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Texas Basketball: What to watch for against Eastern Illinois

By Shane Black

AUSTIN, TX - NOVEMBER 29: Head coach Shaka Smart of the Texas Longhorns reacts as his team is defeated by the Texas-Arlington Mavericks 72-61at the Frank Erwin Center on November 29, 2016 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TX - NOVEMBER 29: Head coach Shaka Smart of the Texas Longhorns reacts as his team is defeated by the Texas-Arlington Mavericks 72-61at the Frank Erwin Center on November 29, 2016 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images) /
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NASHVILLE, TN – MARCH 16: Kerwin Roach II #12 of the Texas Longhorns shoots a three pointer over Hallice Cooke #13 of the Nevada Wolf Pack during the game in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 16, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN – MARCH 16: Kerwin Roach II #12 of the Texas Longhorns shoots a three pointer over Hallice Cooke #13 of the Nevada Wolf Pack during the game in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 16, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

4. The three ball

The Texas Longhorns have had one main struggle over Smart’s tenure. Offensive productivity, specifically from beyond the arc. The numbers tell the story.

2015-16: 34.1 team three-point percentage. 205th in the nation.

2016-17: 29.2 team three-point percentage. 345th in the nation.

2017-18: 32.0 team three-point percentage. 321st in the nation.

For a variety of reasons, there is hope that a change may be in store for these numbers.

Tuesday night will be telling.

The two best three-point shooters (by percentage) from last season’s roster will again be key contributors this season. Andrew Jones (46.3 percent) and Kerwin Roach II (36.4 percent) very well may be the Longhorns two best offensive weapons, so expect them to combine for eight or so three point attempts per game.

In the 10 games Jones played last season, he showed an ability to not only catch and shoot, but shoot off the dribble as well. His pull up jumper looked like that of a guy with an NBA future. Though Smart stated Jones is still trying gain back all his strength, he should be a big contributor and a guy the Longhorns count on in crunch time.

As for Roach, the senior took a big step last season when Jones went down. He improved his three-point percentage by eight percent from the previous year. Roach proved to be a reliable late-game scorer and a guy who never lacked confidence in his jumper.

He will sit out the season opener due to an off-season violation of team rules. But when Roach is on the court expect him to be a guy who takes and makes the three-point shot.

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