Austin, TX – Texas held off Kansas State in a narrow, much-needed win for the Longhorns. Kansas State came to Austin looking to prevent their two-game slide from becoming a three-game losing streak, while the Longhorns were aiming to get back on track after their blowout loss against the Houston Cougars.
From the start, this was a defensive slugfest. Both teams struggled to hit shots, with a 32% shooting rate in the first half, especially from the three-point line, where both teams only managed a combined three 3-pointers by halftime. Physicality dominated the game, eventually leading to Dai Dai Ames being ejected with a flagrant-2 foul against Chendall Weaver after he wrapped his arm around Weaver’s head in the second half. The half ended with the Longhorns holding a 27-22 lead.
The second half started out more of the same, with both teams struggling to hit shots until Max Abmas hit a jumper at the 14-minute mark, making him the 12th player to reach 3,000 points in NCAA history. After that, the Wildcats started to heat up, but the Longhorns refused to let them close the gap. Kansas State did many things well to stay in the game, especially on defense; however, they also committed 13 turnovers, which hurt them badly. Consequently, the Longhorns never relinquished the lead and eventually won the game 62-56.
Dylan Disu again was the star of the night for the Longhorns as he finished with 20 points, eight rebounds, three steals and a block. Disu didn’t have his accustomed efficient night we are used to seeing, but what really impressed was he finished 10-of-11 on his free throws. After tonight, Disu is now the leading scorer for the Longhorns and is having a breakout season, further improving his upcoming NBA draft stock.
I want to give a quick shoutout to Abmas for hitting the milestone of 3,000 points. Abmas had a quiet night for the Longhorns but made an impact as a playmaker with five assists. Abmas has had an illustrious college career, and it’s been extremely fun to watch him throughout his time in NCAA basketball. Dillon Mitchell had another solid game, especially on the defensive side of the ball, finishing with eight points, 10 rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Personally, I love how Mitchell impacts the game without touching the ball, being an absolute menace on defense. His defensive impact reminds me of Kawhi Leonard. If he could only develop the shot that Leonard did in the NBA, Mitchell would be a guaranteed first-round pick with limitless upside.
For the Wildcats, Arthur Kaluma had a solid outing but an inefficient night. He finished the first half with four points, shooting 2-of-10 from the field. Though he finished the night with 17 points and seven rebounds, he bounced back in the second half, but it was not enough to help his team. Kaluma has improved his shooting this season for the Wildcats but still lacks versatility on the defensive side of the ball to improve his draft stock. Tylor Perry had a solid night, filling the stat sheet with 13 points, three rebounds, four assists, and three steals. However, his six turnovers handicapped his team from making this a closer game. Perry will need to do a better job taking care of the ball moving forward if the Wildcats hope to close out the season strong.
Moving forward, Kansas State will have the rest of the week to prepare for their home game against #25 BYU on Saturday, hopefully to stop the loing skid. Texas will face a major test this coming Saturday, traveling to Lawrence, Kansas, to face the #9 Jayhawks.
This article was written by Matthew Lawyer, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.
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