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On the eve of the NCAA Tournament, let’s get some discussion about it going. First Four are now complete. 11 Pitt, 16 A&M-Corpus Christi, 11 Arizona State & 16 Farleigh Dickinson have played their way into the 64-team field. 2 Texas takes on 15 Colgate tomorrow at 6:25 PM on TBS. Games begin tomorrow at 11:15 AM on CBS, with further coverage on TruTV, TNT & TBS. Other games of note on Thursday: 8 West Virginia vs 9 Maryland 4 Virginia vs 13 Furman 7 Missouri vs 10 Utah St. 5 San Diego St vs 12 Charleston 8 Arkansas vs 9 Illinois 8 Iowa vs 9 Auburn 7 Northwestern vs 10 Boise St 7 A&M vs 10 Penn St How does everyone’s perfect bracket look tonight? What’s your confidence level for UT? Any Day 1 big upsets you’re predicting?

The Texas Longhorns are headed into the Big 12 Tournament with a three game win-streak, thanks to three Big 12 road victories last week. Ranked 15th, Texas (17-7, 11-6) capped the regular season by defeating the TCU Horned Frogs 76-64 on Sunday in Fort Worth. Monday's release of the new AP Top 25 Poll saw the Longhorns jump two spots to #13. The Big 12 Conference now includes 7 teams ranked in the poll. Texas, as a 3-seed, is one of eight teams which will have a first round bye in Kansas City next week as the conference tournament gets underway. The Longhorns will face sixth-seed Texas Tech on Thursday, March 11th at 8:30 PM.

As the second half hit the halfway point, it appeared Texas was in the midst of blowing another double digit halftime lead. The Longhorns were unable to generate much of anything offensively and Oklahoma had begun to find a rhythm on both ends of the floor. Instead of collapsing and suffering another painful loss, Texas responded in a big way to gut out a 69-65 win in Norman. The win is the Longhorns 3rd in their last 4 games and keeps them in position for a good seed with the NCAA tournament 2 weeks away. A strong shooting performance during the first half allowed the Longhorns to open up a big lead to start the evening. The Longhorns scored 44 of their 69 points during the first 20 minutes and received solid first half performances from Jase Febres and Andrew Jones to help set the tone. The Sooners struggled to put the ball in the basket and allowed Texas to carry a 10 point point lead into halftime. The second half was controlled by Oklahoma for the first 12 minutes. The Sooners came roaring back thanks to the outside shooting of Brady Manek and defensive presence of Kur Kuath. Manek finished the evening with 13 points and was 3 of 6 from three point range. After Oklahoma took a 54-53 lead with 7:56 remaining, Texas turned to veteran guard Courtney Ramey. The senior connected on back to back three pointers to put Texas back in front and also dished out two key assists to Jericho Sims in the closing minutes. Sims led the way for Texas with 16 points and 12 rebounds along with a strong performance on the defensive end of the floor. With the Longhorns leading 67-65 with 5 seconds, Greg Brown knocked down a pair of free throws to put the game away and give Texas the victory. Biggest Takeaway Texas fans had to be holding their breath as the second half unfolded. A lot of the issues that have plagued Texas throughout the season hindered the Longhorns for an extended stretch, but the biggest takeaway was how Shaka Smart's team responded. Courtney Ramey and Jericho Sims are going to be leaned on heavily over the next few weeks, and both rose to the occasion down the stretch on Thursday night. Sims in particular was playing great basketball on both ends of the floor and had one of his best all-around performances of the season. Big Picture Texas is still likely looking at a 4 seed in the NCAA tournament. A win on Sunday and another victory in the Big 12 tournament could have the Longhorns in the conversation for a 3 seed. What's Next? Texas will close out the regular season on Sunday when they face TCU in Fort Worth. The Big 12 tournament will begin the 3 days later, but the Longhorns will not have to play until the quarterfinals on Thursday.

