Texas will turn to a mid-major opponent to build some momentum and continuity as it hosts Southern on Monday in Austin, Texas.
The Longhorns (6-3) return to the court after a disheartening 88-69 home loss to Virginia on Wednesday in an ACC/SEC Challenge game. Texas trailed by 19 points at halftime and by 27 nine minutes into the second half in the one-sided affair.
Dailyn Swain led with 15 points and 10 rebounds and Jordan Pope scored 10 for the Longhorns, who have dropped two of their past four games. Texas allowed Virginia to make 12 of its 24 3-pointers, dish out 18 assists and produce 38 points from its bench players.
“It’s becoming a pattern with us — we’re too easy to score on,” Texas coach Sean Miller said. “We have to fix that. We have to be better. We have to have just more of an inner fight and toughness on that side of the ball to be able to defend the shot, challenge the shot, rebound the ball, defend the man in front of you.
“We’re at a crossroads,” Miller added. “You can’t lose at home and be down by 25, 30, in a big game early in the year, great crowd, and not feel like that’s a problem. And that’s where we’re at. So we have to improve.”
Five of the Longhorns’ wins this season have been against mid-major or non-Division I teams, with four of those on their home court. Texas’ only big win was against then-No. 23 NC State in the fifth-place game of the Maui Invitational.
The Jaguars (4-4) roll into Austin with a two-game winning streak, most recently a 101-48 victory over NAIA foe Louisiana Christian on Dec. 1. Five Southern players scored in double figures with Michael Jacobs hitting for 22 points, Cam Amboree adding 15, Fazl Oshodi and Brandon Hardy each scoring 14, and Ashton Magee tallying 13.
The Jaguars led by 44 points at halftime and waltzed to the finish line, shooting 58% from the floor, earning a 45-29 edge on the boards and forcing 20 turnovers that they converted into 31 points.
Three of Southern’s four wins have come against NAIA or NCCAA teams; the fourth was a 75-73 road decision against Northwestern State. Monday’s game is the first of a five-game road trip to end the month of December before SWAC play gets underway.
