If the Missouri game was a "that's more like it" moment for Wildcat fans, yesterday's victory over Texas provides a little "what this season could still be." Is there any chance we could petition the Big 12 to realign the conference to get Texas in the Big 12 North?
This will be fairly abbreviated as I need to join all other red-blooded Americans at my appointed Super Bowl party shortly, but here are my observations from yesterday's trip to Austin.
What I liked...
...Denis Clemente. Forty-four points is freaking awesome, so awesome, in fact, that I will not even complain that he took some very poor shots on forced drives. He had the hot hand, he knew it, and he took advantage of it.
...more tough defense. The Cats picked up 11 steals from Texas, held the Horns to 41 percent shooting, and only 24 percent from the three-point line. Awesome.
...Ron Anderson making free throws. I couldn't believe my eyes.
...Freddy freakin' Brown. Mr. Clutch with the deep bomb that was the functional equivalent of a haymaker to UT's jaw. I've seen a big three-point shot stun an opposing team and crowd like that before, but it's a memory I don't really want to talk about.
What I didn't like...
...a tough game for Jake Pullen. It was nice that he and Denis combined for 48 points, but it was a real shame that Jake only contributed four of those points. And really, 1-13 shooting? Ouch. I thought maybe he had turned a big corner in the Mizzou game, but offensively that wasn't the case today. He did a good job on defense, though, so props for that.
...freshman ups-and-downs for Jamar Samuels. He managed six points, even in a mostly disappointing game, so that's good. On the other hand, he got stuffed on a breakaway by Connor Atchley. For that, he should be forced to run every staircase at Bramlage.
...Dominique Sutton leading the league in cheap fouls called. This guy can't catch a break. While we're on this subject, the blocking foul on Jamar Samuels that contributed to the game going to overtime was a bunch of crap, too.
...blowing a big lead. We still got the win, but my God I was about to have a heart attack there at the end. We need to be able to put a game like that away.
...the Texas tenor on the PA system. I never realized how irritating a tenor voice can be until sitting in the Drum yesterday.
What it means and where we're going...
After this big win, the Cats are back in Bramlage this Tuesday for as the host for Iowa State. Some may disagree, but in the aftermath of the Texas win, this game becomes even more important than the Texas game. Now that our guys are on a roll, they need to show they can handle success and not have a let-down game. Iowa State played tough in a loss to Oklahoma on Saturday, but lost to Colorado last week and, outside of Craig Brackins, is not a talented basketball team.
Let's get that win on Tuesday, and then see about picking up another win in the One Star State next weekend, again with me in attendance.