No. 2 Texas looks like a power, and Marcus Carr is its engine
With 90 seconds on the clock inside the packed Moody Center on Thursday night, the tensions were high and the result of a top-10 showdown between Texas and Creighton hung in the balance. Despite an ice-cold shooting performance in Austin, the Bluejays found themselves in a three-point game.
Needing a play, and looking for a closer, the moment represented everything that Longhorns fifth-year senior guard Marcus Carr had been working for in the offseason. He received the ball on the left wing with six seconds on the shot clock, made a shot fake, took two dribbles and pulled up from 14 feet … good.
It’s not the first clutch play he’s made, and it certainly won’t be the last. That said, like the new state-of-the-art Moody Center and like a Texas alum Chris Beard on the sideline, Carr just looked comfortable in closing time for the Longhorns, delivering in the leadership role that every team needs.
For Carr and the No. 2 Longhorns (6-0), who earned their second top-10 win of the season, a 72-67 victory over the No. 7 Bluejays, the process to becoming one of the nation’s best teams started this past spring.
This is not to say that Texas was starting from scratch. The Longhorns went 22-12 last season and earned the program’s first NCAA Tournament win in eight years. But that’s not the way Carr was thinking. The Minnesota transfer considered his first season in Austin a disappointment. He went from 19.4 points and 4.9 assists per game as a junior for the Golden Gophers, to 11.4 points and 3.4 assists in his first season with the Longhorns.
With a 23rd birthday on the horizon this past June, he gave thought about his next step. Would he take a shot at the pro ranks, or return to Texas? As his reflections continued, he kept returning to a feeling of dissatisfaction.
"I had a little regroup with my family first in Toronto," the Canada native said. "I had constant talks with Coach (Beard) as well. There were a few guys who said early in the offseason that they were coming back. Talking with those guys and Coach, I really didn’t do what I wanted to do in my first year with the program. We knew we had unfinished business. We came here to cut a net down at Texas, and we don’t want to leave here without doing that."
Making that decision came with new challenges and a new lifestyle. Carr did not want to simply return to Austin for a final ride with the same body. He cut junk food out of his diet completely, and he invested in his body. In total, he dropped 15 pounds and got into better shape than he had ever been.
"When we talk about weight loss in college basketball, you don’t normally think of a 6-foot-2, 175-pound guard needing to drop some pounds," Beard said of his star senior. "But, that’s what he did because he doesn’t want the same feeling we had last year losing to Purdue in the Round of 32. He wants to win at all costs."
Carr took on more than just his body. He looked at himself in the mirror and thought about ways that he could improve his leadership skills.
"I had a lot of sit-downs with Coach, but I also held honest conversations with our team," Carr said. "I asked the guys how I could be better. How can I be a better leader for you guys? I knew by having those honest conversations, that we could put that feedback together and make it work. Ultimately, that’s the most important thing. If I’m able to lead these guys, and they’re able to look to me for big moments, and I’m able to lean on them as well, we’re going to be a great team."
On Thursday night, the veteran guard rose to the occasion in a grind-it-out game, scoring a team-high 19 points to go with five assists and no turnovers. Carr has formed a great friendship with his new backcourt mate, Iowa State transfer Tyrese Hunter, who poured in 15 points in the Longhorns' win over Creighton, which fell to 6-2.
"Our relationship has been amazing," Hunter said of Carr. "From the day of my visit to now, we’ve been best friends off the court. We’ve both got that mindset. We’ve both got that end goal that we want to get to. We’re not really surprised by the outcome we’re getting because of the work we’re putting into it, but we know how much better we can get. We’re here for a reason."
"[Carr's] individual numbers in college basketball speak for themselves, but what he’s really doing now, he’s winning, man," Beard said. "He’s playing like a leader, like a winner."
Speaking of those numbers, through six games to start the season, Carr is averaging 15.5 points on 44% shooting from the floor and 37% from 3-point range, as well as 24 assists and just seven turnovers. Oh, and he leads the team with 12 steals and 28.2 minutes per game.
But for Carr, those figures pale in comparison to the fact that there’s a big zero in the loss column. This final chapter in Austin is something he takes pride in, and the legacy of being the latest Canadian to wear the No. 5 jersey is on his mind.
"Wearing No. 5 now, like a fellow Canadian Cory Joseph once did at Texas, I’m not unaware of that," Carr said with a smile. "I want to pay homage and respect to him every time I suit up in this number. Everything Cory’s done for the game in Canada and me being a guy that’s seen him come through there and make it to the highest level possible and come through Texas, it’s pretty amazing."
Carr credited Texas associate head coach Rodney Terry as instrumental in nurturing the Canadian recruiting pipeline, and he’s looked up to other former Longhorns who came from The North in Joseph, Myck Kabongo and Tristan Thompson.
More than anything, though, Carr’s reason for being at Texas is because he feels like he can be the best version of himself.
"I know that I can always try to be better, and this place has challenged me to keep doing that," said Carr, who had Texas assistant coach Brandon Chappell walk by and call him the "epitome of a leader" during our interview.
"Seeing Beard’s vision and plan from the start, and how much he wants to win, that’s what drives me," he added. "The vision is clear here: to win a national championship. We want to cut that net down on Monday night."
It may be early December, but between Carr’s accountability and turning words into actions with plays like he made on Thursday night, Beard’s goal of bringing the program’s first national championship back to Austin couldn’t be on a better track.
Carr is supplying the leadership in Austin, and something special is brewing on the hardwood for the Longhorns.
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John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him on Twitter @John_Fanta.
