The No. 3 Texas Longhorns started their NCAA Tournament against the No. 14 Abilene Christian Wildcats in round one. The Longhorns came in as an 8.5 favorite, but the Wildcats have made things tough for Texas through the first half as the Longhorns lead by a score of 28-23.
It was expected to be a defensive battle, but the Longhorns haven’t been able to get any consistent shots down. The exception has been Andrew Jones, who’s shooting 50% from the field and 66.7% from three-point range.
The biggest difference in this game is the Wildcats continuing to shoot the three but have not been able to find any comfortability from beyond the arch. The team is shooting 25% from long-range so far for the game.
This matchup looks like it is going to be a close finish, but Texas needs to be able to get someone besides Jones who can make shots deep. Courtney Ramey is shooting 25% and Matt Coleman III already has two personal fouls.
Leading Scorers at the Half:
Joe Pleasant: 7 points, 6 rebounds
Kai Jones: 7 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists
Andrew Jones: 6 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists