Texas took beating No. 2 Gonzaga seriously: 'It was a revenge game for us'

It was a route and easily one of the most impressive wins of this early college basketball season. It was such a nice win, in fact, that it will likely stand as one of the best wins of 2022-23 by the time March Madness has come and gone.

The No. 11 Texas Longhorns beat the No. 2 Gonzaga Bulldogs, 93-74, in front of their adoring home fans on Tuesday night. 

By the numbers alone, it was a beatdown. According to senior point guard Marcus Carr, though, this was more than a big win for Texas. For the Longhorns and those who were with the program last season, this was revenge for the 86-74 beatdown the 'Zags put on them in November of 2021.

"All the returners, all of the staff, we had it in the back of our heads since that night when we left Spokane," Carr said, via 247Sports. "We’ve seen that film more than a few times since that night. It’s always been in the back of our minds. We watched it all year long. That loss is definitely something we didn’t forget. We owed them one. It was a revenge game for us. ... I think every game for us can be a statement game."

The Longhorns were looking for revenge, and they got it in a big way on Tuesday night.

Last season, Gonzaga big man Drew Timme scored a career-high 37 points on 15-of-19 shooting from the field. Last night? The Longhorns held Timme to just 18 points, which is still a nice night but far from the performance he put on in Spokane in 2021.

Carr finished with 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists in an overall well-rounded night. Sophomore guard Tyrese Hunter was the big star for Texas, though, as he went off for 26 points while going 5-of-8 from behind the three-point line.

"It’s a program win because a lot of things went into it," head coach Chris Beard said of the win. "It’s a sign of respect to Gonzaga. They’re really good. They have the kind of program that we are trying to build, in terms of consistency. Four years ago, who was Gonzaga’s best player? You don’t remember. Was Gonzaga really good four years ago? You remember they were. We’re trying to get to that consistency. We’re in the early stages in Year Two. But I thought our guys took a big step in the right direction today.”

Texas has another big, program-defining game coming up on December 1st when the Longhorns take on the currently No. 10-ranked Creighton Bluejays at the Moody Center.