Texas vs. Kansas
First Half: Fouls became an issue for Texas from the get-go as Jonathan Holmes sits most of the first half with two early fouls picked up in the game’s first minute. Kansas would go to the free throw line 14 times while Texas mustered just three attempts from the line. The Longhorns led by as many as seven points with two minutes remaining in the half, but a 5-0 run by the Jayhawks cut the lead to two at the break.
Second Half: Holmes returned with a vengeance, scoring all 10 of his points in 13 minutes in the second half before fouling out. Sheldon McClellan and Julien Lewis bolstered the Longhorns’ offense, but the Jayhawks continued to get to the free throw line, where they shot 84 percent for the game. Jeff Withey and Ben McLemore took over late for Kansas and secured a tough road win.
Why Texas lost: Holding Kansas to 28 percent shooting from the field in the first half is not easy. The Longhorns continue to play elite defense, but when a team gets to the free throw line just eight times during a game it’s tough to win, even at home. The Longhorns’ lack of a reliable post presence was once again on display as a guard, Lewis, led the team with seven rebounds.
Stock Up: Julien Lewis — Played a team-high 31 minutes and scored 11 points. Lewis has a role within this offense, it’s just taken him a while to figure it out.
Stock Down: Sheldon McClellan — While McClellan scored a team-high 18 points, he recorded just one rebound in 28 minutes on the court. He’s the most skilled scorer the Longhorns have at the moment, but after remarks from Rick Barnes on his lack of production across the board, he may be coming off the bench more often.
-Nick Cremona
Texas vs. Oklahoma
0-5: Texas’ record in Big 12 play. It marks the Longhorns’ worst start in conference play since the 1975-76 season, when they played in the Southwest Conference. Texas went 9-17 that year, going 4-12 in SWC play.
25: The number of points sophomore guard Sheldon McClellan scored in Monday’s loss to Oklahoma, which ties a career high. McClellan scored 18 in the defeat to Kansas two days before, but recorded only one rebound, much to the chagrin of head coach Rick Barnes. Once again, he didn’t start but he grabbed two rebounds against the Sooners while shooting 10-for-20 from the floor.
What’s Next: The Longhorns will host Texas Tech this Saturday, which could make for a good chance for them to pick up their first win in conference play. The Red Raiders are 8-8 this year and just 1-4 against Big 12 foes.
-Christian Corona
