Previewing Tennessee-Texas with On3's Inside Texas

Inside Texas managing editor Joe Cook previews No. 10 Texas (17-3) at No. 4 Tennessee (17-3) before the Big 12-SEC Challenge game on Saturday (6 p.m. Eastern Time; TV: ESPN) at Thompson-Boling Arena:

Who is this Texas team under Rodney Terry?

The Longhorns under Rodney Terry, who became acting head coach after Chris Beard’s suspension and eventual termination, aren’t too much different than what they were under Beard. They are a veteran team with four starters and three contributors boasting NCAA tournament experience from Texas’ typical nine-man rotation. Seven of the nine contributors are at least in their second-year of high-major basketball, and several are super-seniors.

Texas is willing to run in transition more so than last year, but they still leave a lot to be desired from beyond the arc. Texas shoots 56.3 percent from two-point range and 33.4 percent from three (which will probably play well into the hands of Tennessee’s No. 1 ranked three-point percentage defense). On defense, the Horns believe in the “no middle” concept which tries to funnel the ball to the perimeter and the baseline and keep the offense out of the paint. They’ve been decently effective in that area this year, but there have been some slow rotations on three-point shooters that have cost the Longhorns.

Overall, it’s a team that relies on experienced ball-handlers, quality free-throw shooting, pace on offense, and tenacious defense to overcome deficiencies rebounding and shooting from distance in the always-tough Big 12.

How has Texas handled the adversity?

On December 12, Chris Beard was suspended following a felony domestic violence arrest. That arrest occurred just after midnight, so most players woke up to the news of their head coach’s arrest. The suspension was announced late in the afternoon, a few hours before a non-conference home game versus Rice.

Texas was disjointed, but they earned the win that night. It spoke to not only Terry’s ability to be a head coach (he had several years of experience at UT-El Paso and Fresno State),  but also to the players on the team who set out to accomplish the task at hand despite distractions.

Since then, the Longhorns have relied on the experienced corps of returners to get themselves to the top spot in the Big 12.

With veteran super-seniors like Marcus Carr, Timmy Allen, Christian Bishop, Brock Cunningham, and Sir’Jabari Rice, the team has players who have seen a lot in college basketball. To them, there was no time to mope and complain. They knew they had to keep playing and that’s what they’ve done admirably in the month and a half since Beard’s suspension, and in the weeks following his termination.

Who should Tennessee fans know on the Texas roster?

Marcus Carr (No. 5) has been the focal point of the Longhorn offense this season. Texas runs a motion offense, but it’ll often get into a jam and require some Carr hero-ball to bail the Longhorns out of the situation. It’s something he’s been remarkably good at this season, probably at a first-team All-Big 12 level. Our Paul Wadlington has more on that here.

Timmy Allen (No. 0) is an old-school, below-the-rim player who thrives in the midrange. The highest-rated prospect on the roster is Dillon Mitchell (No. 23), but he struggles to create for himself. If he’s left open from the low post, Texas targets him for big alley-oops pretty consistently.

The last player to know is Sir’Jabari Rice (No. 10). A sixth-man by trade, he gets most of the minutes during closing time. A Volunteer defender is going to bite on his ball fake.

How is Texas playing right now?

The Longhorns only have three losses this year and all were in Quadrant 1 games. The first was a neutral site overtime loss to Illinois, and the next two came versus scorching-hot Kansas State at home and at Iowa State on the road. Texas has staged comeback wins over TCU and Texas Tech, defeated a limited Oklahoma State team twice, and gutted out road wins at West Virginia and Oklahoma in Big 12 play.

Carr is playing some of his best basketball, and Allen is finding a groove in the offense after struggling to find a role earlier in the year.

One player who has come on of late is former Vanderbilt Commodore Dylan Disu (No. 1). A 6-foot-9 forward, Disu has found his touch in the paint on offense and has played sturdy defense.

One area of weakness for Texas is…

On offense, it’s three-point shooting. The Longhorns are eighth (out of 10) in the Big 12 in shooting behind the arc. There are opportunities there thanks to Carr’s improved driving ability, but there’s no knock-down shooter on the team. Carr can, and Brock Cunningham (No. 30) has improved as a spot-up guy, but it’s not a strength. The more threes Texas takes, likely the better it is for the Vols.

Texas wins if…

The Longhorns are able to get to the line more often than Tennessee. To me, that means they are succeeding off the dribble and getting into the paint. That’s a tough ask, but in the Longhorns’ only three losses this year the opponent made more visits to the stripe than UT.

Winning in transition would help, but free throw opportunities will be indicative of how the offense is faring.