Texas women's basketball makes it look easy vs. Missouri State in round one

Texas women's basketball kicked off its NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament run, taking on the Missouri State Lady Bears this afternoon. You could tell Texas was ready to go, as they dominated the first quarter. Things went as expected as the Longhorns cruised to an 87-45 win over the Lady Bears. Texas will advance to the round of 32 to take on the Oregon Ducks on Sunday afternoon. That will be a much tougher challenge for Texas.

Missouri State played a great game today, but the talent level between the two teams is really skewed. Texas has one of the best scoring depth teams in the country, and even if Vic Schaefer wanted to start his bench this afternoon, he would've still most likely won the game.

Here are four takeaways from this afternoon's win over Missouri State.

1. Great start to the game

That was the start the Longhorns needed to set the tone and let the Lady Bears know their season was coming to an end. I also liked how Texas let its starters rest midway through the first quarter. Even though it was against an opponent that Texas should have easily taken care of, this will serve them well down the road when they face harder opponents in later rounds.

2. Kaemyn Bekemeier had a day to forget

Texas did its thing on defense against Kaemyn Bekemeier this afternoon, making sure she had a day to forget by holding her to 14 points. She was the one player I hoped Texas would shut down and put a wrench in the Lady Bears' offense this afternoon. Finishing the game 5-10 from the field and 2-2 on free throws is something that Bekemeier didn't want to see on her final statsheet today.

However, that shows how suffocating the Texas defense can be on any given day.

3. Jordan Lee showing what she brings to the table

Rori Harmon and Madison Booker had a quiet game this afternoon, and that's because most of the Texas offense went through Jordan Lee. She was the leading scorer today as she finished the game with 19 points. Having Lee finish the game as the leading scorer shows how versatile the Longhorns' lineup can be at any given time. I'm sure that Oregon will be focusing on making sure she doesn't take over the game on Sunday afternoon.

4. Taking on the Ducks

With the Longhorns winning this afternoon, they turn their attention to the Oregon Ducks on Sunday afternoon. Texas last played the Ducks back in 2000. The matchup will also bring some familiar faces, as Amina Muhammed will face her former team. That is another great storyline heading into Texas's next NCAA Tournament game.