Stud: Jordan Pope, G
Pope stole the show for the Longhorns tonight with an absolutely brilliant performance. He scored a career-high 42 points on a sparkling 15-of-21 shooting from the field, 8-of-12 from beyond the arc, and 4-of-5 from the free-throw line.
This was the type of game that will live on in Texas basketball lore for Pope. It is the most points a player has scored at a game in the Moody Center.
He launched Texas's offense in the first half, scoring 15 of the Longhorns' 44 points as a team in the first 20 minutes. But the first-half performance was nothing compared to Pope's scoring explosion in the second half.
In 19 minutes played in the second half, Pope scored a whopping 27 points on a tremendous 9-of-12 shooting from the field and 6-of-8 from beyond the arc.
Since most of Pope's possessions where he handled the ball resulted in him shooting at the basket or from beyond the arc, he didn't get much in the way of assists.
Pope is just the third major conference player this season to score over 40 points in a game (per Stathead).
Most impressive, though, was the fact that Pope scored 42 points without turning the ball over a single time in this game. He is the only major conference player this season to score 40+ points in a game without registering a single turnover.
BACK-TO-BACK @jpope0 🤯
— Texas Men’s Basketball (@TexasMBB) December 20, 2024
39 pts
8 3pts #HookEm pic.twitter.com/fz1UKdZPUa
Pope is really heating up on the offensive end of the floor at the right time, with the Longhorns approaching the start of SEC play in a few weeks on Jan. 4 against the rival Aggies on the road. He's scored in the double figures in three straight games.
And in the past two contests, Pope has set new season-highs in scoring, with 17 points in the 121-57 drubbing of the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions on Dec. 15.
After he had some issues with pulling the trigger when he had open looks from beyond the arc on the offensive end early this regular season, Pope clearly looks more confident and aggressive for the Longhorns.