Starting Big 12 play 0-2 with losses to Baylor and Oklahoma, tonight was a must-win game for head coach Shaka Smart and the Longhorns. Running into another struggling team in Kansas State, Texas picked up a much-needed win against the Wildcats, 64-50.
Matt Coleman led Texas in scoring, having 14 points. He added two rebounds and four assists. As a team, the Longhorns shot 49% from the field and 43.5% for behind the three-point line.
The three-point shooting was the difference in the game, as Texas made double the amount the Wildcats have. Making 10 threes, three of them came from Courtney Ramey, while Coleman, Jase Febres, and Kamaka Hepa added two each.
Texas’ defense was outstanding tonight as well, holding Kansas State to 50 points. That is the fewest amount they have scored all year, as they came into tonight averaging 65 points per game. Cartier Diarra was the only Wildcat player in double figures, scoring 14 points on 6-16 shooting.
If the Longhorns did not pick up a victory tonight, it would have been a rough rest of the month attempting to pick up their next conference game. Three of the next four Big 12 games will be on the road for Texas, traveling to Oklahoma State, West Virginia, and TCU. They will play host to Kansas and LSU in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
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