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Whenever it looked like the Longhorns were in striking distance, North Carolina State’s Aziaha James hit another three-pointer.
Whenever it looked like the Longhorns were in striking distance, North Carolina State’s Aziaha James hit another three-pointer. Continue reading “Texas Longhorns women’s basketball falls to NC State in Elite Eight”
With a 69-47 victory over Gonzaga Friday in Sweet 16 action the Texas Longhorns earned the right to play North Carolina State on Sunday.
With a 69-47 victory over the No. 4 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs in women’s basketball Sweet 16 action at the Moda Center on Friday, the No. 1 seed Texas Longhorns earned the right to play No. 3 seed North Carolina State Sunday in Portland.
Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. CT with ABC broadcasting the game.
The Longhorns are 5-2 all-time against the Wolfpack, but it was NC State that won 84-73 the last time the teams played on Nov. 29, 2019.
It is Texas’ 11th all-time appearance in the Elite Eight as the program looks for its fourth Final Four appearance in its history and its first since 2003. The Longhorns also made the Final Four in 1986-87. It is Texas’ third Elite Eight appearance in four seasons.
The Wolfpack fought past Stanford 77-67 in the Sweet 16 behind a 29-point effort from Aziaha James. Madison Hayes dished out 10 assists while Saniya Rivers registered a 13-point, seven-rebound effort.
A stifling defense propelled the No. 1 seed Texas Longhorns past the No. 4 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs 69-47 in Sweet 16 action Friday.
Three Texas Longhorns women’s basketball players scored in double figures as a stifling defense propelled the No. 1 seed Longhorns past the No. 4 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs 69-47 in Sweet 16 action Friday at the Moda Center.
Aaliyah Moore led Texas with 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists while battling injury throughout the contest.
Shaylee Gonzales added 15 points while Shay Holle registered 12 points.
The Longhorns used a 10-0 run to take a 14-7 lead just past the halfway mark of the first quarter. Madison Booker picked up her second foul with 2:38 remaining in the first quarter and was held to two points in the first half. Moore picked up the slack, leading Texas with nine points in the half.
Texas ended the half on a 10-2 run to lead 37-18. The Longhorns held Gonzaga to 14% from the field with only three field goals made.
Gonzales made a three pointer to halt a 9-0 Zags run in the third to get Texas a 44-29 lead. The Longhorns stretched the lead out to 19, 54-35, at the end of the third.
Texas held Gonzaga to 26.5% from the field in the game.
The Longhorns will face No. 3 NC State in the Elite Eight on Sunday.
Texas has plenty of options among wing players in the transfer portal for 2024.
The Texas Longhorns enter a critical time in transfer portal recruiting. The team gets a head start on NCAA tournament teams still playing. They need to capitalize.
The wing position was lacking for the Longhorns when they last took the court. Texas whiffed in the portal at the position last offseason and failed to stretch defenses to the three point line. Frankly, it didn’t get much scoring in general from the position.
A handful of impactful shooting guards and small forwards are in the portal. 247Sports’ Eric Bossi looked at a few who could make an immediate impact for their next team.
Bossi started his list with USC’s Kobe Johnson. The Pac-12 all-defensive team pick was compared to Kansas’ Kevin McCuller who went for 18 points, six rebounds and four assists per game this season.
Andrej Stojakovic, son of former NBA player Peja Stojokovic, also makes the list after leaving Stanford. Stojakovic put up 7.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per contest as a freshman. At 6-foot-7, he has the requisite height to add length to the Texas starting lineup as it moves to the SEC.
As three-point shooting specialists go, Oklahoma’s Otega Oweh and Belmont’s Cade Tyson seem to be among the best at long range shooting at the position. Tyson put up a 44.6% percent rate from three while Oweh connected on 37.7% last season.
Among more realistic options, Rice’s Mehki Mason and Louisville’s Tre White stand out at the position. Mason plays not far from Austin, while White is from Texas. Mason scored 14 points per game to go with four rebounds and 2.8 assists last season. Tre White added 12.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.
The Longhorns don’t lack options at small forward and shooting guard. They’ll need to find one to contribute if they want to push for NCAA tournament success in 2024.
A host of wing players have dived into the transfer portal@ebosshoops highlights the most intriguing wings to hit free agencyhttps://t.co/AHz6WjdGG5 pic.twitter.com/YAcBRuw9b1
— 247Sports (@247Sports) March 28, 2024
Could Texas recruit Kentucky transfer Adou Thiero?
Kentucky guard Adou Thiero has entered the transfer portal. The talented guard could be worth consideration for Texas head coach Rodney Terry.
Thiero isn’t necessarily a game changer, but would be a good addition for a team that needs more than it got last year in the transfer portal.
The 6-foot-8 guard added 7.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in 2023. The height alone should warrant a look at the sophomore guard’s film.
Texas’ loss to Tennessee made apparent one key flaw for the Longhorns’ roster. The team’s lack of height prevented it from scoring at the basket against Tennessee rim protectors. They could see more of that in the SEC if they fail to get taller across the board. The SEC is a tall league.
