Quick Reaction: Texas Rallies Back Against Iowa, 71-57
Mandatory Credit: Jim O
The Texas Longhorns stamped their ticket to the finals of the 2K Classic on Thursday with a 71-57 victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Here’s a quick reaction to what went on in those 40 minutes.
Jonathan Holmes is a savior
Texas wouldn’t be in the finals of the 2K Classic if it wasn’t for Jonathan Holmes.
After a slow start, which saw the Longhorns fall behind by six points at halftime, Holmes came out of the gates in the second half on fire. He drove to the basket for a powerful two-handed dunk on his first possession and knocked down a three-pointer — his first of the night — 30 seconds later. He then responded with an and-one layup on the fast break, followed by another three soon after.
Within three minutes, Holmes had scored 11 points, giving the Longhorns a two point lead in the process. He finished with 17 points in the second half alone and helped Texas find their groove on offense.
Isaiah Taylor is a blur
Holmes started the second half on fire, Isaiah Taylor ended it on fire.
Taylor scored 11 of the Longhorns’ final 31 points of the game. The Iowa guards simply couldn’t contain him. He weaved his way through defenders at lightning quick speed and got to the rim at will, where he used his athleticism and soft touch to finish over shot blockers.
Taylor ended the game with 15 points on 5-for-11 shooting from the floor. They’ll need more of that on Friday if they hope on winning their first ever 2K Classic title. Hopefully he’ll be good to go.
Myles Turner is a work in progress
During Turner’s 18 minutes on the floor, he scored four points on 2-for-3 shooting. Both of his made field goals on the night were jump shots, one being a three that was just inside the NBA line, the other being a smooth fadeaway on the low block over his right shoulder. For a 7-foot center who is only 18 years old, it’s incredible how smooth his form is.
Other than that, though, Turner had a quiet game. Iowa’s bigs outmuscled him for a number of rebounds and he struggled to get up and down the court at the same speed as everyone else. He looked lost in Texas’ offense and never got into any sort of rhythm. Iowa’s Aaron White took it to him on defense, too. Turner couldn’t roam around the paint like he did in Texas’ first two games of the season because of White’s ability to stretch the floor. There were a few times where Turner got caught on an island and failed to move his feet quick enough to cut off a lane to the basket. He got into foul trouble as a result.
It was only Turner’s third game of the season but there’s clearly some work to be done. The raw skills are there, he just has to piece it all together.
Texas is lucky only Aaron White showed up to play
White didn’t do anything particularly amazing, but he didn’t have to. He stuck to the fundamentals and outsmarted Texas’ frontcourt one big at a time, baiting them to bite on pump-fakes and pulling them out of the paint to prevent easy looks from the perimeter. He did the bulk of his damage from the free throw line (14-for-16) and carried the Hawkeyes in the first half.
Texas is lucky nobody else stepped up for Iowa.