Shaka Smart and Texas and took care of business of Tuesday night against Iowa State, 78-72. For the first time during the Smart era, the Longhorns have begun Big 12 play 3-0 and will be in first place for at least a day.
All five starters were in double figures, with Andrew Jones leading the way with a career-high 23 points. The junior guard shot 50% from the field and 33.3% from behind the arc. He also tied the game-high four assists while adding six rebounds. After a slow start to conference play, seeing Jones play well is a positive step for Texas.
True freshman Greg Brown recorded 15 points and eight rebounds, two rebounds short of his third double-double in four games. Matt Coleman was efficient as usual, making all but one shot inside the three-point line.
A couple of days after Smart called Jericho Sims “the most important player” in the Kansas game, he responded with another solid performance. 10 points and eight rebounds came up huge for the Longhorns trying to close out the Cyclones.
— Patrick (@PatSportsGuy) January 6, 2021
For Iowa State, forward Javon Johnson led the way with 21 points, five rebounds, and three assists. Three other Cyclone players were in double figures. Steve Prohm’s squad remains without a win to begin the Big 12 season, falling to 0-4.
Next up – At No. 14 West Virginia on 1/9
The major news surrounding the Mountaineers is star forward Oscar Tshiebwe entered the transfer portal and will not be playing for the rest of the season. 8.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game will be leaving Bob Huggin’s team.
On the court, West Virginia is coming off a comeback victory on the road against Oklahoma State. Wins against the Cowboys and Iowa State plus losses to Kansas and Oklahoma see them off to a .500 conference start.