What you missed: Texas falls short of a comeback to defending back-to-back national champions the UConn Huskies 76-65, Huskies become 1st non-conference team to beat the Longhorns in the Moody Center (21-0).
The participants: #25 UCONN Huskies @ Texas Longhorns
Hardwood MVP: We might sound like a broken record, but I kid you not this kid is special. The Hardwood MVP is none other than Freshman Phenom Tre Johnson, posting a stat line of 24 points, 4 assists, 3 steals, 9/17 from the field and a TS% of 64%, adding yet again another impressive performance across the Forty Acres. Johnson came alive and well in the second half of this ball game and displayed the talent we are surely aware of.
Ahalf game to forget: To start off Texas came out flat on the defensive end while having a staggering offense in the first half of the matchup and quite frankly UConn had their way with them. UConn posted 42 points shooting 53.8% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc going 6/12 out rebounded the longhorns 22 to 13 and found open shooters having 12 assists by the break giving them their largest lead of 22, while Texas just flat put struggled on both offense and transitioned into their defense. Texas shot 30.8% from the field and just made 1/6 3PA at the break. Overall UConn shot 45% from three point land and had 21 assists to Texas' 8 and UConn out rebounded Texas on the offensive glass 13 to Texas' 7. Overall a game that can't be replicated in the future if the horns hope to make a run in March.
Who cut the line: In Texas’ media availability heading into their matchup against UConn, I asked Head Coach Rodney Terry, “what specific aspect of their game do you feel will pose a big threat to your team and how are you and your team going to respond to it?” Terry stated, “Danny has a really good shooting team they can really shoot the basketball almost every position in terms of putting pressure on the basket, getting down hill, Terrell Reed’s come in and giving a really good low post presence and a guy that, you know, one of the top offensive rebounders in all of college basketball, you know, Karaban back, really shoot the basketball, Liam can shoot the ball, so shooting defense is going be a big deal in this game.” he was not kidding, UConn shot a stunning 53.8% in the first half and kept it rolling ending the night shooting 28/54 overall and 51.9% from the field. Texas was a team known for its defense so this was definitely a shock in the first half though showed signs of life against the defending champs in the second half of the competition creating havoc but continued to lose their off ball matchups in the perimeter.
Put out the fire before it gets worse: We mentioned the concerns Texas’ interior defense poses against teams who can attack the rim effectively I can say we got a taste of the first issue that will need to be managed in order for Texas to make a run in March. UConn out rebounded Texas 38-26 in the game and when getting out rebounded like that there is a very slim chance a comeback will become a finished product. Another, yet arguably most important factor for the loss was Texas’ defensive efforts in the perimeter, heading into this contest Texas allowed an average 33.7% from three to opposing teams ranking them 207th in the entire country after seeing games like Ohio state, and now UConn who shot 45% from three just shows me that this could be a growing wound that need to be treated carefully otherwise a postseason in March will be a no show for the Horns. Another factor is too much iso ball against a team like the huskies who force teams to play 1 on 1 in the half court they forced Texas to fall into the style of game they wanted to and while I do believe UConn is a well-rounded team this style of play will not pose as big of a threat against certain matchups in the SEC.
Chasing the sniper: As of right now Tre Johnson is on par with the likes of KD for points in a season. As of right now, here are their point totals through their first 9 games:
Tre Johnson: 190
Kevin Durant: 184
The participants: #25 UCONN Huskies @ Texas Longhorns
Hardwood MVP: We might sound like a broken record, but I kid you not this kid is special. The Hardwood MVP is none other than Freshman Phenom Tre Johnson, posting a stat line of 24 points, 4 assists, 3 steals, 9/17 from the field and a TS% of 64%, adding yet again another impressive performance across the Forty Acres. Johnson came alive and well in the second half of this ball game and displayed the talent we are surely aware of.
A
Who cut the line: In Texas’ media availability heading into their matchup against UConn, I asked Head Coach Rodney Terry, “what specific aspect of their game do you feel will pose a big threat to your team and how are you and your team going to respond to it?” Terry stated, “Danny has a really good shooting team they can really shoot the basketball almost every position in terms of putting pressure on the basket, getting down hill, Terrell Reed’s come in and giving a really good low post presence and a guy that, you know, one of the top offensive rebounders in all of college basketball, you know, Karaban back, really shoot the basketball, Liam can shoot the ball, so shooting defense is going be a big deal in this game.” he was not kidding, UConn shot a stunning 53.8% in the first half and kept it rolling ending the night shooting 28/54 overall and 51.9% from the field. Texas was a team known for its defense so this was definitely a shock in the first half though showed signs of life against the defending champs in the second half of the competition creating havoc but continued to lose their off ball matchups in the perimeter.
Put out the fire before it gets worse: We mentioned the concerns Texas’ interior defense poses against teams who can attack the rim effectively I can say we got a taste of the first issue that will need to be managed in order for Texas to make a run in March. UConn out rebounded Texas 38-26 in the game and when getting out rebounded like that there is a very slim chance a comeback will become a finished product. Another, yet arguably most important factor for the loss was Texas’ defensive efforts in the perimeter, heading into this contest Texas allowed an average 33.7% from three to opposing teams ranking them 207th in the entire country after seeing games like Ohio state, and now UConn who shot 45% from three just shows me that this could be a growing wound that need to be treated carefully otherwise a postseason in March will be a no show for the Horns. Another factor is too much iso ball against a team like the huskies who force teams to play 1 on 1 in the half court they forced Texas to fall into the style of game they wanted to and while I do believe UConn is a well-rounded team this style of play will not pose as big of a threat against certain matchups in the SEC.
Chasing the sniper: As of right now Tre Johnson is on par with the likes of KD for points in a season. As of right now, here are their point totals through their first 9 games:
Tre Johnson: 190
Kevin Durant: 184
Last edited by a moderator:
