'Revenge Game': Longhorns' Marcus Carr Had Gonzaga on His Mind
AUSTIN -- Let's rewind back to Nov. 13, 2021. It's a day Texas Longhorns guard Marcus Carr has become all too familiar with.
The Gonzaga fans in the student section at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, WA waved goodbye, yelled "Horns Down!" and sat to enjoy an uncontested win as their hometown Bulldogs cruised to a 86-74 victory to remain at No. 1 in the country.
On the other end of all the banter was No. 5 Texas, who walked out on the loser's end after getting handled for most of the night. Luckily, another meeting with the Zags awaited the team in Austin a year later.
Call it revenge or call it a motivation-fueled performance. But No. 11 Texas (3-0) had a payback-punch that was in a year in the making Wednesday night at the Moody Center, cruising past No. 2 Gonzaga (2-1) in a 93-74 rout.
It was a moment Carr had been waiting for, and he's not hesitant to call it a bit of revenge.
"We had that in the back of our minds ever since we left Spokane," Carr said. "It was kind of a revenge game for us as well."
Carr, one of five returners to play in that game last season, seemed to let a year's worth of motivation fuel him toward a standout performance against the Bulldogs, as he posted 16 points, grabbed four rebounds and dished out seven assists while shooting 4 of 9 from 3-point range.
He almost never left the court either, playing 37 minutes while no other Longhorn played more than 27 minutes. He was giving Texas coach Chris Beard no choice but to keep him on the floor.
The familiarity he had with the Zags also seemed to have paid off after countless times of re-watching last year's game.
"We've seen that film more than a few times since that night," Carr said. "That loss is definitely something that we didn't forget and we knew we kinda owed them one."
Carr got hot early and stayed steady late. He had three first-half 3-pointers, including a deep rainbow from the top of the key in what was the beginning of Texas' uncontested run to the finish line.
He assisted or scored on eight straight points for Texas midway through the second half, which included a catch-and-shoot 3 in the corner to essentially blow the doors off any chance Gonzaga had a late rally.
Even in a 19-point win that swelled to as big as a 23-point lead in the closing stages, Carr remained in the game until the final buzzer.
And a little over a year later, he seemed to have finally gotten rid of that annoying taste in his mouth.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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