Shaka Smart has made it known he wants his Texas teams to be known for playing elite defense and making life miserable for opposing teams. While the defense has been good at times for much of the 2019-2020 season so far, the offensive struggles that have plagued Texas in previous seasons are beginning to show up again. In a matchup against a top 10 Baylor team on the road, the Longhorns failed to break the 50-point mark, dropping their Big 12 opener by a final of 59-44. The loss drops Texas to 10-3 on the season and 0-1 in Big 12 play.
It was a tough night for Texas shooters, as the Longhorns finished the evening shooting 34.6% from the field and 18.8% from three-point range. Equally as troubling was how the Longhorns were dominated on the glass. The Bears finished with 20 offensive rebounds and controlled the boards for all 40 minutes. Jericho Sims was the lone bright spot for Texas, as the junior recorded another double-double (13 points and 15 rebounds). The only other Longhorn to reach double figures was Courtney Ramey off the bench with 11 points.
The Bears received a strong performance from MaCio Teague, who had a game-high 21 points to go along with 6 rebounds. Despite shooting only 31.3% from the field as a team, Baylor was able to keep the Longhorns from mounting any sort of comeback thanks to a strong performance at the free-throw line (87.5%) and strong defense. The Bears only recorded 23 points in the second half after taking a 36-23 lead into halftime, but it was more than enough with Longhorn’s poor overall performance.
Texas will have their first home Big 12 game on Wednesday when they welcome Oklahoma to the Frank Erwin Center. Tip-off will be at 8 PM and the game will be broadcasted on ESPN2.
