Stud: Jayson Kent, F
Texas got a big boost to its frontcourt depth and bench scoring from the forward rotation in this game against Northwestern State. Kent's return to the frontcourt for the first time in the past eight games for the Longhorns gave Texas valuable scoring, rebounding, and off-ball communication on the defensive end.
It took Kent basically no time at all to shake off the rust and make a big impact on both ends of the floor for the Longhorns in this game coming off the bench for the frontcourt. He registered nine points coming off the bench for only the second time this season.
The biggest moment of this game for Kent was getting a big career milestone when he reached 1,000 points on a free throw attempt in the second half.
The free-throw that got Texas F Jayson Kent to 1,000 career points against Northwestern State today! pic.twitter.com/NliieeqcEr
— Hook'em Headlines (@HookemHeadlines) December 29, 2024
Kent joins Pope and senior guard Julian Larry as the three Longhorns players who have reached the important milestone of 1,000 career points this season. Pope and Larry both only needed a few games each to reach the milestone early this regular season of 1,000 career points.
But Kent's lingering injury issues kept him from joining the 1,000-point club in college earlier this season.
In 18 minutes played off the bench, Kent finished up with nine points on an efficient 3-of-4 shooting from the field, 1-of-2 from beyond the arc, and a perfect 2-of-2 from the charity stripe.
He made his presence felt on the offensive glass, bringing down two offensive boards in the second half to help Texas as a team tie a season-high in this game with a dozen offensive rebounds. Kent also helped the Longhorns force a couple of turnovers inside the arc against Northwestern State and had a key block in the first half when the Longhorns were pulling away by double digits on the scoreboard.
It goes without saying that Texas is getting healthy at the right time in the core part of the rotation before SEC play begins in College Station in less than a week against the Aggies on the road.