With three games left on the regular season schedule, the Longhorns will play each of them on the road, within a six-day period beginning Tuesday night in Ames, Iowa. Texas (14-7, 8-6 Big 12) will kick off the stretch by facing the Iowa State Cyclones (2-18, 0-15 Big 12) at Hilton Coliseum in hopes of securing a win and improving on-court consistency and team play. Texas is 4-6 over their last ten games and has struggled to finish strong in most of those games. They pulled out a 78-72 win over Iowa State in Austin on January 5th, but that shouldn't serve as too much of an accomplishment for the 'Horns - the Cyclones haven't won a Big 12 game this season and have lost 14 straight games (including 7 games to ranked teams) headed into Tuesday's matchup. This is a game Texas should win, despite it being on the road. They have defeated Iowa State in seven of the last nine games played. Moreover it's a game Texas NEEDS to win before hitting the road to Norman, Oklahoma and Fort Worth, Texas to wrap up the regular season. Also worth note is junior guard Rasir Bolton who leads Iowa State in just about every major statistical category, will be a game-time decision. Bolton suffered an ankle sprain in the loss to TCU on Saturday. What: #15 Texas Longhorns (14-7, 8-6) vs. Iowa State Cyclones (2-18, 0-15) When: Tuesday, March 2, 2021 Time: 6:00 PM Venue: Hilton Coliseum Location: Ames, IA Television: Big 12 Now, ESPN+ Last meeting between these two teams: Iowa State 78-72 (January 5, 2021 - Austin, TX) All-time series record: Texas leads Iowa State 25-18

The calendar has officially turned to March, meaning Texas basketball is entering the most important stretch of the season. Shaka Smart's team is safely in the NCAA tournament but is hoping to continue to boost their resume in the final week of the regular season before the Big 12 tournament kicks off next week. The Longhorns were able to start their week off on the a good note, cruising to a 81-67 win at Iowa State. Despite the Cyclones 0-15 record in Big 12 play entering Tuesday's matchup, Iowa State had been showing signs of life over their previous few games. The Cyclones gave 2nd ranked Baylor all they could handle in Waco last week, nearly pulling off the upset in a 76-72 loss and followed it up with a near upset of TCU on Saturday. The Longhorns put the pressure on Iowa State early by going on a 17-0 run in the first half to take a 28-11 lead. The Cyclones battled back to trim the deficit to 10 points at the half, but were never able to go on a run during the second half to put the pressure on Texas. Early foul trouble forced Texas to give Kai Jones significant minutes off the bench, and the freshman responded by leading the team with 17 points and adding 8 rebounds. The Longhorns also received a shot in the arm by Jase Febres, who connected on 3 of 4 three pointers and continues to round into form as he works his way back from a knee injury. Matt Coleman (12 points), Courtney Ramey (14 points) and Andrew Jones (9 points) turned in steady performances but struggled with taking care of the basketball, combining for 11 turnovers. Biggest Takeaway Iowa State was clearly outmatched, but the Longhorns had the opportunity to run away with the game much earlier if it wasn't for turnover issues and foul trouble. Jericho Sims got two quick fouls and ended up fouling out after playing only 10 minutes. Sims might be the best rebounder and interior defender the Longhorns have, and the drop-off is noticeable when he is not on the floor. The Longhorns will need him if they hope to make a deep tournament run. Big Picture Texas is currently sitting comfortably as a 4 seed with 2 regular season games remaining. A 2-0 finish would put Texas on the doorstep of a 3 seed if they were to perform well in the Big 12 tournament. A 1-1 finish combined with an early exit in the conference tournament would likely push Texas down to a 5 seed. What's Next? Texas will travel to Norman on Thursday to face Oklahoma. The Sooners defeated a short-handed Texas squad in Austin earlier this season and the Longhorns will look for an opportunity to add another quality win to their resume.

The Texas Longhorns (14-7, 8-6) dropped one spot to #15 in the newly released AP Top 25 Poll after a home win against Kansas and a road loss to Texas Tech last week. With 3 regular season games left, all road games, the Longhorns are in need of a strong finish to solidify favorable seeding in the NCAA Tournament. Texas will head to Ames Iowa for a Tuesday matchup against the Cyclones, followed by a Thursday game in Norman and a Sunday game against TCU in Fort Worth. The Big 12 Tournament gets underway from March 10-13 at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Selection Sunday for the NCAA Tournament takes place on March 14th.

