Dylan Disu’s 24 points in No. 8 Texas’ loss at No. 9 Baylor was a career high in burnt orange for the senior forward. Though Baylor kept Texas at arms length for the majority of the second half in the Bears’ 81-72 win, Disu’s offensive explosion gives Texas a new option to throw at opponents as the postseason approaches.  

“Dylan Disu was doing the things (today that) we knew he could do all year,” said graduate guard Marcus Carr.

The Pflugerville-raised senior wasted no time making his mark on the game, as two early threes from Disu started a 15-0 Texas run that gave the Horns an early 18-4 lead in Waco. After Baylor responded with a 25-5 run of their own to take the lead, Disu hit back with two quick buckets before the half to end an eight-minute scoring drought for Texas.

“We closed the half out on a pretty good momentum swing,” said Texas interim head coach Rodney Terry, referencing Disu’s final two possessions of the first half. 

A neat spin move underneath the basket to get away from fifth-year center Flo Thamba gave Disu his first points of the second half. The Vanderbilt transfer put up 11 points in the second half as Texas unsuccessfully sought to mount a comeback.

All afternoon, Disu battled in the post against Baylor’s two big men, fifth year senior Flo Thamba and redshirt senior Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua. With Christian Bishop held scoreless, Disu was the entirety of Texas’ interior presence on the day.

Despite averaging just 26.7% from three before today, Disu has focused on improving his outside shooting throughout the season, which showed up on Saturday. 

“Terry has been harping on me to continue shooting the ball,” Disu said, adding, (Coach) believes in my shooting ability.” 

Disu matched his career high in made field goals today after going 10-14 from the field, which included hitting three of four from behind the arc. 

“He spent a lot of time this past week getting shots up,” Terry said, adding, ”He’s more than capable of making threes.”

Over the course of the season, Texas’ strength has usually been its guards and wings. The team’s four leading scorers — Carr, graduate guard Sir’Jabari Rice, senior forward Timmy Allen, and sophomore guard Tyrese Hunter — are all primarily perimeter players. A healthy and firing Disu presents an interior presence that complements the Horns’ strengths.

Texas’ loss at Baylor was a real blow to the Horns’ chance of winning the Big 12 regular season title since Kansas, by virtue of their win against West Virginia on Saturday, now controls their own destiny in winning at least a share of the conference title. 

For Texas fans looking for a silver lining on Saturday afternoon, they can point to Disu’s performance in Waco, which was the most efficient offensive night of his Texas career. As March nears, the childhood Texas fan showed he has the versatility to be a key cog in the run in.