Texas Basketball: 3 big overreactions after loss to K-State

The quest for Texas basketball and head coach Rodney Terry to defend their Big 12 Tournament crown ended after just one game. Texas was defeated by a score of 78-74 in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament on March 13 by a stingy Kansas State Wildcats squad.

Texas basketball and Rodney Terry have more questions surface following the early exit in the Big 12 Tournament

Texas blew a double-digit halftime lead, getting beaten by a Kansas State squad that kept chipping away in the second half by 14 points. The scoring dried up for Texas in the second half after senior big man Dylan Disu got into foul trouble.

The good news for Terry and the Longhorns is that they didn't need a win in the Big 12 Tournament to secure their spot in the NCAA Tournament. Texas should still be a lock to make it in the 64-team field on Selection Sunday without having to be in a play-in game.

Nonetheless, many of the concerns that have arisen during the regular season for the Longhorns resurfaced in the loss to Kansas State in the Big 12 Tournament. There are some issues Terry and staff must figure out before the NCAA Tournament.

Here are three big overreactions from the Longhorns' four-point loss to Kansas State in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament on March 13.

Chendall Weaver needs to get more minutes over Brock Cunningham and Ithiel Horton

After he was taken out of the starting lineup for senior wing Ithiel Horton, the minutes for sophomore guard Chendall Weaver have significantly decreased. Weaver started a half-dozen games for the Longhorns in the middle of Big 12 play, giving this team a much-needed two-way boost at the three.

But Texas was limited size-wise with its matchups in the starting five with the 6-foot-3 Weaver forming a three-guard lineup at the three. Putting Horton back out at the three gave the Longhorns more size and versatility with their matchups on both ends of the floor in the starting five.

The problem is that Horton doesn't bring the same athleticism and disruptive on-ball defending that Weaver plays in the backcourt and on the wing.

Weaver also brings an unmatched rebounding ability for a guard playing at the two or the three. He's been a tremendous force for the Longhorns on the glass, which is a huge boost for a team that has struggled on the boards in Big 12 play this year. He leads all Big 12 guards in offensive rebounding percentage in conference play.

The overall impact that Weaver had on the games he started in the Big 12 for the Longhorns was outstanding. Per Sports Reference, Weaver posted the best game score per start of any Texas player this season.

For reference, game score is a metric developed by John Hollinger (the same person who created player efficiency rating A.K.A., PER). Game score is an all-encompassing advanced stat that measures the overall impact a player had on a single game based on their productivity in the box score stats.

Based on his ability to help Texas on the glass and provide a major two-way spark with his energy and athleticism, it's difficult to see why Terry has reduced Weaver's minutes this month.

While Weaver averages more points per game, rebounds, and is shooting a better percentage from the field than Horton and senior forward Brock Cunningham, his minutes at the two and/or the three have fallen below them in March. Weaver is averaging just under 17 minutes per game this month, while Horton and Cunningham are both north of 20.