Matt Coleman scored ten points and had six assists in the Longhorns' 68-59 loss to the Red Raiders on Saturday in Lubbock. Coleman's three-pointer at the halftime buzzer tied the game at 33-33, sending Texas into the locker room with momentum for the second half. That momentum quickly subsided with the start of the second half. The Longhorns missed their first 11 field goals (seven of which were three-pointers) allowing Texas Tech to build a 52-39 lead. Brock Cunningham's three-pointer at the 11:02 mark gave Texas their first bucket of the half, and the Longhorns would eventually narrow the Texas Tech lead to just three points late in the game. The Longhorns trailed the Red Raiders 59-56 with 3:22 left in the game, but failed to capitalize on offensive possessions and were forced to foul in the waning minute of the game. The Red Raiders sunk five free throws to hold on and defeat the Longhorns 68-59. Texas shot 34.7% from the field compared to Texas Tech's 44%. The Longhorns went 7-24 from three point range. With their second true road loss of the season, head coach Shaka Smart thought his guys didn't play with the level of intensity that the Red Raiders did. ”Yeah, I thought Tech played with a really good edge today. They played like a team that truly, you know had the gift of desperation and I think this time of year, that's a huge, huge Advantage. Especially when you go on the road, you have to match that, you have to exceed that if you want to win.” Saturday's game was the first of four Big 12 road games for Texas to complete the regular season. The Longhorns head to Ames, Iowa next to face the Iowa State Cyclones on Tuesday. GAME NOTES *Senior forward Jericho Sims led the Longhorns in scoring with 11 points and seven rebounds *Matt Coleman's six assists moved him into fourth place on UT's all-time career assists chart at 459 *The Longhorns dropped to 4-6 in games against AP Top 25 opponents this season

Despite being ranked 14th in the country and already having several quality wins on their resume, Tuesday's game against Kansas represented a fork in the road for Texas. The Longhorns were ranked in the top 5 in the country not long ago and were poised for a deep run in the NCAA tournament, but a rough stretch over the last month reached its potential breaking point on Saturday when Texas blew a huge lead against West Virginia. Shaka Smart's team took the first step in getting back on track against the Jayhawks, overcoming a large deficit of their own en route to a 75-72 overtime victory over Kansas. Overall, it was not a pretty game for Texas. The Longhorns shot 37.7% from the field and struggled mightily from deep (19.2%), but rose to the occasion defensively to hold a Kansas team in check that has been playing very good basketball the last few weeks. The Jayhawks raced out to a big lead in the first half on the backs of strong performances from Jalen Wilson and Ochai Agbaji. Agbaji finished with a game high 17 points and Wilson added 16 points to go along with 13 rebounds. After a dominating first half by the Jayhawks, the second half was controlled by Texas. The Longhorns quickly cut into the deficit with 2 quick three pointers from Greg Brown and steady guard play. Andrew Jones, Courtney Ramey and Matt Coleman had a rough night shooting the basketball as they combined to go 9 for 36 from the field, but the trio was excellent from the free throw line (19 for 22). Ramey connected on a pair of free throws to give Texas a 73-72 lead with a minute left in overtime, a lead the Longhorns never gave back. The win improves the Longhorns to 14-6 on the season and 8-5 in Big 12 play. Texas currently sits in 5th place in the Big 12 standings, but are just a 1 game out of second place with 4 regular season games remaining. Biggest Takeaway Obviously, this was a huge win for Texas. From a confidence and momentum standpoint, the Longhorns needed to pull out this victory. The way the game on Saturday ended after Courtney Ramey and Andrew Jones were seen in a heated exchange during a timeout had to leave a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths. The win over Kansas shows again the capabilities this Texas team has. The final 4 games of conference play will not be easy, and the Longhorns needed to add another quality win to their resume with the NCAA Tournament quickly approaching. In the game itself, the biggest takeaway was how Shaka Smart turned to Kai Jones down the stretch to pair with Jericho Sims. Greg Brown had a good game, but Jones, who finished the game with 10 points and 8 rebounds, is beginning to show better feel offensively to go along with his elite defense. The Longhorns will need all 3 players playing at a high level if they hope to do damage in March. What's Next? Texas will travel to Lubbock on Saturday to face Texas Tech. Following the matchup with the Red Raiders, Texas will play 3 makeup games next week, all of which will also be on the road. The Longhorns will face Iowa State on Tuesday, Oklahoma on Thursday and TCU on Sunday.

