It’s been amazing what Texas can do on the Erwin Center floor. They carry one of the best home winning percentages – a statistic which got a little stronger last night when the No. 11 Longhorns knocked the No. 3 Jawhawks off their perch, 72-69.
This was a small upset, but an upset nonetheless. And, though it took the whole squad to take down one of the most fluid teams in the game, the credit goes to two people – Connor Atchley and Justin Mason.
Atchley was perfect from the floor (six-for-six) and, perhaps more amazingly, equally flawless from 3-point range (three-for-three).
Mason, though his stats can’t match up with Atchley’s (whose can?), brought his usual brand of hustle and flow to the Erwin Center floor, grabbing boards and loose balls.
Though it’s hard to bash a team when they’ve just taken down what looked to be a lock for a No. 1 seed going into the NCAA tournament, I have to point out D.J. Augustin’s horrible night.
He went one-for-13 and missed too many free throws, which in a game that was as close as yesterday’s from tip-off to the final Kansas 3-point attempt, usually means the difference between a huge win and a good loss.
This game should not only lift Texas back into the Top 10, but could mean a No. 2 seed come tournament time, but it’ll probably take a win over Texas A&M next Monday to solidify that high a berth.
This article appears in February 8 • 2008.