Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Texas Longhorns Send Colorado State Rams Packing in Intense 44-56 Battle

Originally posted on Hardwood Heroics
By Christian Alamodin | Last updated 3/22/24

The Texas Longhorns were supposed to cruise through the Colorado State Rams during the first round of their March Madness journey. They were arguably the better team and played in a tougher conference than their oponents.

However, this tournament wouldn’t be special if it weren’t for the possibility of upsets happening. In their first-round clash, there were times where it seemed like they were meant for a colossal collapse the same way the Kentucky Wildcats did against Oakland.

However, defense and grit reigned supreme as they managed to make it out of the game battered survivors.

Texas Longhorns barely survive against Colorado State Rams in low-scoring duel

The first thing Texans fans will notice when dissecting this game is how terrible their star players were.

Max Abmas and Dylan Disu were the pillars that helped the Longhorns to a 23-10 record in the 2023-24 season. Abmas, the Oral Roberts transferee, scored 17.0 points to go with his 2.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists. Meanwhile, Disu is Abmas’ Robin with 15.7 points, 5.0 boards, and 1.5 dimes.

However, both were misfiring due to the defensive gameplan Niko Medved set against them. Both stars finished the game with 12 points, with Abmas scoring a terrible 5-for-15 on the floor. Disu played even worse with his 5-for-18 shooting.

Despite the struggles their stars were going through, the Longhorns managed to come away with the win thanks to Chendall Weaver. The transferee from UT Arlington came up big with 11 points, four rebounds, and a steal to seal the win for Texas.

JT Bowen of the Daily Texan wrote about how important Weaver was for this win:

He was the most athletic player on the court, hanging in the air for a number of tough finishes, hounding Colorado State’s guards defensively all night and chipping in hustle plays when it counted.

The Texas Longhorns understand that they cannot play the same way against the Tennessee Volunteers if they want to make it to the Sweet 16.

This article first appeared on Hardwood Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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