Texas basketball vs. Tennessee: 5 bold predictions in non-con finale

Uros Plavsic goes off for a season-high 20 points

One of the biggest possible matchup nightmares in this game for the Longhorns is the towering 7-foot and 265-pound senior center Uros Plavsic. The Serbian big man is literally one of the largest matchup issues that the Longhorns will have to deal with during the regular season.

Texas has faced this type of test before, though, in the last couple of seasons. Think of what Texas had to face in terms of the frontcourt matchup against the Purdue Boilermakers last season against Zach Edey and Trevion Williams. Other opponents such as the Gonzaga Bulldogs (Drew Timme), Creighton Blue Jays (Ryan Kalkbrenner), and even the TCU Horned Frogs (Eddie Lampkin) had some solid bigs that were difficult matchups on paper for the Longhorns.

Yet, Texas has passed numerous tests in terms of improving the results in situations where the team faces tough frontcourt matchups this season compared to last year. Texas cut Timme’s scoring in half year-over-year and Lampkin had a dud of an outing against the Longhorns a couple of weeks ago with just four points.

To sum this up, I do feel like there is a way for Texas to limit the potency of Plavsic. If nothing else, Texas at least needs to limit his efficiency, even if his volume of offensive touches is high in this game. Think of how Timme managed 18 points on 70 percent shooting from the field against the Longhorns but still wound up with one of his least efficient games of the non-conference slate this season.

I think Plavsic is still due for a big game just given his size advantage over the likes of the 6-foot-7 Christian Bishop and even the 6-foot-9 Dylan Disu. But Texas needs to find a way to force some untimely turnovers out of him and/or get him into foul trouble early.