The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
7-7, 1-1
Oklahoma State
10-4, 0-2
Men's Basketball tops Oklahoma State, 82-79, in Big 12 home opener
01.04.2017 | Men's Basketball
Sophomore Tevin Mack scores career-high 27 points in the victory.
AUSTIN, Texas – Sophomore guard/forward Tevin Mack erupted for a career-high 27 points as the Longhorns defeated Oklahoma State, 82-79, in their Big 12 Conference home opener at the Frank Erwin Center on Wednesday night.
Mack shot 4-of-7 from beyond the arc in a career-high 39 minutes and hit 10-of-17 from the field overall. Freshman forward Jarrett Allen snagged a game-high 11 rebounds. The Longhorns converted 25-of-33 free-throw attempts, and both Allen and senior forward Shaquille Cleare shot a perfect 4-for-4 from the stripe.
Sophomore guards Eric Davis Jr. and Kerwin Roach Jr. contributed 16 and 11 points, respectively, and freshman guard Andrew Jones rounded out the double-digit scorers for the Longhorns with 10 points. Roach also added five rebounds and a career-high six assists in a career-best 36 minutes.
Oklahoma State redshirt junior guard Jeffrey Carroll registered a team-high 24 points and seven rebounds for the Cowboys. Juwan Evans added 19 points, including 7-of-7 from the free-throw line.
After Carroll hit a 3-pointer to put the Longhorns down 3-0 in the opening minute, Texas (7-7, 1-1 Big 12) outscored the Cowboys 11-2 to build a six-point lead (11-5) following a Mack three-pointer at the 15:26 mark.
Oklahoma State (10-4, 0-2 Big 12) responded with an 8-0 run capped by a traditional 3-point play from Cameron McGriff to grab a 13-11 lead with 12:54 remaining in the half. The Longhorns gained a short-lived advantage (21-20) off a Cleare layup at the 8:05 mark, but Carroll answered with a layup and a dunk to reclaim the lead (24-21) for the Cowboys with 7:24 left in the half.
The Cowboys maintained their advantage until the final minutes of the period, when two consecutive treys from Mack tied the game at 35-35 with 1:59 remaining. Cleare drained a pair of free throws to give Texas a 37-35 lead at the 1:30 mark, but Oklahoma State countered with field goals from Carroll and Thomas Dziagwa to take a 39-37 advantage into halftime.
Oklahoma State remained on top to open the second frame, claiming its largest lead of the night (46-40) off a dunk from Carroll with 18:43 remaining. The Longhorns responded with a 15-0 run in which Davis drained a 3-pointer and Mack contributed eight points to take a 61-50 lead with 11:32 to play.
The Cowboys threatened to shift the momentum again when a Phil Forte free throw cut the Longhorns' cushion to two (63-61) with 6:57 remaining. Texas answered with an Allen putback and eight straight points from Davis, including consecutive three-pointers, to gain a 73-63 lead at the 3:21 mark. The Longhorns sank seven free throws in the final minutes to seal the victory.
Texas returns to action when it travels to face Iowa State on Saturday, Jan. 7. Tipoff is set for 8:15 p.m. CT at Hilton Coliseum, and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.
Texas Basketball Postgame Notes
Texas 82, Oklahoma State 79
January 4, 2017
Austin, Texas (Frank Erwin Center)
Attendance: 9,753
Team Notes
- Texas improved to 17-4 all-time in Big 12 Conference home openers.
- UT improved to 49-41 all-time against Oklahoma State. Texas improved to 28-13 in games played in Austin against the Cowboys. The Longhorns have won 11 of the last 13 meetings in Austin.
- The Longhorns improved to 484-114 all-time in home games at the Frank Erwin Center. The Horns improved to 212-31 at the Erwin Center in the last 15 seasons (since start of the 2002-03 season). Texas improved to 7-2 this season and 21-5 at home in the Shaka Smart era.
- Texas recorded a 37-32 rebound margin.
- UT registered a 36-28 advantage in points in the paint and a 16-9 advantage in fast-break points.
- The Longhorns hit 25-of-33 free throws, while the Cowboys converted 19-of-23 from the line.
- Texas recorded 45 points on 51.7% FG shooting (15-29), including a 4-of-8 effort from three-point range, during the second half.
- Reached double figures in rebounds (11) for the sixth time this season (14 games).
- Posted 2 blocked shots in 5 minutes played. Has recorded at least 1 blocked shot in 10 of his 13 games played this season.
- Reached double figures in scoring (16 points) for the fourth time this year (14 games) and 18th time in his UT career (47 games).
- Tied his season high in points and three-pointers made (3-of-6).