It's Senior Night at the Frank Erwin Center as Texas hosts Kansas. The Longhorns dismantled the Jayhawks earlier this season in Lawrence with an 84-59 win. After a strong start, Shaka Smart's team has lost four of their last six. The Big 12 Conference Tournament looms as does the NCAA Tournament, and the Longhorns are in desperate need of a win to somewhat right the ship. The Longhorns will make up previously postponed games (due to COVID-19) the week of March 1-7. Texas will make up the following games, all on the road, on these dates: Tuesday, March 2 - Texas @ Iowa State Thursday, March 4 - Texas @ Oklahoma Sunday, March 7 - Texas @ TCU What: #12 Texas Longhorns (13-6 7-5) vs. #17 Kansas Jayhawks (17-7, 11-5) When: Tuesday, February 23, 2021 Time: 8:00 PM Venue: Frank Erwin Center Location: Austin, TX Television: ESPN Last meeting between these two teams: Texas defeated West Virginia 84-59 (January 2, 2021 - Lawrence, KS) All-time series record: Kansas leads Texas 35-10

The Texas vs. Iowa State Basketball Game scheduled for Wednesday, January 20th in Ames has been postponed due to COVID issues on the Iowa State side. The game will be rescheduled, and Texas will next take the court on Saturday, January 23rd against TCU in Fort Worth.

The Longhorns look to continue their winning ways as they travel to Morgantown to face a ranked Mountaineer team on Saturday. Texas notched their third Big 12 victory on Tuesday, defeating Iowa State in Austin 78-72. West Virginia defeated Oklahoma State 87-84 in Stillwater to even their Big 12 record at 2-2. What: #4 Texas Longhorns (9-1, 3-0) vs. West Virginia Mountaineers (9-3, 2-2) When: Saturday, January 9, 2021 Time: 12:00 NOON Venue: WVU Coliseum Location: Morgantown, WV Television: ESPN Last meeting between these two teams: Texas defeated West Virginia 67-57 (Feb. 24, 2020; Austin, TX) All-time series record: Texas leads West Virginia 12-9.

In his 6 season as head coach at Texas, Shaka Smart has had plenty of big wins. The Longhorns have knocked off North Carolina three times while also securing wins in several different seasons against strong Oklahoma, West Virginia and Texas Tech teams. None of those wins compare to the win he secured at Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon, blowing out 3rd ranked Kansas 84-59. The win improves the Longhorns record to 8-1 and 2-0 in Big 12 play. Texas received a huge game from their frontcourt, with Jericho Sims turning in one of his best performances of the season to go along with a strong performance off the bench from Kai Jones. Sims registered a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds while having his way with the Kansas big men for much of the afternoon. Jones chipped in 12 points and 5 rebounds of his own, knocking down 2 of 3 three pointers. The Texas guards were equally as good, with Courtney Ramey, Andrew Jones and Matt Coleman all recording at least 13 points. Ramey led the way with a team high 18. The Jayhawks struggled putting the ball in the basket all afternoon. Jalen Wilson was their main source of offense, pouring in a game high 20 points, but Kansas only had one other player reach double figures. As the team, the Jayhawks shot 30.8% from the field and 13% from deep. The Longhorns were red hot from the floor for the entire game, shooting 49.2% from the field and 46.2% from deep. Texas never trailed the entire game and won their first game in Allen Fieldhouse since 2011. Biggest Takeaway The biggest takeaway for Texas has to be the fashion in which they won. The game was pretty much over at the halfway mark of the second mark. The Longhorns put together their best defensive performance of the season and scored the basketball in a variety of ways all afternoon. Shaka Smart has shown a lot of faith in Jericho Sims despite some uneven performances to start the season and was rewarded today. If Texas gets consistent high level play from Sims for the rest of the season, the ceiling for Texas is raised significantly. It is important that Greg Brown did not contribute much today due to early foul trouble and the Longhorns still won by 25. What's Next Texas will have a quick turnaround as they prepare to host Iowa State at the Erwin Center on Tuesday evening. Following the matchup with the Cyclones, the Longhorns will end the week by traveling to Morgantown to face West Virginia on Saturday.

