By Wendell Barnhouse
Big12Sports.com Correspondent
WACO, Texas – With the halfway point of the Big 12 Conference season looming, the truths of the 10 teams are becoming self-evident.
Texas and Baylor took the court at the Ferrell Center on Saturday knowing that the winner would have a .500 league record and the loser would be leaking oil and losing traction. With the calendar flipping to February, the regular-season stretch run is beginning.
And that run is likely to be an obstacle course. The last 14 Big 12 games have featured at least one ranked team.
“In this conference, anyone can win five out of seven and anyone can lose five out of seven,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said.
Texas is that second “anyone.”
The Longhorns were ranked No. 19/20 in the polls, the Bears were No. 20/19 so Baylor’s 80-63 victory over the Longhorns was unexpected in its lopsidedness. Texas (14-7, 3-5) fell behind 23-9 in the first eight minutes, got within four about four minutes before halftime but spent the second half in the hamster wheel of a double-digit deficit.
“It falls back on me, I’m the leader,” said sophomore Isaiah Taylor, who had 16 points, 10 assists and six rebounds. “We’re going through a tough time. We’ve got to get it back together. We’re 3-5, we’ve got to play desperate. We have to play like every game is a must win. We’ve got 10 more games in the Big 12, that’s a lot of games. I still think we’re one of the best teams in the Big 12.”
A basketball game is a game of runs. Baylor (16-5, 4-4) made eight of its first nine shots while Texas missed its first 12. The Bears then went nearly 10 minutes with just two baskets as the Longhorns pulled to within 28-24. Then during a 69-second spurt Baylor went 3-of-3 from the field to take a 39-27 halftime lead.
“That ending run was huge, it got us momentum going into the locker room,” Drew said.
A basketball season is five months of ebb and flow. Baylor started 1-5 and 2-8 in Big 12 play last season but rallied to reach the Sweet 16.
“We’ve got to turn it around,” said Texas coach Rick Barnes, whose team has lost five of seven and has suffered double digit Big 12 losses four times. “You’ve got to win games. It’s simple. We’re not where we want to be or need to be.”
Last Monday, Texas cut a 21-point Iowa State lead to three using a three-guard lineup. The Longhorns scored 61 second-half points against the Cyclones. Against Baylor, the slow offensive start carried over. While UT warmed up to make 12 of 23 shots to close out the first half, in the second half too many 3-point attempts and misses doomed the Longhorns.
“I was 1-of-7 from three, that’s unacceptable,” Texas senior Jonathan Holmes said, leaning against a wall outside the locker room. “We just haven’t been good on defense and it’s tough when you’re not making shots.”
Asked if his team had just played its best game of the season, Drew answered with a simple “yes.” One reason for that affirmative answer was the play of seniors Kenny Chery and Royce O’Neale. The combined to score six points in Wednesday’s loss at Oklahoma State. They combined for 43 on 16-of-26 shooting.
“The past couple of games we haven’t been strong in the second half,” said Chery, who was 5-of-7 on threes including one on an ankle-breaking crossover that left two Longhorns guarding air. “We needed to make a statement today.”
A switch from zone to man-to-man in the first half briefly befuddled Baylor but in the second half the Bears shot 54.8 percent. For the game, Baylor finished with 24 assists (and just nine turnovers) on 30 baskets. The Bears were 12-of-22 from three, Texas 5-of-26.
“That’s not who we are,” Barnes said. “I felt like we could get the ball inside. When you’re shooting it makes up for a multitude of sins. We could get 3-point shots anytime we want it. We were one of three from the foul line. We’ve got to shoot more free throws.”
Since 2009 Baylor has won nine of the last 14 meetings with Texas after losing 24 straight to UT. With the lead at plus-20 and just over three minutes remaining, the student section started chanting “We run this state.”
“We had a great crowd and we were amped,” O’Neale said. “Big ups to the student section.”