Texas Basketball: Matt Coleman’s clutch free-throws upsets Texas Tech
On the night of March 11, No. 13 ranked Texas basketball and head coach Shaka Smart were finally able to breakthrough against a tough opponent in their first game in the Big 12 Tournament. In the quarterfinals on a crazy day around the conference, Texas was able to get it done when it mattered most against the No. 20 ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders and head coach Chris Beard.
As the versatile standout senior guard Matt Coleman said following the win over the Red Raiders on March 11, the Longhorns just “took it personal” that their opposition swept them during the regular season. Coleman was once again the clutch player that the Longhorns needed down the stretch to get it done.
It’s hard to argue with the fact that Coleman has been the clutch MVP for the Longhorns up to this point of the season. Texas got the best from Coleman in clutch time, which is something that he has become accustomed to over the course of his four years playing on the Forty Acres.
In the dying seconds of the second half, the Red Raiders fouled Coleman when Texas was down by just one point. Texas got Coleman to knock down both free-throw attempts, which gave them the one point lead. Senior center Jericho Sims intercepted the Texas Tech pass to claim the 67-66 win in the end.
How Texas basketball got the win over Texas Tech
Sims was also huge for the Longhorns as he registered a double-double on this night. He registered 10 points, a game-high 11 rebounds, two steals, and four blocks. Coleman also provided a productive night for Texas.
On this night, Coleman registered a game-high 19 points, to go along with three rebounds, six assists, and two steals. And Coleman shot 7-of-16 from the field, 2-of-6 from beyond the arc, and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line (including those clutch shots in the dying seconds of the game).
The final piece of the standout productive trio for the Longhorns in this win over Texas Tech was the improving sharpshooter Jase Febres. The 6-foot-5 and 195 pound fourth-year shooting guard/wing is consistently getting better after returning from injury the last few weeks.
Texas got 15 points from Febres off the bench in this game, to go along with one rebound, one assist, and one block. And Febres shot an efficient 5-of-9 from the field, which were all attempts from beyond the arc.
Since the Longhorns were a roughly a two-point underdog ahead of tip off against the Red Raiders, this win is huge for them. Texas will get another tough test in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament on March 12 as they take on the two-seed Kansas Jayhawks and head coach Bill Self.
Next. 3 players who can help Texas win the Big 12 Tournament. dark
Tip off time between the Longhorns and Jayhawks is set to be late again at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, MO. Texas will face Kansas at 8:30 p.m. CT in one of two games in the Big 12 Tournament on March 12. The other will be the five-seed Oklahoma State Cowboys taking on the top-seeded Baylor Bears with an afternoon tip off.