The No. 7 Texas Longhorns opened with 109 points in Monday’s blowout victory over the Chicago State Cougars. Head coach Sean Miller was just as interested in the possessions they did not waste.
Texas made half its 3-pointers, doubled Chicago State on the glass and won its opener by 50. When Miller got to the statistic he liked best, he picked the turnovers.
There were only 10.
Thursday’s matchup against Gardner-Webb at the Moody Center gives Texas another chance to build those habits. No. 7 Texas has
shown how much offense this roster can produce against an overmatched opponent. Now it has to keep finding those shots and clean up the defensive mistakes a comfortable win can hide.
The Longhorns enter 1-0 after Monday’s 109-59 victory. The Runnin’ Bulldogs arrive 0-1 after an 86-46 loss at No. 4 UConn. Both teams are still sorting through new rosters, but Texas should have the size and depth to control this one.
Game information
- Matchup: Gardner-Webb at No. 7 Texas
- Tipoff: Thursday, Nov. 5, 7 p.m. Central
- Venue: Moody Center, Austin
- Streaming: SEC Network+
- Broadcast crew: Wiley Ballard, Dylan Disu, and Austyn Iven
- Radio: Longhorn Radio Network
- Series: Texas leads 1-0, winning 95-63 in December 2009
Texas’ official game preview
Keep the guards making the next pass
The opener gave Texas 22 assists against those 10 turnovers. Freshman guard Austin Goosby finished his first college game with eight assists and two turnovers, a productive response to the mistakes Texas made in its exhibition loss at St. John’s.
Miller said Goosby and Isaiah Johnson had four turnovers between them at halftime Monday. They finished with four.
“The best stat for us is we had 10 turnovers,” Miller said after the game.
That matters with junior guard Mikey Lewis still out. Miller said Sunday that Lewis, recovering from a broken fifth metatarsal, is expected back in mid-to-late December. Until then, Goosby and fellow freshman guards Bo Ogden and Joe Sterling are handling more responsibility than the original rotation required.
Sterling made four three-pointers against Chicago State. Goosby found teammates with a game-high eight assists. Johnson supplied scoring and another ball handler with 18 points and five assists. Thursday gives them another chance to learn which possessions call for an early attack and which need another pass.
Watch whether Texas keeps getting good shots when the first action doesn’t work. Making 13 of 26 from deep helped Monday. Taking care of the ball should travel even when the shooting does not.
Texas’ opener recap
Make the pressure count
Freshman forward Marcus Spears Jr. finished his debut with 11 points, five rebounds, and four blocks. The blocks matter beyond the shots they erase — they can start the transition possessions Miller wants this team to create as the Longhorns try to turn defense into early offense more frequently this season after ranking 355th last season in forced turnover rate.
Texas finished with eight steals and six blocks against Chicago State. There were also a few breakdowns in pick-and-roll coverage and fouls late in the shot clock, Miller said. He wants the activity without giving back the advantage.
Spears provides a good example. Miller pointed to second-half possessions when the freshman extended his pressure but either fouled or let his man get past him. The next step is learning how much pressure he can apply while still keeping the ball in front of him.
Gardner-Webb gives Texas a chance to test that discipline. The Bulldogs committed 17 turnovers against UConn and struggled to finish inside, making just three of 13 layups. Texas should make them work to begin their offense, stay connected through the first screen, and finish the possession with a rebound.
The opener’s 44-22 rebounding advantage was a good response to the exhibition. Repeating the effort matters more than repeating the margin.
Texas’ official box score
Gardner-Webb is a new-look team, too
Jeremy Luther’s third Gardner-Webb team has 11 newcomers, and its first two assignments are road games against top-10 opponents. One night at UConn is a harsh basis for judging the entire roster, but it does show where Texas can attack.
UConn won the rebounding battle 46-28 and outscored Gardner-Webb 42-10 in the paint. The Bulldogs made 12-of-47 shots overall, 25.5 percent. Six makes came from beyond the arc, leaving six baskets inside it.
Matas Vokietaitis should be central to making Thursday similarly difficult. He scored 22 points on 9-for-9 shooting Monday, but Miller’s larger expectation is that his returning center sets the tone every night. Early position, hard runs to the rim and consistent rebounding give the young guards a dependable place to go.
Gardner-Webb’s Jacob Hudson led the team with nine points at UConn. Seth Brown and Jackson Skipper scored eight apiece and each made two three-pointers. Texas cannot let its interior advantage turn into careless closeouts.
Sam Nosakhare led the Bulldogs with eight rebounds. Keeping him off second chances would make a struggling offense earn its points on the first attempt — the Runnin’ Bulldogs only had four offensive rebounds against the Huskies, leading to four second-chance points.
Gardner-Webb’s season-opening preview | Gardner-Webb’s opener recap | UConn’s game report
One availability note
John Clark is another player to watch before tipoff. Miller said Sunday that Clark, recovering from a broken hand, had resumed non-contact work and could be cleared as soon as Thursday. That was a possible return date, not a confirmation that he would play — the school has not provided an update on Clark’s status.
Prediction
Texas 94, Gardner-Webb 58.
The Longhorns have enough scoring options to win without another perfect shooting night from Vokietaitis or another barrage of threes. Goosby and Johnson still have to keep the offense organized, and the defense has to finish the possessions its pressure creates.
Monday showed what happens when Texas gets those things right. Thursday is a chance to make them routine.
