Wednesday, January 26
Texas 80 Texas Tech 73
Texas used a barrage of three point baskets and another brilliant outing from Daniel Gibson to hold off Texas Tech last night, 80-73. The 14 three pointers by the Horns marked the eighth time this season that they’ve had ten or more in a game. Kenton Paulino and Jason Klotz scored 16 and 12 points, respectively, for the Horns.
This is a terrific win, for a number of reasons. To begin with, Texas Tech, while not the most talented team in the league, can be a very tricky team to beat if you don’t bring your A-game. They’re offensively efficient, and aggressive and physical in their defense. Texas did a great job of working the ball inside and then finding the open shooter if things got clogged inside. Gibson hit all six of his three point attempts, while Paulino hit three out of four.
Yesterday I predicted that Barnes would get this group together and we’d win. (I also predicted a 77-71 final score; not bad, if I may brag a bit.) I have to admit, I was nervous, though. Losing two impact forwards like Tucker and Aldridge would sink some teams. Throw in the fact that three of the eight players in our rotation are freshmen, including the point guard, and there’s plenty of cause for concern.
But Daniel Gibson has shown that he’s clearly not an ordinary freshman. I distinctly remember during the preseason when Wiggins said, “Bean, he’s going to be special. He’s not only going to be the best rookie in the Big 12—he very well might be the best freshman in the country.” Clearly, Gibson is all he was hyped to be and, in my eyes, more. I knew how skilled he was, but his leadership and ability to dominate a game are beyond my initial expectations. Gibson said he was coming to Texas because of T.J. Ford. He also said that he intended to do what Ford could not—bring a national championship to Austin. Next year could be a very good one for Texas…
Lastly, since I’m talking about incredible freshmen: I dearly miss getting to see my Longhorns play in the Drum all the time, but I still need my fix of college hoops. I’ve been following the Georgetown Hoyas closely this year, for a number of reasons. They have a very, very interesting and young team, and are led by an absolute beast of a freshman, Jeff Green. Remember that name, kids—he’s already special and is just getting better. If you get the chance to watch him play, you’ll see what I mean. At a well-built 6’9” tall, he can step out and hit the three or pound you inside. He plays tenacious defense and is as good a pro prospect as I’ve seen up close in a while. (Thank you, Erin)
--PB--
***************************************************************************************************************************************
I love Bobby Knight. He is one of the best ever. He gets more out of his players than maybe any other coach. He has won conference titles, national titles, and is a Hall of Famer. But last night he had what can only be described as a Knight Moment. I watched the Tech game last night on television instead of attending because of a prior engagement. The Erwin Center looked full for the second game in a row. Hopefully, this trend will continue.
I watched in awe of our sharp shooting from the outside and was very pleased with the effort and the win. But I was even more shocked with Coach Knight after the game. While shaking Barnes hand, he began to berate him about something. This is far from the customary almost walk through handshake and the “Good game” sound bite. There may not be a coach who is easier to yell out than Coach Knight. Even minor sports fans know of his outbursts. And true sports fans remember the chair throwing incident, him head butting a player during a game, him “choking” a player during practice, him accosting a student who referred to him as Knight rather than Coach Knight at Indiana, and more recently him letting his frustrations boil over at the Texas Tech Athletic Director while shopping at the local grocery store.
Coach Knight was apparently offended by some verbal comments directed at him or at his players by UT students during the game. But the game was over? What was Barnes to do, chase the alleged hecklers up the stairs and put them in detention? Heckling is part of the game. I am proud that we have filled the Drum the last two games. I pray the fans continue to file in. Yes, fans do go over the line and some verbal abuse should be curtailed, but the post game handshake between two excellent basketball coaches is not the time or the place. Great game, amazing outside shooting, good teamwork, and a quintessential Knight moment. Can you really ask for anything else? I still love Coach Knight.
--AW--
This is a terrific win, for a number of reasons. To begin with, Texas Tech, while not the most talented team in the league, can be a very tricky team to beat if you don’t bring your A-game. They’re offensively efficient, and aggressive and physical in their defense. Texas did a great job of working the ball inside and then finding the open shooter if things got clogged inside. Gibson hit all six of his three point attempts, while Paulino hit three out of four.
Yesterday I predicted that Barnes would get this group together and we’d win. (I also predicted a 77-71 final score; not bad, if I may brag a bit.) I have to admit, I was nervous, though. Losing two impact forwards like Tucker and Aldridge would sink some teams. Throw in the fact that three of the eight players in our rotation are freshmen, including the point guard, and there’s plenty of cause for concern.
But Daniel Gibson has shown that he’s clearly not an ordinary freshman. I distinctly remember during the preseason when Wiggins said, “Bean, he’s going to be special. He’s not only going to be the best rookie in the Big 12—he very well might be the best freshman in the country.” Clearly, Gibson is all he was hyped to be and, in my eyes, more. I knew how skilled he was, but his leadership and ability to dominate a game are beyond my initial expectations. Gibson said he was coming to Texas because of T.J. Ford. He also said that he intended to do what Ford could not—bring a national championship to Austin. Next year could be a very good one for Texas…
Lastly, since I’m talking about incredible freshmen: I dearly miss getting to see my Longhorns play in the Drum all the time, but I still need my fix of college hoops. I’ve been following the Georgetown Hoyas closely this year, for a number of reasons. They have a very, very interesting and young team, and are led by an absolute beast of a freshman, Jeff Green. Remember that name, kids—he’s already special and is just getting better. If you get the chance to watch him play, you’ll see what I mean. At a well-built 6’9” tall, he can step out and hit the three or pound you inside. He plays tenacious defense and is as good a pro prospect as I’ve seen up close in a while. (Thank you, Erin)
--PB--
***************************************************************************************************************************************
I love Bobby Knight. He is one of the best ever. He gets more out of his players than maybe any other coach. He has won conference titles, national titles, and is a Hall of Famer. But last night he had what can only be described as a Knight Moment. I watched the Tech game last night on television instead of attending because of a prior engagement. The Erwin Center looked full for the second game in a row. Hopefully, this trend will continue.
I watched in awe of our sharp shooting from the outside and was very pleased with the effort and the win. But I was even more shocked with Coach Knight after the game. While shaking Barnes hand, he began to berate him about something. This is far from the customary almost walk through handshake and the “Good game” sound bite. There may not be a coach who is easier to yell out than Coach Knight. Even minor sports fans know of his outbursts. And true sports fans remember the chair throwing incident, him head butting a player during a game, him “choking” a player during practice, him accosting a student who referred to him as Knight rather than Coach Knight at Indiana, and more recently him letting his frustrations boil over at the Texas Tech Athletic Director while shopping at the local grocery store.
Coach Knight was apparently offended by some verbal comments directed at him or at his players by UT students during the game. But the game was over? What was Barnes to do, chase the alleged hecklers up the stairs and put them in detention? Heckling is part of the game. I am proud that we have filled the Drum the last two games. I pray the fans continue to file in. Yes, fans do go over the line and some verbal abuse should be curtailed, but the post game handshake between two excellent basketball coaches is not the time or the place. Great game, amazing outside shooting, good teamwork, and a quintessential Knight moment. Can you really ask for anything else? I still love Coach Knight.
--AW--