Whether or not Texas adds Thiero, it will need role players who can step up and score when its primary scorers go cold. Thiero’s rebounding ability is an added bonus.
Texas has an opportunity to get a head start in the transfer portal over teams still playing in the NCAA tournament. We will monitor the Longhorns’ portal pursuit over the next couple months.
BREAKING: Kentucky's Adou Thiero has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal, per @JamieShaw5👀https://t.co/9t4eOVaxpo pic.twitter.com/RXpzz4Oolz
— On3 (@On3sports) March 28, 2024
How head coach Rodney Terry approaches the transfer portal will indicate what he learned last offseason.
Texas head coach Rodney Terry is a good basketball coach. That much seems evident through two seasons in Austin. Whether or not he is good enough at roster building is up for debate.
Terry is 4-2 in the NCAA tournament at Texas. An Elite Eight finish and Big 12 tournament title headline Terry’s accomplishments on the Forty Acres. If given a talented roster, he can guide it to tournament wins. That his current team won a game in March Madness is impressive in its own right.
The team that Terry assembled for the 2023-24 campaign was lacking. It was incomplete because of a lackluster effort in the portal or an inability to close enough big time players. They were certainly available in the last transfer portal class. Texas just didn’t bring in the same volume of quality players it brought in over the prior two offseasons.
The last portal class didn’t yield a guard combo of Marcus Carr and Sir’Jabari Rice. It didn’t come close. There was no alpha forward or leader like Timmy Allen. A successful portal haul has to include a lot more of players like that for the Longhorns this offseason.
To his credit, Terry has an excellent recruiting class. Five-star shooting guard Tre Johnson headlines a class that includes two other big time players in Cam Scott and Nicolas Codie. Three freshmen likely aren’t going to transform the Texas basketball team on their own. They will probably need more help.
Texas has to do better in the transfer portal this offseason. It can’t afford to pass or fail to sign prospects like Arizona guard Caleb Love and Tennessee guard Dalton Knecht who we wrote about last offseason. Those players are still playing. The Longhorns are watching at home.
How Rodney Terry approaches this transfer portal will indicate whether or not his roster building philosophy has changed. It might need to change if Texas wants to get back to playing after the first weekend.
Texas faces Alabama on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Texas’ women’s basketball program continues its quest for a national title on Sunday. Continue reading “How to watch No. 1 Texas vs. No. 8 Alabama in the NCAA Tournament”
Despite several opportunities, Texas came up short against Tennessee.
The Texas Longhorns’ basketball season ended on Saturday night. The team lost to the Tennessee Volunteers, 62-58.
Despite several chances to get back into the game, Texas seemed incapable of making it interesting until late.
Tennessee had perhaps its worst offensive performance of the year. The team shot 3-for-25 from behind the three point arc and 34% from the field. Yet it was the Vols’ suffocating defense that rendered the Longhorns incapable of a comeback.
Texas struggled to hit the three as well going 7-for-23. Even so, its inefficiency from its top two scorers made offense more difficult.
Longhorns guard Max Abmas and forward Dylan Disu combined to go 7-for-28 on the way to 22 combined points. Guards Tyrese Hunter and Chendall Weaver each added 13 points to lead the team in scoring.
The recurring issue of the season reared its head on Saturday. The team simply didn’t have enough offensive contributors from its lackluster portal haul. And despite 22 missed three point baskets from Tennessee, Texas couldn’t make them pay offensively in response.
The Longhorns failed to duplicate their 2023 NCAA tournament run. They’ll look to regroup in the offseason following the second round loss.
Texas will face former head coach Rick Barnes in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.
No. 7 Texas will face No. 2 Tennessee in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday. Continue reading “How to watch No. 7 Texas vs. No. 2 Tennessee in NCAA Tournament”
Texas is back to the round of 32 after a huge win over Colorado State.
No. 7 Texas is back in the round of 32 after a gritty win over the No. 10 Colorado State Rams. The team did what it needed to do: Survive and advance.
The Longhorns’ tournament success continues under Rodney Terry who improved to 4-1 in the NCAA tournament as the team’s head coach. Terry’s team had a favorable first matchup.
Colorado State needed to beat Virginia in the play-in game to get there. Offensively, the Rams looked like a team that required a play-in game to reach the round of 64.
The Longhorns locked down the Rams offense in the first half. Colorado State trailed 27-11 at the half. Texas’ physicality and success at the backboard proved valuable.
Much of Texas’ offensive success came off two-point baskets. The team went 1-for-14 from behind the three point arc. The Longhorns’ opponent didn’t do much better going 6-for-24 from three point range.
Texas forward Dylan Disu and guard Max Abmas each scored 12 points despite shooting for a combined 10-for-33 from the field. Forward Chendall Weaver was the next highest scorer with 11 points on 5-for-7 on field goals.
Texas advances to face the winner between No. 2 Tennessee and No. 15 Saint Peter’s.