- Marked his first double-figure scoring effort since he had 16 points vs. Long Beach State (Dec. 10), a span of five games.
- Reached double figures in scoring (10 points) for the sixth time this year (14 games)
- Posted career highs in scoring (27 points), FG made (10-of-17) and minutes played (39).
- His previous career scoring high was 20 (twice). His previous career high for FG made was 8 (vs UTA on Nov. 29, 2016). His previous career high in minutes was 38 (vs. Arkansas on Dec. 17, 2016).
- Topped the 20-point mark for the second time this year (13 games) and third time in his career (46 games).
- Reached double figures in scoring for the 10th time this year and 15th time in his career.
- Tied his season high in three-pointers made (4-of-7).
- Reached double figures in scoring (11 points) for the ninth time this year (13 games) and 18th time in his career (46 games).
- Set career highs in assists (6) and minutes played (36). His previous career high in assists was 5 (at Michigan on Dec. 6, 2016). His previous career high in minutes was 32 (vs. Kent State on Dec. 27, 2016).
Postgame Quotes
Texas Quotes
Head Coach Shaka Smart
On the three sophomores playing well: Last year they had the luxury of a lot of older guys. But even last year, when at least two of those guys played well we almost always won. Good to see Cam and Connor by the way. I miss those guys. But this is the first time when all three sophomores have really played at a high level and we really needed that.
On Eric Davis' play and his increasing confidence: To him three is greater than two. He hangs his hat on whether that thing's going in. For him to make a few open ones is big. I've just been trying to emphasize to him when you're not playing the way that you want to play, you've got to work, put in that extra time. You've got to go hard, play in a better stance. Everything you do has got to be harder and sharper, and I thought he made progress with that in practice. He's still got to keep getting better at it. Sometimes people want it to come easy and it's not going to be easy for him this year. Tonight was a good step for him in terms of understanding what he's got to do.
On sophomore Tevin Mack getting fired up and being productive: It's one of those things when you want guys to go out and be able to go out and play their game. With all of our perimeter players, just trying to get those guys to have a level of trust in all those things that we're trying to do and stay with it. I thought tonight was a good game for it from that standpoint and for us to stay with it. It wasn't pretty all the time. We missed some lay ups, and we missed some free throws, but we still won.
On freshman Andrew Jones' zero turnovers after getting down against Kent State and Kansas State: I think as a freshman sometimes you're up and down. I thought he really helped us. We knew we were going to need multiple ball handlers against Oklahoma State, because they really pressure the ball at half court. They extend the defense, but he did a good job. He was steadier tonight. He's just got to continue getting better and better with his ball handling and getting extra work in. I thought our guys did a nice job of throwing the ball ahead in transition. So when we threw it ahead, that created some opportunities to get some easy points.
On sophomores Tevin Mack, Eric Davis Jr. and Kerwin Roach Jr. all playing well in a game for the first time this season: They've all helped us in games this year, but this was a game, just if you look at it statistically – Tevin had 27 points, Eric had 16 points. [Roach] was as important as anyone on the floor because he only shot three times, but he got to the foul line. He created but he really played good defense on one of the better players in the league.
On Andrew Jones and Kerwin Roach Jr. guarding sophomore point guard Juwan Evans: He's a really good player, Evans. He's got great pace. He knows the read and the play to make, but I thought our guys did a nice job of trying to corral him and make him pass out of it and then scrambling out from there. He gave up I think one screen out of a ball screen from [senior guard Phil] Forte early in the second half, but for the most part we did a nice job corralling him in that trap.
Texas Sophomore Guard/Forward Tevin Mack
On Oklahoma State's early foul trouble: It was a huge difference. We knew from that moment on we could go and be aggressive, attack the paint, and try to get some fouls drawn and finish strong early in the game.
On if this was his best shooting game in college: Definitely. It kind of reminded me of high school, just going on a roll and helping my team win. My teammates were finding me in the right spots to make plays. I just credit my teammates for looking for me and keep giving me the ball.
On Freshman Guard Andrew Jones play with no turnovers: It's huge. Our strength coach always tells Andrew that the ball is gold so you have to value it like it's gold. Don't lose it because we have to keep control of the ball. If we have the ball in our hands, we have to get it up for a good shot. It was huge for him. He's going to keep getting better, and it was a really good step for him.
On adding taking it to the net to his game: Really in the offseason in the summer. It was what I needed to work on from watching last year's film and the way I played. I was trying to be more aggressive and get stronger. That played a huge part in me attacking the basket more aggressively and trying to finish. I'm 6'7" so I can use my size to finish. It's really a good thing for me to use the aspect of my game as well.
