The men of Texas Longhorns basketball have been in a grinder all season, but especially in the past six games. Texas has played ranked opponents in the last five games, won three and lost two and tonight against No. 14 Iowa State at home in Austin, Texas starting at 7pm, the Texas defense will determine whether Texas walks away with a win or a loss.
Defense Will Win (or Lose) This Game. Period!
On average, Iowa State forces their opponents to turn over the ball 18 times per game, Iowa State steals the ball, on average, 11 times per game, and scores, again on average, 79 points, while holding their opponents to 62 points per game.
In order for Texas to win against Iowa State, Texas will need to score more that 72 points. No problem, Texas averages 76.6 points per game while holding their opponents to 68 points. Texas held TCU to their lowest scoring loss of the season allowing just 66 points because of massive defense and rebounding.
Are you starting to see how much of a battle this will be? Defense for Texas wins the game. Defense looks like defensive rebounds, forcing turnovers, not getting into foul trouble, playing tough physical basketball, or bone-on-bone as coach Terry calls it.
Controlling the boards like they did against TCU. Dillion Mitchell, Texas’ leading rebounder said this after the TCU game, “I think it’s about playing with a motor. You know, that’s my identity, rebounding [and] the defense. … I know the team needs me to win games. We all need each other, you know, we got to play together so just staying focused and know my identity was and continue to attack the glass.
I mean that’s one of our biggest things is the rebounding battle. The games we lost, we lost the rebounding battle, the games we won, we won the rebounding battle. So, I think for our team that’s what it comes down to, just playing with a motor you know every time I step out.”
During media availablity this week before the Iowa State game, Rodney Terry said this about about the game, “This game here is going to be another one of those Elite level offensive rebounding teams that you know you’re going to have to rebound at all five spots. They’ve got really good guards that rebound. So all five guys got to be looking to hit somebody when the shot goes up because this is a really Elite level team.”
There is no queston that Iowa State will be trying to deny Texas’ scoring leader Max Abmas the ball, and/or any good shot selections. Abmas continues to climb the ranks of all-time scoring leaders in NCAA history. Currently ranked No. 13, Abmas has scored 2,954 points needs 20 more points to surpass “The Big-O” Oscar Robertson who scored 2,973 in his collegiate career.
Abmas was named to the Jersey Mik’s Naismith Trophy preseason watch list.
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