Texas entered the SEC Tournament ranked No. 1 in the country, but the Longhorns looked completely overmatched on Sunday in a 64-45 loss to South Carolina in the championship game that highlighted their serious offensive issues ahead of the NCAA Tournament.
Even after this disappointing performance, the Longhorns are projected to receive a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, per CBS Sports bracketologist Connor Groel. Generally, every team on the 1-line is a national title contender, but is that still the case for Texas?
The Longhorns’ resume would say yes. They are 31-3 with 10 wins against top-25 opponents, and won three consecutive games against top-10 foes at one point this season. Entering Sunday, they were one of just two teams in the country (along with UConn) in the top-10 in both offensive and defensive rating, per CBB Analytics, and their plus-34.6 net rating was second only to the Huskies.
And yet, when watching Texas play you often come away unconvinced. Never more so than Sunday.
The Longhorns managed just 45 points, their lowest-scoring game all season, and their lowest as a program since 2021 when they scored 34, also in a loss to South Carolina. They shot 16 of 54 from the field (29.6%), their second-least efficient outing of the season, and made just 1 of 8 3-point attempts. In fact, they had more turnovers (18) than made field goals (16).
In the first half, they scored just 16 points, which were the fewest in a half by an AP No. 1 team in a decade and the fewest in a half in SEC Tournament championship game history.
There are some things Texas does very well on the offensive end. The Longhorns lead the country in offensive rebounding rate (43.9%) and are tied for 26th in free throw rate (34.7%). Furthermore, they usually take great care of the ball, and are 15th in turnover rate (15.2%).
Texas’ ability to crash the glass for extra opportunities and get to the free throw line, combined with its elite defense, has been enough — sometimes just enough — to get the job done on most nights. But UT’s inability to shoot leaves a very small margin of error.
The Longhorns are last in the nation in 3-point rate (17.1%) and 138th in 3-point percentage (30.8). Sunday’s defeat was the 15th time they’ve taken fewer than 10 3s in a game this season and the eighth time they’ve made one or fewer. While they’re more willing to take mid-range attempts, they’re just 37.9% on jumpers inside the arc, per Synergy Sports.
That allows opponents to pack the paint, which is what South Carolina did to tremendous effect. This possession during the second quarter, when Texas scored six points on 3 of 12 from the field and had six turnovers, was perhaps the best example.
Madison Booker attempts to drive left, but Kyla Oldacre is planted on the block and Rori Harmon, a non-shooter, is in the corner. Harmon clears out, but because she’s not a threat, her defender just stays on the strong side to contain Booker. Likewise, Oldacre’s defender is already in the paint and Booker’s defender eventually recovers, which leaves the Longhorns star in this spot.
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South Carolina clogs the paint to contain Booker
As Booker backs out and tries to drive back toward the middle of the floor, the Gamecocks have all five players in the paint.
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All five South Carolina defenders are in the paint
Booker is eventually able to drop the ball down to Oldacre in the paint, but she’s immediately swarmed by multiple defenders who are ignoring their matchups and don’t have to travel far to help. The result is an extremely difficult flip shot that gets deflected on the way up.
While the Longhorns can overwhelm many teams, elite opponents like the Gamecocks that have the size, athleticism and defensive know-how to match up with them can make life extremely difficult.
To win their first national title since 1986, Texas is going to have to beat multiple other contenders. As great as their defense is, it’s hard to see them doing that given their offensive challenges.
