Bears Come Out on Top in Fierce Battle with Longhorns

Photo Credit: Julio Cortez, Associated Press Photo

Though the Texas Longhorns were unranked, it was anticipated that the matchup between the Longhorns and the Baylor Bears would be a close one. While the Longhorns(19-11) acquired a 14-point lead at the 7:38 mark in the first half(according to ESPN), they ultimately were unable to maintain the lead, as the Baylor Bears(22-8) ended up winning the matchup by a score of 93-85.

The main difference in the matchup was the two teams’ performance in the second half.Texas shot 13-30(43.33%) from the field in the second half, whereas Baylor shot a blistering 14-19(73.68%) in the second half. On top of the reduction in efficiency from the field, the Longhorns shot an ice-cold 2-10(20%) from three, while the Bears ended up shooting 69.2% from three-point land. All statistics were provided from the official box score of the game.

Another significant turning point in the game occurred when the Longhorns went approximately 5:30 without scoring a single point. During that stretch, an 11-point lead evaporated, causing Baylor to eventually tie the game. 

Photo Credit: Julio Cortez, Associated Press Photo

Max Abmas, per usual, performed at a high level, scoring 33 points and shooting 4-10(40%) from three. His scoring wasn’t enough to carry the Longhorns to a victory, however, as the Bears had four players with double figure points, with three of those four players scoring more than 15 points.

Photo Credit: Chris Jones, USA TODAY Sports

With the loss, the Longhorns currently sit at 28 in the NET Rankings and 26 in the Kenpom rankings. The Bears, however, sit at 13 in both the NET and Kenpom rankings. Both teams hope to carry some momentum heading into the Big 12 Tournament and Selection Sunday.