By: MIKE McCURRY
Chances are, the epic overtime game you were immersed in on New Year’s Day was Georgia and Oklahoma on the gridiron as opposed to Texas and Iowa State on the hardwood.
While we won’t be talking about Monday’s random regular season Big 12 game for years to come the way we will the Rose Bowl, that doesn’t mean it lacked significance.
Texas, looking to avoid an 0-2 start in conference play following a closely contested 6-point home loss to Kansas on Friday, entered 2018 averaging just six made three-pointers per game and shooting 29.2% from deep, the latter of which ranked 334th out of 351 Division-1 teams.
So, of course, the Longhorns proceeded to drill 13-of-32 triples—their most since January 12, 2016, coincidentally against the same opponent—which was enough for Shaka Smart and company to edge Iowa State, 74-70, in overtime.
Tulane transfer Dylan Osetkowski was responsible for seven of those three-pointers as he scored a career-high 25 points. Despite an impressive stroke, the 6-foot-9 junior began the day as a 24% three-point shooter on the season, making just eleven threes total thru his first 13 games.
But Texas’ best offense on Monday was putting Osetkowski in pick-and-pop situations, which Iowa State had no answer for. Clearly, Smart watched film of Iowa State-Kansas State on Friday and noticed how easy life was for stretch-five Dean Wade (34 points, 6-of-8 from three) in similar sets.
Matt Coleman finished with 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 9 assists for Texas. The freshman point guard did his best work when it mattered most, scoring 8 of the Longhorns’ 13 points in the extra session via blowing by gassed Cyclones’ defenders. Mo Bamba didn’t have his best game to date but still put up 10 points, 16 rebounds, and 4 blocks, including a crucial swat late. Aside from the three-point shooting, which isn’t something Texas should bank on going forward, the most promising sign for the Longhorns was the play of Eric Davis Jr. off the bench. The mercurial junior poured in 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting, stepping up in the place of Kerwin Roach, who was victimized by foul trouble all evening, and Andrew Jones—Texas’ second-leading scorer was handicapped to 11 minutes as he makes his way back from a broken right wrist. Texas continues to look the part of an NCAA Tournament team, and I’d be remiss not to mention the body of work that they’re building away from home. Last year, Texas was 0-11 on the road. Let that sink in for a moment. They’re 3-0 in such contests this season, registering victories at VCU, versus Alabama in Birmingham, and now at Iowa State. Monday’s win was the Longhorns’ first in Ames since January 13, 2010, snapping a six-game losing streak at Hilton Coliseum. Let’s not forget, Texas also turned some heads at the PK80 Invitational in a neutral-court setting. They beat Butler by 13 prior to losing in overtime against both Duke and Gonzaga. Texas is going to be just fine, particularly when Jones returns to full-strength. The same does not hold true for Iowa State, however, as the Cyclones have started out 0-2 in Big 12 play for the first time since the 2010-2011 season. Ironically enough, that’s the last time Iowa State failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Worse yet, these first two league losses have come at home. Not just any home, mind you, but Hilton Coliseum, which according to KenPom is tied for first nationally in best home court advantage. Iowa State is a good bet to finish last in the Big 12. That’s not to take anything away from what Texas accomplished on Monday, though. Shaka Smart could not have asked for a better way to kick off the new year. Follow Mike on Twitter Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter And like ZAGS on Facebook Photo: @TexasMBBShaka Smart said Texas came in game-planning to get Osetkowski 3s in the PnR after watching Wade go off Friday. Doesn't take the Big 12 long to zero in on deficiencies.
— Travis Hines (@TravisHines21) January 2, 2018
