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Texas Basketball vs. VCU: 5 takeaways from upset loss to Rams

By Andrew Miller

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 09: Virginia Commonwealth Rams fans cheer against the Rhode Island Rams during the first half in the Quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 9, 2018 in Washington, DC.(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 09: Virginia Commonwealth Rams fans cheer against the Rhode Island Rams during the first half in the Quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 9, 2018 in Washington, DC.(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 23: Kamaka Hepa #33 of the Texas Longhorns passes the ball against Joshua Langford #1 of the Michigan State Spartans during the championship game of the 2018 Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena on November 23, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 23: Kamaka Hepa #33 of the Texas Longhorns passes the ball against Joshua Langford #1 of the Michigan State Spartans during the championship game of the 2018 Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena on November 23, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images) /

5. Texas can’t catch a break

Texas basketball shouldn’t be playing teams like VCU close in the first place. VCU is a quality opponent, but doesn’t have near as much talent or depth as the Horns do. That also rang true for the last loss for this team against Radford. Texas isn’t firing on all cylinders like it would need to beat VCU.

The similarities in the losses to VCU and Radford are striking. Although Texas did own the edge in depth in the rotation over both teams, that didn’t shine through on the court in each game. Outside of a solid effort from true freshman big man Jaxson Hayes, once again, the Horns only got eight points in scoring off the bench.

This now makes two games in a row for the Horns where a loss occurred by a margin of three points or less. Texas had a few opportunities to even up the score against Radford late. But, it couldn’t put the ball in the basket late. Texas really couldn’t find shooting rhythm late against the Rams.

Even the loss to Michigan State saw the Horns control the pace of the game most of the way. It just couldn’t hang on in the second half to seal the victory. Instead, Michigan State really pulled away in the second half to win by a 10-point margin. This now makes three winnable game for the Horns that sit in the loss column.

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