Vokietaitis dominates at the free-throw line, but must improve defensively to elevate Texas' game in the tough SEC.
Texas center Matas Vokietaitis has a big superpower, and it isn't being seven feet tall.
Vokietaitis is getting to the free-throw line at an astronomical rate, having attempted 112 freebies through Texas' first 13 games, helping establish himself as the team's leading scorer.
Tuesday night's game against Maryland Eastern Shore was just the latest example, as Vokietaitis was fouled 13 times, getting to the charity stripe a career-high 21 times, the same amount as the entire UMES team.
While standing taller than almost everyone on the court is certainly a factor in getting fouled, Texas head coach Sean Miller says Vokietaitis' physicality also plays a major role.
"He's just really physical and strong... Just elite shape. You run into him, and it's like hitting a wall," he said after Tuesday night's victory. "If you can catch, and you're that big, and you have great hands, and you're physical, there's nothing soft about you... the sky's the limit."
"I'd say Matas in all three of those areas is really good."
However, to take full advantage of his free-throw abundance, he's got to sink them at a healthier rate.
So far, Vokietaitis is shooting about 68% from the free-throw line, leaving tons of meat on the bone. The good news? He's shown the ability to knock down his free throws at an elite clip, going 14 of 14 from the line in the Longhorns' win against Southern.
Texas can only hope that those kinds of showings become the new normal for Vokietaitis.
Like many players on the team, Miller wants to see improvement on the defensive end from his big Lithuanian center.
Vokietaitis serves as the defensive anchor for the Longhorns, meaning he's in charge of defending the paint, but also the perimeter in a world where stretch bigs are far more abundant than in the past.
His trials and tribulations on that side of the ball are a key reason why Texas continues to struggle defensively.
"I think there's a completely different standard that he can get to defensively that he's not at," Miller said. "Being able to play without fouling, being able to guard on the perimeter... Right now, we need him to improve in that area."
And Miller's completely right, because the level of big men the Longhorns are facing is about to go up a notch.
If Vokietaitis can continue to raise his levels on both sides of the ball, Texas has a chance to compete with even the most physical of SEC teams.