Iowa State @ Texas preview

Iowa State at Texas

Last Meeting ( Feb 15, 2020 ) Texas 52, Iowa State 81

Fourth-ranked Texas heads home after its biggest win of the Shaka Smart era seeking a way to keep building momentum when it squares off against Iowa State on Tuesday in a Big 12 matchup in Austin, Texas.

The Longhorns (8-1, 2-0 in Big 12) bagged their biggest win since 2011 when they dominated then-No. 3 Kansas 84-59 on the road on Saturday, handing the Jayhawks their worst home loss in coach Bill Self's 18 years in Lawrence.

Texas earned a win against its highest-ranked AP opponent since a 76-63 home victory against No. 3 Oklahoma on Feb. 27, 2016. It also marked the highest-ranked AP opponent UT has beaten in a road game since a 74-63 win at No. 2 Kansas on Jan. 22, 2011.

Smart said the Longhorns still have plenty to prove.

"If this is the peak, on Jan. 2, then that would be really, really disappointing," he said after beating Kansas. "I asked the guys in the locker room if this is all they wanted. Obviously, that's a rhetorical question. They want more."

Courtney Ramey paced five players in double-figure scoring with 18 points to lead Texas. Jericho Sims registered a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, Andrew Jones added 14 points, Matt Coleman III tallied 13 points, and Kai Jones posted 12 points for the Longhorns, who have won four straight games.

The Longhorns built a 37-29 halftime cushion against Kansas but it was more impressive in the second half, outscoring the Jayhawks 47-30. Texas shot 57.1 percent from the floor (16-for-28), including an 8 of 13 (.615) mark from 3-point range, and went 7-for-7 from the free-throw line in the final 20 minutes.

Defensively, the Longhorns held Kansas to 29 percent field goal shooting (9-for-31), including a 2-for-16 (12.5 percent) mark from 3-point range, in the second half. The margin did not fall below 20 points in the final 8:03.

"We can't beat Kansas and think our season is over," Ramey said. "There are a lot of things we can get better at."

Meanwhile, Iowa State (2-5, 0-3) jumps from the frying pan into the fire after losing at home to No. 2 Baylor on Saturday.

The Cyclones led for stretches in the second half against unbeaten Baylor but were undone by a 13-0 run in the second half that allowed the Bears to pull away.

Iowa State was led by Javan Johnson's 17 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the field and a 3-for-5 showing from 3-point range. Solomon Young added 15, Rasir Bolton scored 14 and Jalen Coleman-Landis hit for 12 in the loss to the Baylor.

"We've got to break through," Iowa State coach Steve Prohm said. "We've just got to keep getting better, and hopefully those wins will come. There were two or three big plays here in the last four minutes that kind of flipped the game. But we've gotten better in the past couple weeks."

Turnovers were the difference in the loss to Baylor, as Iowa State committed, compared to Baylor's 17, and the Bears scored 23 points off the Cyclones' mistakes.

Iowa State has lost five of its past six games, with the lone win in that stretch coming at home on Dec. 20 against Jackson State. The Cyclones' three conference losses are by an average of eight points.

--Field Level Media