Texas, with chip on shoulder, gets a second shot at Gonzaga after last year's loss
Before Drew Timme, Gonzaga's terrific All-American, had finished destroying the Longhorns last November, the Gonzaga student section at the McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane began shouting, "You can't guard him."
Timme — as if the Longhorns didn't already know — finished with 37 points in Gonzaga's 86-74 victory on Nov. 13, 2021. The Bulldogs led by 20 points at the half and by 29 later.
"I wish we'd have put a better product on the floor for all of college basketball fans tonight," Texas coach Chris Beard lamented when it was over.
No. 11 Texas (2-0) has an opportunity to do just that on Wednesday against the Bulldogs in No. 2 Gonzaga's return game at the Moody Center.
“The guys who are returning, we all have that chip on our shoulder, that game and a bunch of others we let slip away,” UT guard Marcus Carr said.
Gonzaga (2-0) arrives with another good roster. This one lacks Chet Holmgren, the 7-footer who was the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft, but he wasn’t much of a factor against Texas anyway, having played just nine foul-plagued minutes. The 6-foot-10, 235-pound Timme is still around, back for his senior season.
Timme helped Gonzaga to a 44-22 edge in points in the paint against Texas. He converted 15-of-19 shots against several Longhorns defenders, sometimes two at a time.
None of them were named Dylan Disu or Dillon Mitchell. The 6-9 Disu had yet to appear in a game for Texas after undergoing surgery for a knee injury suffered a season earlier while playing for Vanderbilt. The 6-8 Mitchell was busy ascending the national rankings of high school recruits, all the way to No. 4 (ESPN).
How much difference can those two make this time against Timme, with Disu taking a turn guarding him and Mitchell providing help? Neither is known for muscle, but both displayed the dexterity and spring to block and alter shots in the first two games.
“Their length and athleticism at the rim has definitely helped our defense,” Carr said.
Another new Longhorn, point guard Tyrese Hunter, might provide aid as well by harassing the player he guards on the perimeter.
“As a point guard, disrupting, trying to get them out of their offense, that’s what I do,” Hunter said.
Beard never veers from using defense as the foundation for his teams. His 2019 Texas Tech team, the one that lost the NCAA title game to Virginia in overtime, had the highest adjusted defensive efficiency rating in the country, according to kenpom.com. His last four teams at Tech, and his first at Texas last season, did not finish lower than 18th in efficiency.
“It’s the thing that never goes away,” Beard said.
Shooting, on the other hand, can disappear, or never really show up with much consistency. The Longhorns converted 33% of their 3-pointers last season, good for 228th in the country, though they had some prolific games. Texas hit 7-of-36 (19.4%) in wins over UTEP and Houston Christian.
Beard said he's not concerned.
“I think very soon we’ll be at the day when the 3-point shot’s our weapon,” Beard said. “The answer is to stay the course. Our shooters make over 300 makes a day."
Beard said balance is required to succeed.
“If we are going to compete for championships, we’re going to have to win on nights when some things aren’t working,” he said. “On a night when you can't get a rebound, you’d better get some steals. On a night when you can’t make a shot, you better get to the free-throw line. And then defense is the standard.”
Texas used its defense to initiate a running game that produced a 43-1 edge in fast-break points against UTEP and Houston Christian.
Out on the West Coast, Timme had 22 points and 13 rebounds as Gonzaga beat Michigan State 64-63 on Friday night after erasing a 12-point early second-half deficit. Playing outdoors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln in San Diego, Timme missed 6 of 10 free throws. But the last one he made was the final point of the game.
Now it’s the Longhorns’ turn against Gonzaga, and Hunter said they would like to make a statement.
“That we belong here,” Hunter said. “We can fight with the best.”
Notes: The game is sold out. … Timme also scored 22 in the opener against North Florida. … Guard Julian Strawther is Gonzaga’s second leading scorer with 14.5 a game. Malachi Smith, Southern Conference player of the year last season for Chatanooga, is a top sub.
Wednesday's game
No. 2 Gonzaga at No. 11 Texas, 8:30 p.m., ESPN2, 104.9
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas, with chip on shoulder, ready for Gonzaga at Moody Center
