Texas Basketball: 2 studs, 1 dud from clutch Big 12 semis win over TCU
Stud No. 2: Christian Bishop, F
The most valuable player in this game for the Longhorns was definitely senior forward Christian Bishop. While Rice was struggling in the starting unit and Allen was sidelined with the leg issue, Bishop gave the Longhorns exactly the boost they needed off the bench.
Bishop came up with his best scoring performance against a Big 12 team, tying a team-high with 15 points on the night. He got those 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field and an efficient 5-of-6 from the free-throw line.
And when Texas needed it in the second half, Bishop came through with some clutch points. He scored a season-high 10 points in the second half to help the Longhorns seal the six-point win over the Horned Frogs.
If not for Bishop commanding the paint for the Longhorns in this game, Texas would not have won the points in the paint battle as convincingly as they did. Texas beat TCU in terms of points in the paint by a margin of 42-22, which is the second-worst for the Frogs in this department in a single game this season.
Texas outscored TCU in the paint 42-22, the second-worst margin the Frogs were beaten by in terms of points in the paint in any game this season.
— Hook'em Headlines (@HookemHeadlines) March 11, 2023
But it wasn’t just the scoring efforts that saw Bishop rise to the occasion as the Longhorns’ best player. He gave the Longhorns a big boost on the glass and on the defensive end of the floor. Bishop posted seven rebounds, one assist, a game-high three blocks, and one steal.
It’s worth noting that Bishop was able to do all this while not turning the ball over a single time.
Bishop is actually the first reserve player in all of college hoops to register at least 15 points, seven rebounds, three blocks, and no turnovers in a single game in the month of March. He is also only the second Division I player to accomplish this feat in 2023.
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The super-productive bench that we’ve become accustomed to seeing out of the Longhorns this season returned in this win over TCU. And Texas will need this type of boost from key reserves such as Bishop, freshman guard Arterio Morris, and senior forward Brock Cunningham if they hope to top Kansas this weekend.