Texas Longhorns
Big 12 (26-6, 15-3)
Texas has continued its ascent towards the elite of women’s college basketball during the 2017-18 season. The Longhorns have come close to knocking off Connecticut and Baylor at home this season. Now, the question is how Texas will respond in the Sweet 16 or Elite Eight when they see this caliber of opponent on a neutral court. There is plenty of talent on this roster and it will be interesting to see if head coach Karen Aston and her staff can get this team to the Final Four in 2018.
Big Wins: 11/24 vs LSU (75-66), 12/3 at Georgia (81-53), 12/17 Florida State (87-72)
Bad Losses: 12/10 at Tennessee (75-82), 1/10 at TCU (77-79), 2/19 Baylor (87-93)
Coach: Karen Aston
Why They Can Surprise:
Texas has played an excellent schedule which should have them prepared for just about every style of play they’ll see in the postseason. The backcourt is loaded with experience led by Ariel Atkins and Brooke McCarty. Atkins is one of the top all-around guards in the country as she is shooting well over 50 percent on the season along with averaging 14.8 points per game. McCarty runs the offense at a very high level as her assists to turnover ratio is excellent and is averaging 13.9 points per game on the season offensively. Lashann Higgs is also very efficient with her shot selection as she is shooting 52.8 percent from the floor this season and her presence makes the Longhorns very a dangerous scoring team. Jatarie White is a type of the player down in the post that can cause plenty of problems for opposing teams.
Why They Can Disappoint:
If Texas runs into a Baylor or Connecticut will they learn from previous losses this season and be able to not let teams of that caliber beat them mentally? The reality is that there is not a giant gap talent wise between the Longhorns and all the number one seeds in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. It is going to come down to the ability of Texas to embrace the underdog role when they play a number one seed in their region. If they can’t, then they will fall short again during the Sweet 16 or Elite Eight.
Probable Starters:
Ariel Atkins, Senior, Guard, 14.8 ppg, 3.2 apg, 5.5 rpg, 2.7 spg
Brooke McCarty, Senior, Guard, 13.9 ppg, 4.5 apg, 4.4 rpg
Lashann Higgs, Junior, Guard, 12.8 ppg, 2.7 apg
Alecia Sutton, Sophomore, Guard, 6.7 ppg, 2.3 apg
Jatarie White, Junior, Center, 10.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg
Key Role Players:
Joyner Holmes, Sophomore, Forward, 6.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg
Audrey-Ann Caron-Goudreau, Senior, Forward, 6.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg
Jordan Hosey, Junior, Forward, 3.6 ppg, 2.3 rpg
Jada Underwood, Sophomore, Guard, 2.9 ppg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 81.6 (15th in nation, 2nd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 63.4 (140, 3)
Field-Goal Percentage: 46.6 (18, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.2 (180, 5)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.4 (204, 8)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 32.5 (135, 7)
Free-Throw Percentage: 70.6 (156, 6)
Rebound Margin: 10.7 (4, 2)
Assists Per Game: 16.6 (27, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 14.8 (103, 5)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2017 NCAA Round of 32 win over North Carolina State
2017 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Stanford
2016 NCAA Round of 64 win over Alabama State
2016 NCAA Round of 32 win over Missouri
2016 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over UCLA
2016 NCAA Regional Final loss to Connecticut
2015 NCAA Round of 64 win over Western Kentucky
2015 NCAA Round of 32 win over California
2015 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Connecticut
2014 NCAA Round of 64 win over Penn
2014 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Maryland
2012 NCAA Round of 64 loss to West Virginia
2011 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Texas
2010 NCAA Round of 64 loss to San Diego State
2009 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Mississippi State
2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over Minnesota
2008 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Connecticut
*all team stats through 3/1
