Longhorns Basketball: Taylor Needs Help

When senior center Cameron Ridley was lost due to a fractured foot over the Christmas holiday, it was obvious that the Longhorns basketball team was in trouble. However, losing your best player can also create an opportunity for someone else to step up and take charge.

That someone through the Longhorns firs two games, has been Isaiah Taylor.

Against UConn on December 29, Taylor scored 19 points on 8-of-16 shooting and led all Longhorns by playing 33 minutes.  It was an impressive outing.

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Taylor was even more impressive on Saturday against Texas Tech in the Big 12 Conference opener.  Taylor scored a career high 35 points against Tech.  It was the fourth time this year he’s topped 20 points in a game.  He was deadly from the free throw line, hitting 13-of-14.

Taylor also added six assists in the game, the ninth time this year he has collected at least five assists in a game.

Taylor’s dominance on Saturday goes beyond simple stats.  At one point he scored 16 consecutive points for the Longhorns.  He opened the second half by scoring ten in just over three minutes of play after having collected just seven in the first half.

The problem Saturday was that Taylor was almost a one man show.  Since Ridley’s injury, Taylor’s 54 points constitutes nearly 40% of all Texas scoring in those games.

Against Texas Tech, the dropoff from Taylor to the team’s second leading scorer, Javan Felix, was dramatic.  Felix only totalled 13 points on Saturday. Tevin Mack added nine while shooting a horrendous 3-of-10 from the floor.

Mack and Taylor together accounted for 39 of the team’s 66 points against UConn.  After that, there was again a significant dropoff in scoring from the rest of the team.

The fact is simple, if Texas is going to entertain any hope of making the NCAA Tournament they have to start getting more production from the rest of the lineup.  Isaiah Taylor is a fantastic player, but he is not a good enough player to carry this team on his back.  Especially not in the rugged Big 12.

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There are plenty of talented players on the roster to help.  Felix and Mack have both shown the ability to put up big games.  Now they need to start scoring more consistently.

Prince Ibeh has been doing what he can in place of Ridley down low.  Against UConn he tied a career high with five blocks and against Tech he just missed tying a career high with ten rebounds.  Still, Ibeh is not the same presence that Ridley was and is nowhere near the threat to score.

Ridley’s loss has opened a window for someone in step up and make a name for themselves.  So far, Isaiah Taylor has proven to be up to the task.  Now Texas needs someone else to step up as well.  Their season depends on it.