Texas Sophomore Guard Eric Davis Jr.
On the trio of sophomores' play tonight: It's definitely a step. We want to keep it going and be more consistent. We played pretty solid tonight, and we want to keep it going Saturday. It definitely feels good because this is what we envisioned and what we talked about freshman year. We wanted this opportunity, and we have it. We just have to keep it going.
On his play tonight: Just staying with the process. I know Coach Smart says it a lot, but I'm staying with the process and staying positive. Even on nights when the ball isn't falling, I just have to stay positive. My teammates will continue to find me. They need me to shoot and they need me to score, so I have to remain confident at all times.
On Coach Smart calling a play to give him chances to make a 3-pointer: It felt good, not just for me. He would do that for anybody, just feed the hot hand. It definitely felt good. It put me in heat check mode.
Texas Sophomore Guard Kerwin Roach Jr.
On shutting down the Oklahoma State offense: It was a big part in our scouting. We just had to take that step defensively against them.
Oklahoma State Quotes
Head Coach Brad Underwood
On his thoughts on the game: Well, I thought it was a couple of interesting segments, in a lot of ways. In the first four minutes we committed seven fouls, they're shooting free throws and when we did not foul them, our defense was pretty good. We had them running offense at half court and we were taking them out of what they wanted to do and causing them all kinds of problems. We were without Lenny Waters tonight. Lenny is one of our most versatile guys and they exploited that. We played the last four minutes of the half in zone and that let [Tevin] Mack get going, hit a couple. Then I thought there was a stretch in the second half which was just inexcusable on our part, that was just a 15-0 run and it was all layups and transitions. Some bad shots on our end led to that, but [we] just [were] not getting back. So those two runs I thought were very impactful tonight and very out of character for us, probably caused by the lineups. Nine offensive rebounds--we're one of the top offensive rebounding teams in the country. But again, give them a lot of credit as they made plays when they had to.
On the seven fouls before the first timeout: [That's the] first time it has ever happened to me, but we've been fouling a lot. We'd thought we'd been getting better at it. It's our front court guys, usually. We've got to understand that it's positioning. We're very reactionary and we don't anticipate very well as much as we try. I'll give you a great example, three times in the first half they threw the ball into the post because we played dead behind it. In my 30 years of coaching and playing basketball, we've never ever done that. We got into wrestling matches, Leyton (Hammonds) picks up a couple. You know, Leyton's third foul in the first half on a transition, he can't come close to making that play. Those dictated the game and they dictated the outcome. They got us on our heels and passive.
On the toughness of playing on the road in the Big 12: [There are] great venues, great coaches, a league full of great players; I think it's just the combination of all that. You can throw in travel, but other than West Virginia the travel is not bad. When you get great venues and you get good teams and you get a group of coaches that are at this level, it's hard every night. Everybody's going to scheme you, everybody's going to create something to get an advantage and you have got to be prepared every single night and that's what makes the league special. The true round robin. I go back to the Big Eight when I played and every game was hard. Every game was a packed venue and you got a great crowd and that was intimidating. That's what makes this league special. It's just a combination of all that.
On Oklahoma State's response to Texas' run in the second half: Well we had everything we wanted in our spread offense tonight. There's nothing worse for me, we try to score in the first seven seconds and statistics prove that out, but in basketball it's very difficult when you take a contested shot with 17 on the clock. We've got to get the guys to pass the ball over cutters, it's a continual work in progress. We have all night and I can't wait to see the film and count them, because we'll show them every one of them tomorrow.
Oklahoma State Sophomore Guard Jawun Evans
On the early foul trouble: It kind of hurts a little bit giving them easy points. It was crazy. They were calling early, touchy fouls. They kind of laid off it a little bit, but it hurts.
On the Longhorn's 15-0 run in the second half: It's all mental. Talking was a big key. We had lots of time, but we just didn't make our right rotations. I think it was all just mental and not talking to each other like we should have been.
On what he thought of Texas coming into this game: I know they were a young team coming in. They like to get the ball up the court in transition. We just tried to stop them in transition, but at times they got the ball easily down the floor and got easy layups. That's what hurt us.
Oklahoma State Junior Guard Jeffrey Carroll
On what's next moving forward: Just regroup. Get back and focus. I think we lost a little bit of focus these past two games. We have to get that right, stay in the gym, watch more film, and play more defense.
On how to reset before the Baylor game: Just getting back in tomorrow and get ready. They're the No. 2 team in the country. Our backs are up against the wall, and we just have to battle back and get ready. It will be a dog fight in Waco.
