Pope's Clutch Shot Secures Texas Win

0:00On March 20, Texas basketball guard Jordan Pope finally silenced his doubters with a clutch corner, three-pointer that helped seal a 79-2. 71 win over BYU in the NCAA tournaments round of 32. The shot came late in the game when BYU had cut Texas's lead to just four points during a 17-to-2 run. Playing in Portland, just 90 minutes from his old school Oregon State, the senior from Oakley, California sparked the Longhorns Rally 2. Pope transferred to Texas after two tough seasons at Oregon State, where he earned freshman honors and led the beavers in scoring at 17-point. Six points per game, but saw a few wins in a combined 24 and 40 record. His first year in Austin under the previous coach was rough, with career lows in minutes and shots as he adjusted to a lesser role. New Hey Coach Shaw Miller brought tough love, coaching Pope harder than anyone else and benching him at times, like during a recent loss to Arkansas, where he played just four minutes.

1:00But Miller saw untapped potential in the experienced point guard, and it paid off with that huge shot right in front of the Texas bench. Family and friends made the 10-hour drive from California to cheer him on, and Pope appreciated the West Coast crowd after not playing there in a, wow. He finished with 12 points on 4 of 11 shooting, including 3 of 9 from beyond the arc, plus two rebounds and assists in 32 minutes. Now averaging 15.5 points over his last four games, Pope has Texas eyeing a sweet 16-spot in San Jose about 90 minutes from home, and he made it clear they're not done yet with more work ahead.