Texas women's basketball traveled to South Dakota to take on the Jackrabbits this afternoon, and it felt weird for the Longhorns to be playing such a small D1 program on the road. The Longhorns haven't been afraid to travel pretty much anywhere, as they recently went to UTRGV to take on the Vaqueros. Madison Booker also showed why she was the AP Player of the Week in the win against the Jackrabbits this afternoon.
I do have to give credit to the Jackrabbits for making the Longhorns work for their win today. They didn't allow the Longhorns to score a basket over the first three minutes of the game. Even though the Longhorns took off after scoring their first points, the Jackrabbits were right behind them.
Here are four takeaways from today's win against the Jackrabbits:
1. First quarter mishaps had Vic Schaefer boiling
I'm sure that Vic Schaefer wanted the first quarter to go a lot differently, as Texas only led by four. With the Jackrabbits in the FCS, I'm sure Schaefer wanted the Longhorns to have a lead of more than 10 points.
He'll definitely be going over this when the Longhorns get back to Austin. Hopefully, the Longhorns didn't give other teams a blueprint for slowing down their offense.
2. South Dakota State didn't back down
One of the teams I was worried about on the non-conference schedule when it came out was South Dakota State. They love a good challenge and aren't afraid to back down against the No.2 team in the country.
The Jackrabbits "woke up" after they were down by 12 in the first quarter. They got really close to the Longhorns, only trailing by four at points in the second quarter. I hope this is a wake-up call for Texas because Southeastern Louisiana might be motivated after Christmas.
3. Longhorns' defense did a good job despite allowing the Jackrabbits to remain in the game
I thought the Longhorns' defense did a good job, despite the final score, and Texas won both the turnover and rebound battles. It's just that the Jackrabbits were able to hit some difficult shots over the course of the game.
I'm interested to see if Texas makes any improvements when they return to Austin. What got to the Longhorns today was their poor shot selection here and there throughout the matchup. That has to be better if they want to win the SEC Championship this season.
4. It's good to have Bryanna Preston back in the lineup
With the Longhorns keeping their undefeated record alive, it was good to see Bryanna Preston in the lineup today. She's been out a while with a foot injury.
While she only scored two points this afternoon, just seeing her on the court is a victory for the Longhorns. Texas is finally almost healthy, as Aaliyah Crump might be back in the lineup shortly. The Longhorns still have things to work on before the conference schedule begins.