Tag: empire classic

Texas falls to No. 5 UCONN in Empire Classic, 81-71

Texas fought hard against UCONN but it wasn’t enough.

The Texas basketball program endured its first loss of the 2023-24 season. The loss came at the hands of last season’s national champion in the No. 5 UCONN Huskies.

There’s no shame in losing to a program of Connecticut’s pedigree, but it is a missed opportunity. There aren’t many out-of-conference tests on the Longhorns’ schedule, so the game could be viewed as one that got away. Such perspective doesn’t give adequate respect to the challenge Texas faced on Monday.

The Longhorns were undersized on the night, and it didn’t help that they had to face one of the biggest players in college basketball. Connecticut center Donovan Clingan towered over the Texas front line standing at 7-foot-2.

While Clingan’s height presented issues for the Longhorns, it was the Huskies’ well rounded forward Alex Karaban who did the most damage. Karaban shot 8-for-14 from the field with four three-point baskets and 20 points to lead UCONN in scoring.

Texas had a solid enough day offensively shooting 45.2% from the field and 76.9% from the free throw line. It will still need to improve to reach the level that Connecticut is playing at right now.

The Longhorns will next take on the Wyoming Cowboys on Nov. 26.

No. 19 Texas basketball wins thriller over Louisville, 81-80

Texas basketball will next face No. 5 UCONN after defeating Louisville in the Empire Classic.

The Texas Longhorns basketball team won on Sunday afternoon. The nation’s No. 19 team (4-0) defeated the Louisville Cardinals (2-2) to win their first game in the Saatva Empire Classic.

The game will not likely go down as a signature win later this year given Louisville won only four games last season. It’s still a huge early win for a team looking to gel with several new players.

The Longhorns looked good in a handful of areas. Virginia transfer forward Kaden Shedrick is proving better than expected when Texas brought him over through the transfer portal. Shedrick made a couple of highlight plays on his way to a career high 27-point game.

True to form, Texas forward Brock Cunningham made huge plays around the basket. Late in the game, Cunningham blocked a close range attempt to keep the Longhorns within striking distance of a win.

After a missed Shedrick free throw while trailing 77-76 with under two minutes left, the veteran forward grabbed a rebound and drew a foul. Cunningham knocked down the free throws.

On the following possession after a Louisville three by transfer guard Skyy Clark, Texas forward Dillon Mitchell crashed the boards to grab a rebound before being fouled.

Though the team was unable to capitalize on much of its all-out effort, it was hustle plays that got Texas back into the game. Down by one point, a defensive scramble for the ball led to a Louisville shot clock violation with 7.9 seconds. Out of a sideline inbound, Texas guard Max Abmas promptly hit a game-winning fadeaway jumper with 0.4 seconds left.

The team is off to a hot start. It will continue to push for more wins in nonconference play. The Longhorns will next face the defending national champions and No. 5 ranked UCONN Huskies in the Empire Classic.