The Longhorns put together two impressive wins in a row last week defeating ranked Baylor and Oklahoma teams. After disappointing losses to UCF and West Virginia, those wins were needed for Rodney Terry and company. Through four games of the six game stretch against ranked opponents, Texas sits at 2-2.
While those are reasonable expectations, Texas missed an opportunity on Monday night to get a resume boosting-win against the Houston Cougars. The loss to BYU was predictable as the Cougars are a ranked team themselves and very difficult to beat in Provo. Monday’s game at Moody Center was one for the taking and the Longhorns just couldn’t finish the job. That will be one that haunts Texas if they find themselves on the wrong side of the bubble come Selection Sunday.
Things don’t get any easier as the Longhorns travel to TCU this Saturday before hosting Iowa State on Tuesday. The positive is it gives the Longhorns two more opportunities to add much-needed ranked wins to their resume. If Texas can win both games, which is doable, it will get them back on track this season. Let’s dive into what’s going on with the team and what needs to change.
Rebounding Remains an Issue
In the loss to Houston, Texas was outrebounded 48-36, but more importantly 16-8 on offensive rebounds. Houston is one of the best rebounding teams in the country, but giving a team like Houston 16 offensive rebounds just can’t happen. Kelvin Sampson’s Cougars are already the more talented team, and giving them that many second chance opportunities is a back breaker. Teams will see that and hit the glass even harder testing the Longhorns’ ability to rebound.
How you can fix that in the middle of a season? It isn’t an easy thing to do but there are ways Texas can improve. Forward Dillon Mitchell has had his moments of rebounding well since Big 12 play started. Mitchell is averaging just under eight rebounds a game in conference play but he is capable of getting 10+ rebounds a game. Everyone needs to increase the rebounding effort. Forward Dylan Disu has brought a needed scoring presence since returning but he has just one game of more than seven rebounds this year.
A player who needs more playing time is forward Ze’Rik Onyema. He hasn’t received many minutes in Big 12 play but when he has, he plays with energy that is lacking from the Texas frontcourt. Forward Kadin Shedrick is clearly still dealing with his back injury and it shows in his play. He is struggling on the glass and it may be a good thing to give some of his minutes to Onyema. Part of rebounding is hustle and determination. That is something nobody will question about Onyema.
Chendall Weaver Needs to Start
If you have watched the Longhorns over the course of the last month you can tell that the more Chendall Weaver plays, the better Texas plays. He plays with an energy that is often lacking and provides a relief of ball handling duties at times for Max Abmas and Tyrese Hunter. Weaver is also the best on-ball defender the Longhorns have and that has shown repeatedly. Weaver was guarding both of Houston’s star guards LJ Cryer and Jamal Shead. He made it difficult on them, especially Cryer, who shot just 5-17 from the field. Abmas is not known for his defense and has a ton of responsibility on offense, and having Weaver on the court makes it harder for teams to hunt Abmas.
The player who Weaver needs to replace in the starting lineup is Ithiel Horton. Horton is a versatile wing but his impact just hasn’t been what Rodney Terry had hoped this season. Horton often looks lost on the floor. On offense he is usually not in the right spot, causing poor spacing and typically only looks to shoot the three. On the defensive side he struggles as well. The chemistry just isn’t there with Horton and the starting unit. Inserting Weaver and putting Horton on the second unit is something Terry needs to consider for the TCU game.
Texas Needs to Shoot Better from the Free Throw Line
Outside of rebounding, issues at the free throw line is at the top of the list as to why Texas fell short against Houston. 14/20 or 70% simply isn’t good enough from the line and that stands true for any team. That is especially the case for a team which struggles to score at times and certainly struggles in the half court. Max Abmas, who is roughly a career 90% shooter from the line, missed two against Houston. One made free throw would have given Texas the lead with three minutes remaining.
In big games every point matters, plain and simple. Forward Dillon Mitchell is shooting just 60% from the line which is a problem. Moving forward teams will hack Mitchell late in games to send him to the line if he can’t prove he can knock down his free throws. If the Longhorns can improve to 75-80% from the line it will make a big difference. This team isn’t far away, they just need a little boost and scoring five more points a game could help tremendously. That can be done by simply making free throws.
