Texas Basketball: 2 studs, 1 dud from massive win over Kansas State

Another huge win for interim head coach Rodney Terry and No. 10 ranked Texas basketball arrived on Feb. 4, as this squad was able to avoid being swept this season by the No. 7 ranked Kansas State Wildcats and first-year head coach Jerome Tang. Texas had a really solid second-half showing as it was able to close out another key top-25 win.

This is the second win in a row for Terry and the Longhorns over a top-25 opponent. It is also the first ranked win away from the Moody Center this season. Prior to this win over Kansas State, Texas held a record of 0-3 in road and neutral site games.

Texas got this win over Kansas State by the final score of 69-66. It was a much better defensive showing, to say the very least after Texas had a historic meltdown on that end of the floor in Kansas State’s 116-103 win over the Longhorns on Jan. 3 at the Moody Center in Austin.

The win over Kansas State moves Texas’ record on the season to an impressive 19-4 (8-2 Big 12). This triumph also keeps the Longhorns atop the Big 12 standings.

Sir’Jabari Rice and Christian Bishop come up huge off the bench to lead Texas basketball past Kansas State

Here’s a look at two studs, and one dud following the clutch three-point road win over Kansas State on Feb. 4.

Stud No. 1: Christian Bishop, F

It’s rare that you get so much production off the bench on both ends of the floor as Texas did in this win over Kansas State. One of the primary sources of two-way production off the bench for the Longhorns in this game was senior big man Christian Bishop.

Bishop was an absolute force to be reckoned with in the paint, as he dominated down low against Kansas State in the second half. He made some clutch plays late, including a block and a steal on the final couple of possessions of the game for the Wildcats.

https://twitter.com/TexasMBB/status/1622000585506447362

This was probably the best outing of the season so far off the bench for Bishop. He registered 14 points on an efficient 6-of-11 shooting from the field, 0-of-1 from beyond the arc, and 2-of-3 from the free-throw line. Bishop also put up six rebounds (including a whopping five offensive boards), two blocks, two steals, and three turnovers.

The five offensive rebounds are a season-high for Bishop.

And according to Sports Reference, Bishop is the first Big 12 reserve player to put up at least 12 points, six rebounds, two steals, and two blocks in a single game this season.

This was truly a magnificent performance for the fifth-year senior forward Bishop. He was a two-way force for the Longhorns in the paint, which helped this team stay competitive down the stretch while senior big man Dylan Disu and senior forward Timmy Allen were both off in this game.