With both Myck Kabongo and J'Covan struggling to create shots, Texas' offense crawled to a standstill in the first half of their must-win Big 12 Tournament game against Iowa State.
Fortunately for the Longhorns, the Cyclones have been nearly as inept offensively and are up only 28-25 after 20 minutes of action.
With Alexis Wangmene out for the season after dislocating his wrist, Clint Chapman has provided a surprisingly strong defensive effort on Iowa State star Royce White, whose scored only 6 points.
The Cyclones stifling perimeter defense has forced Texas into taking contested jumpers at the end of the shot clock, as the Longhorns have shot only 26% from the floor in the first half.
The big difference in the game has been the 11 points from Iowa State's bench. With Wangmene out, Texas has gone to a seven-man rotation and the strain of chasing the Cyclones three-point shooters around the perimeter has clearly worn on their legs. The Longhorns had a number of shots die at the front of their rim.
In the second half, Texas will need Brown and Kabongo to draw fouls attacking the rim, as the free-throw line could be their biggest friend.