Texas Women's Basketball seeks win #1000 as they square off against Kansas on Wednesday night

The Kansas Jayhawks stand between the Texas women’s basketball team and win No. 1,000.

They play at the Frank Erwin Center on what could be a historic Wednesday in Austin.

“Wednesday is a big day,” Texas head coach Karen Aston said in Monday’s press conference. “I feel like it’s an unbelievable opportunity to get the 1,000 wins that we have been talking about. But an opportunity, most importantly, to do it on our home court in front of our fans.”

With a win, Texas would join a prestigious group that only four other schools belong to: Tennessee, Louisiana Tech, James Madison and Old Dominion.

Texas owns an 18-1 overall record and a 7-1 record in Big 12 play. Texas’ only loss came Jan. 17 against then-No. 6 Baylor. The Longhorns rebounded from the Baylor loss with a 65-58 win against TCU and an 83-76 win against then-No. 19 Oklahoma. The Longhorns hold the No. 6 ranking in NCAA Division I women’s basketball.

Kansas comes to Austin winless in Big 12 play and 5-14 overall. When these two schools matched up earlier in the season, Texas won 75-38.

“I think [the Jayhawks] are actually playing better, but they can’t quite get over the hump,” Aston said. “[They] look more confident than when we played them the first time.”

In the first game, Texas allowed only 12 made field goals from Kansas, holding the Jayhawks to a 25.5 shooting percentage. Senior Texas guard Empress Davenport scored 11 points and grabbed 10 boards, recording her first career double-double. Junior guard Briana Taylor stole the ball five times, setting a career high. The Jayhawks’ leading scorer was sophomore guard Lauren Aldridge with 12 points. Senior center Imani Boyette scored 15 points, leading all scorers.

Texas, as the second-best offense in the Big 12, averages 74.5 points per game. Not a single Longhorn ranks in the top-10 in individual scoring, though. Texas shares the ball, and on any given night, any Longhorn can record double-figures in scoring. Against Oklahoma, Texas’ previous opponent, the Longhorns had four players finish with double-figures in scoring: Davenport (18), Boyette (18), Ariel Atkins (11) and Lashann Higgs (11). Sophomore guard Brooke McCarty averages 11.1 points per game, ranking second on the team, only finished with 9 points.

Boyette currently leads the Longhorns in scoring with an average of 13.6 points per game. She is shooting 56.4 percent from the floor. Boyette also averages double figures in rebounds with 10.1 per game. In 19 games this season, Boyette has recorded a double-double in 11 of them.

Aston said Boyette is more confident and mature when asked about the center’s success this season in Monday’s press conference.

Texas’ defense allows an average of 52.6 points per game. The Longhorns rank second in the Big 12 in blocks per game with nearly six, and Boyette leads Texas with an average of more than three per game.

“A year or so ago, we might not have been talking about a team that wasn’t afraid to shoot or wasn’t afraid to make a play,” Aston said. “I am pleased that they are not afraid to make plays because last year I think that was a problem.”

The 2015-16 Texas team is tied for the program’s third best start in history. The last time the Longhorns won 18 of their first 19 games was the 1986-87 season.