Texas faces an offensive and defensive juggernaut in UConn. Can the Longhorns overcome their defensive struggles to compete with the Huskies?
Texas men's basketball faces its toughest test of the season Friday night against the No. 5 UConn Huskies in Hartford, Connecticut.
The Longhorns' last contest against power conference competition was an 88-69 loss at home to Virginia, and it's fair to say they need a much better performance if they want to even challenge the Huskies.
"It's a matter of playing our very best, having a high-performance evening, competing at the very highest level that we can," Texas head coach Sean Miller said on Wednesday. "That's the focus of our preparation and mindset as we make the journey to Hartford."
Dan Hurley's UConn is back to its best after a subpar season last year, beating four ranked opponents already. Its only loss came against No. 1 Arizona.
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The Huskies are a team that can beat you in all phases. Defensively, they're a juggernaut, allowing the 10th-fewest points per game in college basketball at just under 62. On the offensive side of the ball, they're one of the slowest teams in the nation, but they make up for it through efficiency. UConn slots in at 14th in Ken Pomeroy's offensive efficiency rankings.
"They do more screening off the ball than maybe any college team. So, a lot like Virginia, they break you in the last 10 seconds," Miller said. "They have the ability in their half-court to pick on a guy can't do it, and that guy oftentimes lets his team down."
"They have constant pressure on your defense from the opening tip to the final buzzer."
That'll be a challenge for a team whose main struggles have come defensively. The Longhorns are 103rd in Ken Pomeroy's defensive efficiency rankings, and it's something Miller has been harping on all season.
Miller blames Texas' defensive woes on late "breakdowns."
Many of these breakdowns are occurring late in the shot clock after a solid start to a defensive possession, which is even more frustrating for Miller. This is the main area the Longhorns are trying to improve on defense, and Miller knows it'll take time.
"I don't know if we'll go from 20 (breakdowns) to five in terms of now, we only have five breakdowns, but I know we can get it to 12, 16, 15, and it's just that's the process we're in right now," Miller said.
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This game is a great litmus test for a team that will soon enter the gauntlet that is SEC play. A championship program like UConn will expose any weakness a team has, so Texas' margin for mistakes is as slim as it gets.
"When you play a team like UConn, you know your room for error is very little," Miller said. "It's a great test to see if we've improved in that really important effort of being able to play with much more force and competitive spirit from start to finish."