Wednesday, December 8
Texas 86 UNT 57
Texas used a stifling defense and 18 points from Brad Buckman to rout the Mean Green from North Texas 86-57 on Tuesday night. Fellow big man Jason Klotz added 14 points on the inside while the Horns held UNT to a meager 31% shooting. Freshman Lamarcus Aldridge had his best game to date, scoring 12 points and snagging 7 boards. P.J. Tucker had a bad shooting night, but another solid all-around game, managing 8 points and 7 boards.
The big story here has to be the emergence of Buckman as a scorer on the inside. After showing a lot of promise as a freshman, Buckman never really developed into the kind of reliable inside scorer that Barnes hoped for when he first arrived. According to reports, Buckman has dropped 20 pounds this season, which he says makes him more energetic and athletic.
Daniel Gibson didn’t shoot well either, missing six of his eight shot attempts, but he played excellent defense, snagging five steals on the night. Once again, the Horns are a team that can beat you in a variety of ways. If the outside shooting isn’t there, they have the presence inside to bang. If teams pack it in to clog the lane, there are enough shooters to make them pay. And their defense is annually among the best in the country. Despite losing so many key starters from a year ago, this team already looks to me like it has more upside. I’m very interested to see everyone develop over the course of the season.
--PB--
The big story here has to be the emergence of Buckman as a scorer on the inside. After showing a lot of promise as a freshman, Buckman never really developed into the kind of reliable inside scorer that Barnes hoped for when he first arrived. According to reports, Buckman has dropped 20 pounds this season, which he says makes him more energetic and athletic.
Daniel Gibson didn’t shoot well either, missing six of his eight shot attempts, but he played excellent defense, snagging five steals on the night. Once again, the Horns are a team that can beat you in a variety of ways. If the outside shooting isn’t there, they have the presence inside to bang. If teams pack it in to clog the lane, there are enough shooters to make them pay. And their defense is annually among the best in the country. Despite losing so many key starters from a year ago, this team already looks to me like it has more upside. I’m very interested to see everyone develop over the course of the season.
--PB--
