Texas Basketball: 2 studs, 1 dud from stomping of Iowa State

Stud No. 2: Tyrese Hunter, G

The best storyline of the night in this win over Iowa State was the play for the reigning Big 12 Newcomer of the Year against his former team. Former Iowa State guard Tyrese Hunter was an absolute stud on this night, which is the first time we’ve said that for quite a while.

This was also the first time in the last five games that Hunter even scored in double figures.

But even compared to some of the performances in the last month or so where Hunter scored in double figures, this outing was different. He had more energy and was more dynamic in terms of his playmaking ability throughout the entire game than the versions of him we’ve seen since Big 12 play began.

Hunter finished up this game tied for a game-high with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field, 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, and a perfect 2-of-2 from the free-throw line. This was definitely Hunter’s best shooting performance probably since the defensive meltdown of a loss to the Kansas State Wildcats on Jan. 3.

Texas also got three rebounds, one assist, two turnovers, and one steal out of Hunter on the night. I will say, though, that Hunter played a key role in helping Texas force 16 Iowa State turnovers. That is just the fourth time this season that Iowa State has turned the ball over at least 16 times in a single game.

If this is the version of Hunter that we’re going to get down the stretch this season, Texas is going to be making a special run in March and April. He was truly locked in on both ends of the floor. And when he’s producing at this level, it takes so much pressure off everyone else.