The #8 Longhorns and #3 Jayhawks will tipoff at 11:00 AM at Allen Fieldhouse today on ESPN2. The trip to Lawrence marks the first true road game for the Longhorns, who did post a 3-0 record in Asheville, NC in the Maui Invitational. Texas has beaten Kansas just 9 times in 44 games and lost their last matchup in Lawrence 69-58 last year.

BY AUSTIN STEVENS Just when we thought Texas was going to get hot again as they did in their first five games, Iowa State and the crowd in Ames had other plans. The game began with Iowa State jumping out to a lead, although ESPN2 somehow found the end of the Sooners game to be worthwhile in taking away the first 4 minutes of the game. From that point on, Texas was playing catch up. Texas tended to use almost all of the shot clock early in the game, which was contributed to their early deficit. The Longhorns went down by as many as 13 points (22-9) with 8:50 left in the first half. Partly to blame was the reliance on the three point shot. In the first half, Osetkowski alone attempted two mediocre looks from behind the arc, contributing to his 1 three-pointer made to 21 three-pointers attempted. For a big like Osetkowski, getting penetration in the paint should be the primary goal. As the game continued, Texas tried to utilize a 2-3 zone more efficiently, and it puzzled Iowa State for a while. On offense, Texas had a more fast-paced approach, enabling a better field goal percentage in the process. Kerwin Roach helped to gain momentum for the Longhorns through good shot selection and great vision, with a crucial assist for an and-one to get the game within one at 28-27. Although the half ended 31-27 in favor of the Cyclones, Texas had the momentum, but it was primarily fueled by the lack of success for the key players of Iowa State. Marial Shayok had 4 points in the first half, which is not typical for the senior from Ottowa. Michael Jacobson played a huge roll in the first half for Iowa State with 9 points. For Texas, the first half was equally led by Dylan Osetkowski with 7, Kerwin Roach with 7, and Matt Coleman III with 6. In the second half, the Texas defense kept the 2-3 zone intact. This had some success, but the efforts on defense were at times lackluster at the beginning of the second half. Texas allowed multiple offensive rebounds in single possessions for Iowa State, which killed the time of possession at certain points in the game. There were also sloppy fouls committed by the Longhorns, as Iowa State changed their game plan in favor of picking up the tempo. This speed in tempo allowed for Horton-Tucker of Iowa State to get hot, as he ended with 15 points, a team-high for the Cyclones. Texas did have a hot streak of their own, as they figured out the defensive miscues, and they got their first lead of the game, capitalized by a three-pointer from Coleman to make it 46-45, Texas. They extended their lead to 3, which only lasted for 1:50. Iowa State responded to this shift by going on a 9-point run. Texas brought it back within 1 at 59-58 to cap a 7-0 run with 1:39 left, but they could not hold Iowa State back. Following a bank shot by Weiler-Babb, Marial Shayok made a clutch deep-jumper to make it 63-58 with 25 seconds left. The final score ended at 65-60. This was a decent showing for Texas, but they wasted a lot of opportunities. Shayok missed multiple scoring/creation chances, from going 3 for 14 in the field to only having one assist. Lindell Wigginton struggled as well, committing 4 turnovers and scoring just 5 points. The Longhorns did not help themselves with 13 turnovers, and only converted 26.1% of their three-pointers to 38.1% for Iowa State. Among other things, Texas needs to improve on maintaining a fast tempo, minimizing pointless turnovers and not relying on the three-point shot. Texas hosts Baylor (tied atop the Big 12) on Wednesday at the Frank Erwin Center at 7:00 PM.

