In the team’s last two wins, Courtney Ramey has really stepped up his game to help Texas win three in a row. Scoring a combined 47 points over the last two wins, he led the team in scoring against Kansas State and second to Jones against West Virginia. His performances have breathed life into a team that was appearing to just be going through the motions.
Big 12 Teams Around Them
Texas was sitting at 4-8 in the conference before jumping up into a tie with the Mountaineers for that fourth spot in the conference. The Longhorns are looking more like they could squeak into the big dance. It wasn’t all the Longhorns play, teams who were above them have started to falter.
TCU who started out 3-0 in conference play, has fallen flat on their face as the season has gone on. Since that point they are 3-8, up until this week the Frogs had been projected over Texas in most major Bracketology projections. The Longhorns also getting some help from their bitter rivals.
The Oklahoma Sooners were also a team that many felt that would be a lock for the tournament, but they have fallen on hard times as of late. Losers of their last three games has put Texas ahead of them in the standings and has given the Longhorns hope once again.
