Texas Longhorns
Big 12 (18-13, 8-10)
No team but Baylor has made it through the brutal Big 12 without quite a few losses. The Longhorns had their fair share of losses, but none of them are bad losses. This is a squad that has beaten teams like California, Texas A&M and Oklahoma. The Longhorns may not have the most impressive overall record, but this is a team that has the talent to beat anybody on any given day.
Big Wins: 11/26 vs California (61-60), 1/11 at Texas A&M (76-71), 1/18 Iowa State (62-60)
Bad Losses: 1/4 Kansas (67-72), 1/7 at Oklahoma State (51-70), 1/28 at Texas Tech (71-75)
Coach: Gail Goestenkors (5 seasons at Texas)
Why They Can Surprise:
Texas’ offense runs through a trio of high scoring guards. Chassidy Fussell is the Longhorns go-to-scorer. She is a dynamic scorer who can finish around the basket and consistently knock down the long ball. Fussell is a superb free-throw shooter and she will attack the basket enough to get to the line. It is Ashleigh Fontenette and Yvonne Anderson who usually have the ball in their hands. Both are solid passers, but they are the secondary scorers behind Fussell as well. Fontenette is a quality shooter, but she will also get to the basket and score. Anderson is not a huge threat from outside, but the senior point guard is a threat to hit the long ball and that does open up the offense for Fussell and Fontenette to hit the long ball or slash to the basket. Anderson will score too, but her biggest asset to this team is finding the rest of the scorers and keeping everybody else involved.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Defensively, the Longhorns frontcourt is tough to match. Ashley Gayle, a 6-3 center, is one of the best shot blockers around. She will do plenty of work on the glass as well. Fellow center Cokie Reed and forwards Annie Marie Hartung and Nneka Enemkpali will all help out on the glass and defensively. However, none of the frontcourt players are much of an offensive threat. That leaves a lot of pressure on Fussell, Fontenette and Anderson to score some points. It also makes it more difficult for the backcourt to get open looks on the perimeter. The frontcourt has the potential to score and if this offense is going to reach its full potential, the frontcourt has to get involved offensively and the backcourt has to make sure they do not forget about the post players on the offensive end.
Probable Starters:
Ashleigh Fontenette, Senior, Guard, 11.9 ppg, 3.6 apg, 4.3 rpg
Yvonne Anderson, Senior, Guard, 11.9 ppg, 5.6 apg, 2.7 spg
Chassidy Fussell, Sophomore, Guard, 16.5 ppg, 1.6 apg, 4.5 rpg
Anne Marie Hartung, Sophomore, Forward, 4.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg
Ashley Gayle, Senior, Center, 5.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.9 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Chelsea Bass, Sophomore, Guard, 7.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg
Nneka Enemkpali, Freshman, Forward, 3.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg
Cokie Reed, Sophomore, Center, 6.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 67.7 (75th in nation, 5th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 61.9 (174, 7)
Field-Goal Percentage: 40.9 (82, 5)
Field-Goal Defense: 36.1 (49, 3)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.0 (143, 7)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 33.7 (52, 3)
Free-Throw Percentage: 69.2 (160, 7)
Rebound Margin: 1.7 (123, 7)
Assists Per Game: 14.0 (76, 6)
Turnovers Per Game: 16.7 (133, 8)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
Texas 2011 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Texas
Texas 2010 NCAA Round of 64 loss to San Diego State
Texas 2009 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Mississippi State
Texas 2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over Minnesota
Texas 2008 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Connecticut
Texas 2005 NCAA Round of 64 win over Oral Roberts
Texas 2005 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Georgia
*all team stats through 3/1
See All Women’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
