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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 22: Luke Maye #32 of the North Carolina Tar Heels and Dylan Osetkowski #21 of the Texas Longhorns battle for rebounding position during the 2018 Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena on November 22, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Texas defeated North Carolina 92-89. (Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 22: Luke Maye #32 of the North Carolina Tar Heels and Dylan Osetkowski #21 of the Texas Longhorns battle for rebounding position during the 2018 Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena on November 22, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Texas defeated North Carolina 92-89. (Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images) /

3. Texas FINALLY dominates on the glass

An area where massive improvement is needed soon for Texas basketball is in the paint. While the bigs have emerged of late as a valuable tool for the Horns, the rebounding game is still going against them. Rebounding is a key part of thriving in the Big 12 in a conference play gauntlet that can eat mediocre teams alive.

The way the Horns looked of late shows that this team could fall into mediocrity in the Big 12 if its not too careful. Before the three-game losing streak, this Texas team looked as if it could finish in the top three of the Big 12 standings when its all said and done. Those are the types of swings this team goes through early in the regular season.

It’s key for sophomore Jericho Sims and freshman Jaxson Hayes to stay hot in this game. Sims caught fire of late, with 30 points and 14 rebounds in his last two games. He’s scored in double figures in two straight games. Sims had just one game scoring in double figures in the six previous this season.

Texas is giving up way too many opportunities for its opponents to grab extra possessions and stay in the game. It isn’t rebounding at the level it needs to be, and the two aforementioned young bigs do need to continue to step up. Senior forward Dylan Osetkowski is also a key figure to watch who needs to dominate on the glass.

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