Junior guard Jordan Pope and the rest of the Texas men’s basketball team are ready to meet Texas A&M again on Saturday, this time in front of a home crowd.
Studying up on his opponent Wednesday night, Pope watched the second half of the No. 13 Texas A&M narrow win over No. 16 Ole Miss.
“It was a crazy ending,” Pope said. “I didn’t think (Texas A&M) would be able to come back and pull it off, but they stayed in the game. They’re a very skilled team, very physical team who really puts a lot of pressure on you, so it was no surprise.”
In the 63-62 road win, the Aggies were down by two-possessions with under a minute left of play. However, with a three-pointer the Aggies took the first lead of the night with 13 seconds remaining.
“What they did to Ole Miss was kind of what we struggled with the first time we played them,” Pope said. “They’re a really good team, so we have to definitely stay up to par.”
Texas is very familiar with how Texas A&M can come back from behind. In their first matchup, the two teams were tied at the half, but the Aggies came back from the locker room and found its stride, beating the Longhorns 80-60.
Since its first Southeastern Conference game against Texas A&M, Texas has grown as a team, reflecting on another loss against No. 5 Florida to pull away with its second SEC win against No. 22 Missouri on Tuesday.
“We let ourselves down in that Florida game in the back end of that second half,” Pope said. “Coming into the Missouri game, we really wanted to hang our hats on the defensive end and execute our game plan. I think we did a good job bouncing back and just looking at ourselves in the mirror and seeing what we need to work on, what we need to do in order to be successful in this league.”
It hasn’t just been the team that has grown. Pope has stepped up on the team, finding more playing time on the court after junior guard Chendall Weaver suffered a hip injury against Auburn.
“With (Weaver) being out, I know we’re missing the energy plays, the physicality, the rebounds and everything he does for us,” Pope said. “So just trying to make winning plays like he does. Coming down,
rebounding, making winning plays, getting people shots and just being there for my teammates.”
Since entering SEC play, Pope has brought a 5-point average from the start of the season up to 12. He played a pivotal role in the team’s first win against Oklahoma, holding off a huge second half run with four steals and 27 points total.
“Throughout the year, it’s been kind of up and down with different people out with injuries, but I try to stick to myself, be my true self,” Pope said. “That’s just being aggressive, being a winner, making the right plays and just doing whatever it is that Coach Terry asks me to do. I think I’ve done a good job of adjusting and doing that thus far.”
