Texas basketball faces Incarnate Word in final outing before Big 12 play

The last non-conference game lies ahead for No. 16 ranked Texas basketball and new head coach Chris Beard against Incarnate Word at home at the Frank Erwin Center on Dec. 28. With Texas set to open up Big 12 play on Jan. 1 against the West Virginia Mountaineers at home at the Erwin Center, this matchup against Incarnate Word is an important final shot to build momentum before the conference slate.

Beard and the Longhorns will also be looking to extend their winning streak to four straight games if they can top Incarnate Word on Dec. 28. The last slip-up for Texas came in a loss on the road to the No. 23 Seton Hall Pirates back on Dec. 9. Texas has won three straight games over the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions, Stanford Cardinal, and Alabama State Hornets.

The last game that the Longhorns played in resulted in a 68-48 win over Alabama State on Dec. 22. But that game was anything but comfortable for Texas throughout about 75 percent of it. Texas took a while to get off and running against former Longhorns forward Gerald Liddell and Alabama State.

Following their win over Alabama State last week, Beard and the Longhorns are sitting on a record of 9-2 (0-0 Big 12) heading into this meeting with Incarnate Word. Meanwhile, Incarnate Word is carrying a record of 2-10 (0-0 Southland) after their 20-point loss to the No. 3 Purdue Boilermakers on Dec. 20.

If nothing else, Incarnate Word is no stranger to facing tough competition heading into this game. While they were convincingly beaten by the Boilermakers last week, they will be ready for the Longhorns on this night.

Texas basketball still needs key seniors like Marcus Carr and Courtney Ramey to step up for Chris Beard and his staff

Texas needs to be careful not to come out with the same sluggish start in this game that they had in the win over Alabama State.

Moreover, Texas is a sizable 34-point favorite a few hours ahead of tip-off for this game. And the ESPN matchup predictor gives Texas an overwhelming 99.3 percent chance to beat Incarnate Word at home.

I keep harping on the idea that the Longhorns need to get some of their more inconsistent upperclassmen so far this season going heading into conference play. That is still going to be one of the most significant storylines heading into the Big 12 slate this weekend.

Texas needs seniors like guard Marcus Carr, guard Courtney Ramey, and shooting guard/wing Andrew Jones to get their minds right ahead of the start of Big 12 play. This is really the final opportunity for them to do that.

Carr is a particularly important Longhorns player that Beard needs to get going before facing West Virginia on Jan. 1. He is off to a very underwhelming start and is maybe the most inconsistent player on the roster through the first 11 games of the regular season.

In this game, the Longhorns will have to use their solid defense to lockdown on four key scorers for Incarnate Word. Senior forward Johnny Hughes III, senior guard RJ Glasper, junior point guard Drew Lutz, and sophomore shooting guard Josh Morgan are all averaging at least a dozen points per game this season.

Allowing just 53 points per game so far this season, Texas is the nation’s top defense. They need to utilize that as an energy boost to come out with a purpose on both ends of the floor. Texas could really get the momentum rolling in their direction with a complete performance ahead of the start of Big 12 play.

It is also noteworthy that Beard and the Longhorns will be without freshman forward Jaylon Tyson for the first time this season, as he put his name in the NCAA Transfer Portal early this week.

Tip-off time between Texas and Incarnate Word on Dec. 28 is set for 7:30 p.m. CT.