Texas basketball and head coach Rodney Terry survived a big second-half surge from the Syracuse Orange to move to 4-1 (0-0 SEC) on the regular season with a win in the first game of the Legends Classic.
Syracuse's second-half rally falls just short of Texas basketball, in a 70-66 win for the Longhorns to open the Legends Classic in Brooklyn
In the first matchup between Texas and Syracuse since the 2003 NCAA Final Four, the Longhorns came up with nailbiting 70-66 victory at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.
Terry and the Longhorns had pulled ahead to a commanding 16-point lead right before halftime. Syracuse whittled down Texas's first-half lead to 11 points with two quick buckets before the halftime buzzer on the scoreboard.
While Texas looked good on the offensive end of the floor in the first two minutes of the second half, Syracuse made a furious rally to tie the game late in the second half. The Orange even took the lead at one point late in the second half, after being down by 16 points early in that half.
Texas nailed clutch free throws to close out the four-point victory over Syracuse in the final minutes of the second half. The Longhorns will now face the winner of St. Joseph's-Texas Tech in the final game of the Legends Classic on Nov. 22.
Here are two studs, and one dud, following Texas's close 70-66 win over Syracuse in the first round of the Legends Classic.
Stud: Chendall Weaver, G
Junior guard Chendall Weaver started the fifth game in a row this season against Syracuse. Weaver has filled a spot in the starting five for Terry and the Longhorns, while senior guard Tramon Mark has been out with an ankle injury.
Mark made his season debut for the Longhorns tonight against Syracuse, but he came off the bench while he's still on a minute restriction.
Weaver has made a big impact on the defensive end of the floor, and around the glass for the Longhorns. His insane hops and energy that Weaver brings on both ends has definitely translated to his impact on Texas's rebounding on the offensive and defensive glass.
It was critical for the Longhorns to win the battle on the glass against Syracuse. In this game, Weaver posted a game-high (among guards) nine rebounds, including three crucial offensive boards in the second half.
Texas's perimeter defense was really good for most of this game, especially in the first half. The Longhorns forced 11 Syracuse turnovers, including two from steals from Weaver on the perimeter.
not on @Ch3ndalll's watch ❌🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/I50WMozUgb
— Texas Men’s Basketball (@TexasMBB) November 22, 2024
Weaver also had a key block late in the game on a Syracuse drive to the rim that helped Texas keep the close lead by one point with a little over three minutes left in the game.
On the offensive end, Weaver did what he needed to provide a critical secondary scoring boost behind Texas's leading scorers, freshman guard Tre Johnson and senior forward Arthur Kaluma. Weaver scored in double figures for the second time this season, and came within one rebound of registering his first career double-doudle.