BY AUSTIN STEVENS After a big win against No. 11 Kansas, the 12-9 Longhorns are looking to capitalize on another ranked opponent in Iowa State this Saturday. After a 6-game skid of going 1-5, the Longhorns' huge win against Kansas will help their résumé for the NCAA tournament. With a road record of 1-4, Texas has the perfect opportunity to make a statement to the entire conference. For the Texas offense, the key will be getting more inside penetration from Dylan Osetkowski and Jaxson Hayes, as well as better looks for Kerwin Roach. For the defense, they will have to figure out how to stop the Cyclones' hot hand of Lindell Wigginton as well as G Marial Shayok. A likely matchup to watch will be between Dylan Osetkowski and Michael Jacobson. Rebounding leaders for their respective teams, Osetkowski averages 1.8 more rebounds per game than Jacobson. With that being said, the Iowa State only has 5 more total rebounds on the season than Texas, so the rebound game will be a great matchup to watch. Another matchup to watch will be between the two highest scorers on both respective teams, Kerwin Roach and Marial Shayok. Shayok averages over 5 points more per game, so this could be a difficult defensive matchup for Roach. The matchup between ISU's sharp shooter Lindell Wigginton and UT's Matt Coleman III could cause a lot of issues for Texas, as Wigginton has been a hot hand as of late. Last game against West Virginia, he put up 28 points in only 25 minutes of play. Keeping Wigginton in check should be an essential point in Smart's game plan. The style of each team looks different, as Texas tends to use their forwards in their offense more, and ISU uses their guards heavily. This may cause for Jase Febres, Courtney Ramey, and Elijah Mitrou-Long to play bigger roles in this matchup, especially when it comes to containing ISU's offensive schemes. Three Things to Watch 1. How Texas handles Iowa State's well-balanced team Iowa State was named one of the five most well-balanced teams in college basketball in an article released by NCAA.com today. With the 14th-best offense and 22nd-best defense, Texas will not be able to make mistakes and recover. 2. Turnovers The bane to every team's success. The team with more turnovers almost always loses in most sports. Iowa State averages 11 per game, while Texas averages 11.6. Keep a watch on ISU's Tyrese Haliburton and Texas' Dylan Osetkowski, team leaders in steals. 3. Lindell Wigginton He seems to be the X-Factor for ISU. A product of Oak Hill Academy and Canada's top-ranked player from the class of 2017, the sophomore is a threat to any team. In the last meeting between these two teams, Wigginton put up 20 points and 8 assists, and Iowa State only lost by 4.

Texas tried to make this one interesting in the end, but no dice. The Horns had a chance with 12 seconds left, and true to form had an ugly possession end in an off balance three from Mitrou-Long hit the top of the backboard. Texas didn’t have great effort/energy in this game. It was apparent in the first half when Courtney Ramey failed to box out and gave up a put back slam on a missed three-pointer by TCU. Roach and Hayes gave solid efforts, but it wasn’t enough in the end. Texas was playing from behind all game, and a lack of defensive rebounds and offensive production led to their demise. Can’t fail to score a point for 6:00 at a time and expect to win. The Longhorns fall to 11-8 overall and 3-4 in Big XII play. Shaka Smart’s seat is getting warmer. Final Stats: Roach II: 15 pts, 3 ast, 3-8 3pt Hayes: 10 pts, 6 reb, 5 blk Ramey: 10 pts, 5 ast, 2-5 3pt

After a very strong start in the first half, Texas gave way a bit in the second but held on to defeat a very sound Sooner squad. As usual, the second half woes on offense were created by Texas’ lack of production from beyond the arc. The Longhorns shot a measly 22% from 3 in the game, but made them count late when Jase Febres hit from downtown to give Texas a 73-69 lead. The Longhorns let Oklahoma stay in the game after Matt Coleman and Jaxson Hayes missed some important free throws, but ultimately were able to hold on for a three-point victory. Speaking of free throws, Texas has improved in that area drastically over the past few weeks. Tonight, the Horns made 80% of their free throws. Shaka Smart’s squad continues to improve defensively, but offensive droughts continue to hinder Texas from putting away games. Ultimately, Texas came out on top with a big win that will help when it come decision time for the NCAA Tournament. Final Stats: Roach II: 23 pts, 8 reb, 3-6 3pt Hayes: 15 pts, 6 reb, 5 blk Osetkowski: 15 pts, 11 reb, 2 stl

