The Texas basketball team fell in OT to No. 4 Houston. Here are three things we saw.
Texas showed moments of brilliance in its 76-72 overtime loss to No. 4 Houston on Monday at Moody Center, but the Longhorns (14-7, 3-5 Big 12) still need to show that they can claw out enough wins in the brutal Big 12 to remain a contender in the nation’s deepest conference.
After a wild second half that featured a series of runs by both teams, Houston (19-2, 5-2) used its defense and dominance on the boards to finally regain control by holding Texas to one field goal on six shots in overtime.
Houston seemed to unleash its flypaper man-to-man defense on Texas (14-7, 3-5) as soon as the Longhorns ran out of the tunnel for warmups. The Longhorns made just 35.5% of their shots while falling behind 33-25 at halftime. Max Abmas and Dylan Disu, who have combined for more than 33 points a game this season, had just seven total points at the break.
But Disu, Abmas and the entire team heated up in the second half. Dillon Mitchell went on a one-man scoring run with six straight points to give Texas a 48-46 lead with 10:26 left, and the teams then exchanged the lead several times in the taut final minutes.
Overall, Texas shot 43.3% against the Big 12’s stingiest defense while scoring the most points that Houston has given up all season. Abmas shook off a slow start to score a team-high 20 points and Mitchell notched his seventh double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Here are three things we saw in Texas’ loss.
Rebounding remains a concern for Texas
The boards are quickly becoming a barometer for the Longhorns. Texas has been outrebounded four times in Big 12 play, and the team has gone 1-3 in those contests. The one win came against Baylor, when the Bears had two more rebounds and one less offensive rebound than Texas. The Longhorns would have loved those numbers against Houston, which outrebounded Texas 47-36 and had 15 offensive rebounds that led to 19 second-chance points. Four of those second-chance points came in overtime, when 6-foot-7 freshman Joseph Tugler — who picked Houston over an offer from Texas — had two rebounds.
“We knew that (rebounding) was going to be our biggest challenge coming into this game," Disu said. "Obviously, we didn't get it done, and that kind of cost us the game."
More: Texas men's basketball recruit Tre Johnson selected to McDonald's All-American team
Chendall Weaver continues to draw praise
Chendall Weaver, the 6-foot-3 sophomore who transferred into Texas from UT-Arlington, continued to solidify his identity as the Longhorns’ top perimeter stopper. He had five points, two rebounds and two assists in 26 minutes, but his best attribute isn’t found in a box score. Weaver helped harry the Houston backcourt of Jamal Shead and LJ Cryer into a combined 16-of-41 shooting, and his contest of a late 3-point attempt from Shead led to an airball and overtime. Weaver has now played at least 19 minutes in each of the past four games while becoming Texas’ most reliable player off the bench.
"I think their best defensive guard is Weaver," Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. "He knows how to use his athleticism. There are a lot of guys who are athletes who have to study how to pass a blood test. They have no idea how to use their athleticism. He really used that athleticism."
More: Will Texas basketball team play Baylor again after this season? Both coaches hope so.
Jamal Shead is a proven point guard
Houston point guard Jamal Shead, an Austin native who graduated from nearby Manor, put on a memorable performance in his first collegiate game in his hometown. The senior, who’s in his third season as a starter, scored a game-high 25 points, including back-to-back 3-pointers that helped erase a 54-48 Texas lead with less than 8 minutes remaining.
Shead led Manor to its only state tournament as well as a berth in a regional finals during his high school career, and he’s had the same type of effect on Houston. During his four seasons, the Cougars are 112-16 and have reached an NCAA Final Four, a regional final and a regional semifinal.
“I tried my best to just treat it as the next game, and our next game at the time was Texas. I just tried to stay focused," Shead said. "And during the game, once you're in it, you don't worry about it being your hometown. You just try to win for your teammates.”
Up next for Texas
The Longhorns will face a sixth consecutive ranked foe when they visit No. 25 TCU on Saturday (1 p.m., ESPN2, 1300). The Horned Frogs (15-5, 4-3 heading into Tuesday night's game with Texas Tech) have already played six Big 12 games decided by five points or less, including a 68-67 home win over Houston on Jan. 13.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Three things we saw in Texas basketball's OT loss to No. 4 Houston
