Thoughts on Texas 75-72 win over Baylor

The No. 7 ranked Texas Longhorns beat a good Baylor team 75-72 Sunday in San Antonio, in what was essentially like a March Madness game on neutral site in November.

I'll start by reiterating this ... winning a couple of the non-con games without Mikey Lewis is paramount. One down. This game will matter in seeding later this season, mark it down.

Texas shot 49% from the field, 40% from three and 65% from the free throw line in the win. They limited Baylor to 36% from the floor, and only 5 three-pointers after the hot start with 6 makes in the first few minutes.

Takeaways
Isaiah Johnson was clutch shooting the ball. He did what he always has as a college player. For those that didn't follow his transfer to Texas, he averaged 20.8 points and shot 39% from three vs NCAA Tournament teams as a freshman. He sports a super high hoops IQ, and plays without the ball as well as with it. He understands the timing of offense working off screens.n and creating optimal space. He is ability to shoot it off the dribble is something to note how teams have to defend Texas this year.

I can't tell you guys how big the final few minutes were for Elyjah Freeman. Defended really well, grabbed key rebound, hit a big three and closed it on the free throw line. His growth throughout the season is one of the keys for this team.

Austin Goosby is the best passing off the ball guard I've seen at Texas in my years. It's elite. Terrific in transition, wether it's with ball or running the floor. As he adds the mid-range, watch out. He posted 7 assists (2 TO's) and 6 rebounds, and was tasked as the ball pressure defender (Texas had Isaiah Johnson chasing Brett Decker to keep him out of foul trouble). Don't underestimate Goosby ability with the ball and as a passer, it affords for Texas run sets for Johnson off the ball.

David Punch will add more offense, but he's such an impactful player. He does so many hidden things. Ball mover, defends multiple positions, tough in the paint, and can run the floor. A really high-level team defender. He makes it go, in a lot of ways. He'll have some better scoring games as this teams finds their way.

Marcus Spears Jr. will continue to be a menace this season, while developing over the course of the season. His ability in transition is going to put pressure on opponents. He can grab the rebound and push, but has to be cognizant of when to give it and up, and set himself up to get it back. He had 5 TO's, and he will continuously learn when to put the ball on the floor. And he will get stronger. His ability to change shots is going to be huge later in the season, and is already.

Matas got killed all game, and got very little calls. The last flush was clearly an and one that wasn't called. He shot 4 FT's... it should have been 8. Baylor wanted him to be the big defender in P&R, and he held up okay against a really good guard in Mingo. The way the game was called, he had to be careful hard hedging .. he would have fouled out IMO if he wasn't.

Amari Evans will keep giving 20 minutes of tough, competitive play. He plays his role really well. Needs to knock down the occaisonal three until Mikey Lewis gets back.

Joe Sterling and Bo Ogden provided some key minutes too. Playing roles is they key.

Texas and free throws. I'm a broken record, but Texas can only maximize if they hit 73-74% on the season. Texas hit 65%, but the real problem was they missed front ends today. Simply can't do that, but that also shows how good this team can be. Should have lost missing four front ends. Texas will be better from the line as the season moves along, but got to work their way closer to 73-74%. They won against a really good team at 65% with 4 missed front ends, but can't make a living doing that.

Texas posting 18 assists vs. 12 TO's against decent ball pressure showed improvement since the St. John's scrimmage. And a lot of the 12 TO's were the bigs. Texas guards had 4 TO's as a group. That dog will hunt, considering the youth on this team early on this season. Texas guards didn't have many unforced TO's vs decent pressure, which is what I'm looking for. Baylor is a good team, as well. Give them credit.

I'll have more after the second watch. But a really good win on a neutral court vs. a NCAA Tournament team.

I thought it was a solid showing. Refs were both too involved and not involved, in my opinion. The guys played really well in the final 2 mins to close out.