BY JAMESON MCCAUSLAND Texas basketball opened Big 12 conference play with a key win on Wednesday night, cruising past Kansas State 67-47 in Manhattan. The Longhorns turned in several rocky performances en route to a 8-4 non conference record to open the season, but managed to put together one of their best performances of the season against the Wildcats. Texas was led by sophomore Jase Febres, who went 7 of 9 from deep and poured in a team high 23 points off the bench. Kerwin Roach was the only other Longhorn player to reach double figures with 10 points to go along with 4 assists. Matt Coleman added 7 assists and 6 points. Kansas State, who is considered one of the best defensive teams in the Big 12, allowed the Longhorns to shoot 47.9% from the field and 51.9% from three. Texas controlled the game for much of the first half, but the Wildcats used a late surge to cut the lead to 25-22 heading into halftime. The second half was dominated by Texas, and specifically by Febres. The Houston native connected on 5 3-pointers in the final 10:45 and displayed the shooting ability that helped make him a top recruit coming out of high school. In addition to Febres offensive outburst, the Longhorns also stifled the Wildcats offense that was missing star guard Dean Wade. Kansas State managed to shoot only 32.7% from the field and 50% from the free throw line. Makol Mawien led the Wildcats with 13 points. Texas will return to action on Saturday when they host West Virginia in Austin. Tip off will be at 8:00 PM CST and the game will be shown on ESPN2.

The Horns played an overall atrocious game tonight. It’s rather mind blowing that Shaka Smart keeps sticking to a game plan that shoots 33% from the floor and 50% on free throws. Here are the final stats: Kerwin Roach II: 2/12, 7 1/7 3-pt FGs D. Osetkowski: 4/15, 9 pts, 17 reb J. Sims: 6/9, 16 pts, 8 reb

Texas (7-3) will return to the court tonight when they host Tennessee State at the Frank Erwin Center. The Longhorns are coming off a 75-60 win over Louisiana Tech just 2 days ago. Shaka Smart will again be without the services of his leading scorer, Andrew Jones, who is still nursing a right wrist injury. Fellow guard Eric Davis Jr. is also dealing with a right wrist injury of his own, and is considered questionable for tonight’s contest after missing Saturday’s game. Tennessee State comes to Austin with a 5-4 record on the season. The Tigers were dismantled by Kansas in their opening game of the season, 92-56, and later dropped an overtime game to Lipscomb, whom the Longhorns beat 80-57 earlier this season. Guard Delano Spencer will serve as the Tiger’s main scoring option. Spencer is averaging 15.7 points per game while shooting 42.4% from three and 88.2% from the free throw line. The Tigers will deploy some height and length down low in the form of 6’9″ forwards Christian Mekowulu and Ken’Darrius Hamilton. Mekowulu is averaging nearly a double-double per game this season (11.4 points and 9.6 rebounds). Tennessee State has struggled putting up points at times, including a 54-point output in their last game – a 64-54 loss to North Carolina A&T. Following the win over Louisiana Tech, Shaka Smart emphasized how much the team is working on getting the ball to the big men and how he wants to continue to see his players prioritize getting the ball inside the paint to Mo Bamba, Dylan Osetkowski and Jericho Simms. Despite being in foul trouble for most of the game against Louisiana Tech, Bamba collected 14 points and 9 rebounds. If Texas is without the services of Eric Davis, expect Jacob Young to see extended minutes. Young played a season high 27 minutes on Saturday, contributing 10 points and 3 assistants. The game will tip off at 8 PM CST and will be broadcast on ESPN2.

