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Texas Basketball vs. Purdue: 5 bold predictions against Boilermakers

By Andrew Miller

BOSTON, MA - MARCH 23: Carsen Edwards #3 of the Purdue Boilermakers reacts during the second half against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament East Regional at TD Garden on March 23, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - MARCH 23: Carsen Edwards #3 of the Purdue Boilermakers reacts during the second half against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament East Regional at TD Garden on March 23, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 23: Kerwin Roach II #12 of the Texas Longhorns dribbles 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: Kerwin Roach II #12 of the Texas Longhorns dribbles 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) /

4. Kerwin Roach Jr. finds his groove again

While Ramey went through a difficult stretch in creating offense off the bench of late, it doesn’t match up to the impact that the dip in production from senior shooting guard Kerwin Roach Jr. had. The good news for Roach Jr. and Texas basketball is that he’s at least made some shots in the last three or four games.

However, the issue for Roach Jr. right now is the amount of reliance sits on his shoulders in this offense. He gets iso looks often for the Horns and sometimes the ball doesn’t even leave his hands on offense. The usage rate for Roach Jr. this season sits at a career high 25.4 percent. If he can’t pull the ball in the hoop soon, this offense needs a new gameplan.

Roach Jr. sits among the best volume scorers in the Big 12. When he’s on, he can do things like lead the Horns to an upset win over the North Carolina Tar Heels. On the other hand, when he’s down he can sink the rest of the team with him. That was proof in the losses to VCU and Radford that came by a combined four-point margin.

Finding a secondary source of consistent scoring is key for Texas. But, getting Roach Jr. back in the right groove is even more important. This offense thrives when he does and his shooting funk can’t last forever. With Purdue and the Providence Friars still left on the non-conference slate, expect this senior leader to step up starting on Dec. 9.

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