Texas repeatedly sends opponents to the free-throw line, costing crucial late-game momentum and turning potential victories into disheartening losses.
Basketball is a physical sport, but Texas is stretching its rules to the limit, which is consistently hurting them - especially late in games.
On Wednesday night, with just under three minutes left in the game, the Longhorns had cut Kentucky's lead to five after trailing by 10 just a couple of minutes earlier.
From there, all they needed was a couple of stops and scores to tie or possibly take the lead at Rupp Arena. Instead, Texas fouled Kentucky in three of its subsequent four defensive possessions, effectively icing the game.
And this isn't a one-time thing for the Longhorns.
“We have a virus called fouling... we will foul the living (expletive) out of you," Texas head coach Sean Miller said after his team's 85-80 loss. "We will foul a three-point shooter, we will foul at the end of the clock, we'll leave our feet on drives, we'll reach. You describe the foul, and the team that I'm coaching will commit it."
Texas ranks 323rd in college basketball in fouls per game, averaging 19.7. For reference, there are 365 teams in Division I men's basketball.
The Longhorns are also getting to the free-throw line at a fairly high rate, but because they're sending their opponent to the line just as much, it basically cancels out their production in that department.
Fouls are backbreakers, momentum killers, energy shifters, and as long as it keeps committing them at a high rate, Texas will struggle to build momentum in conference games.
"Kentucky was 30-35 from the line. It's hard to win an SEC road game when the home team is 30-35 from the line," Miller said. "The officiating was fine; it was called the right way. We fouled."
The Longhorns' foul issues on defense wouldn't be as much of an issue if it created lots of turnovers... but they don't. They rank 311th in defensive turnover percentage.
In comparison, Texas' rivals, Texas A&M, commit more fouls per game than the Longhorns. However, the Aggies rank 22nd in defensive turnover percentage.
A&M's aggressive nature on defense leads to more fouls. Texas doesn't have that excuse.
"Our team isn't put together to turn you over," Miller said. "If you're not turning them over and you're fouling, it really makes it difficult on the defensive end."
A couple of weeks ago, Sean Miller called out his team's effort. The next week, the Longhorns beat two top-15 ranked opponents.
Let's see if his recent comments can create a similar type of spark for Texas on the defensive end.