Texas (4-2) vs. Florida A&M (1-7) Date: Wednesday, November 29, 2017 Time: 7:00 PM tip Venue: Frank Erwin Center Location: Austin, TX Television: Longhorn Network The Texas Longhorns (4-2) will face the Florida A&M Rattlers (1-7) in the first-ever meeting between the two teams on Wednesday night at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin. The Longhorns are looking to find the win column again after going 1-2 at the PK80-Phil Knight Invitational in Portland, Oregon. Texas defeated Butler in the opening round but fell to top-ranked Duke and a Top-15 ranked Gonzaga team, both in overtime on Friday and Sunday, respectively. Florida A&M’s lone win on the season came against Division II school Albany State on November 20th. Senior guard Marcus Barham leads the Rattlers in scoring, averaging 16 points per game, while senior forward Desmond Williams averages 13 points per game and 5 rebounds. The Rattlers lost on Sunday to Stephen F. Austin State University 79-63, with Barham scoring 26 points, which included five-3 pointers and six rebounds. Williams contributed 14 points in the loss to the Lumberjacks. Freshman Mo Bamba is off to a fast start in his early career at Texas, averaging 10.4 points and 10 rebounds per game. Tulane transfer Dylan Osetkowski has made an immediate impact in the scoring and rebound department for Shaka Smart, averaging 12.7 points and 8 rebounds per game. Sophmore Andrew Jones leads Texas in scoring with 14.8 points per game. Texas will celebrate 40 years of the Frank Erwin Center at Wednesday’s game. The Longhorns opened the building on November 29, 1977 with an 83-76 win against Oklahoma.

Horns up 9-5 Under 16 1st Half.

Didn’t see one posted yet, and Horns are up 27-20, 7:08 left in 1st Half. Grayson Allen has 3 fouls early. Horns looking pretty good against the #1 Blue Devils.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/arrests-expected-in-probe-of-alleged-bribery-kickbacks-at-college-basketball-programs-1506431065 Bribery, Kickbacks Alleged at Top NCAA College Basketball Programs Federal charges center on alleged scheme in which agents, financial advisers and apparel executives bribed college coaches to direct players to them Chuck Person is a basketball coach with Auburn University. PHOTO: ICON SPORTSWIRE/ASSOCIATED PRESS By Rebecca Davis O’Brien Updated Sept. 26, 2017 10:45 a.m. ET Federal authorities brought fraud charges against coaches at some of the nation’s premier college-basketball programs, including the University of Arizona and the University of Southern California, following a probe of alleged corruption in college sports. Prosecutors from the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office unsealed three separate criminal complaints Tuesday, alleging schemes in which agents, financial advisers and apparel executives bribed college coaches to direct players to them. Among those charged were an executive from Adidas, a financial adviser and a sports agent. Chuck Person, a former star with the National Basketball Association who works as an associate coach for the men’s basketball team at Auburn, his alma mater, was charged with accepting tens of thousands of dollars in exchange for steering student-athletes to a financial adviser. In one alleged scheme, Emanuel Richardson, an assistant coach at the University of Arizona, Anthony Bland, a coach at the University of Southern California, and Lamont Evans, an associate coach at Oklahoma State University, were charged with accepting cash bribes from a sports agent and a financial adviser. Mr. Evans, until March, coached at the University of South Carolina, and the charges stem from his work there. None of schools allegedly involved immediately returned requests for comment. In another alleged scheme, James “Jim” Gatto—identified in the complaint as a basketball marketing executive at a global athletic company—worked with another sports-marketing executive to funnel hundreds of thousands of dollars from Mr. Gatto’s employer to high-school basketball players and/or their families in exchange for the players’ commitment to play for NCAA schools sponsored by the company. Jim Gatto is the director of basketball global sports marketing at Adidas, according to his LinkedIn profile. “Today, we became aware that federal investigators arrested an Adidas employee,” said an Adidas spokesman. ”We are learning more about the situation. We’re unaware of any misconduct and will fully cooperate with authorities to understand more.” Mr. Gatto is accused of getting $100,000 to a player so that he would attend a university that has an apparel contract with Adidas.

Four star forward out of Cibolo Steele has committed to Texas. 2nd ranked player in the state and 40th in the nation. Another great pickup for Shaka Smart. https://twitter.com/gerald_liddell/status/895768215330148353 http://247sports.com/Player/Gerald-Liddell-85995