Texas had lost eight of its last 11 games and badly needed a Big 12 win to keep its NCAA Tournament hopes alive. The Longhorns received some late-game heroics from point guard Isaiah Taylor (seven points) as the guard’s floater with 4.8 seconds left in overtime was the difference in a 61-59 win over No. 14 Baylor.
Texas senior Jonathan Holmes (seven points) buried the game-tying basket to force overtime and missed a game-winning shot from nearly the same 3-point spot on the left wing to put the game into the extra frame. The extra time was first slowed by a scuffle near mid-court which resulted in the collective ejection of seven players from the game.
Demarcus Holland led a balanced Texas effort with 12 points as the Longhorns didn’t lead from the 3-to-2 mark until the middle of overtime, as they trailed nearly the entire game. Taurean Prince led Baylor (22-8, 10-7) with 17 points. The Bears led 31-24 at halftime but struggled to find itself on the offensive end in the second half.
With a home game against Kansas State to finish out the regular season schedule, Texas has another winnable game that they need to handle before heading into the conference tournament.
A win in the Big 12 Tournament would give the Longhorns (18-12, 7-10) a three-game winning streak. That could be enough to get them into the field of 68 in less than two weeks and it’s a good start to getting into the next stage of the season.
