Texas Women's Basketball opened their NCAA Tournament run with a win over the William & Mary Tribe. While it wasn't the best performance the Longhorns had this season, it got the job done to advance to the round of 32 this afternoon against Illinois.
Even Vic Schaefer wasn't impressed with the win over the Tribe. He said there were so many places where they could have improved after the game. Schaefer talked about how Texas wasn't happy giving 61 points on defense to the Tribe.
"We have a saying around here: if you're supposed to win by 60, win by 60. If you're supposed to win by 40, win by 40. I think no disrespect to William & Mary, but giving up 61 points, we just weren't quite as sharp defensively as we have been."Texas Longhorns head coach Vic Schaefer
If Texas thinks Illinois will be another "walkthrough game" this afternoon, think again. Illinois has great players who could do enough to eliminate Texas from the tournament early. They had an impressive performance against Creighton on Saturday. Texas has to treat Illinois like LSU or South Carolina. Let's look at the Longhorns' next opponent, the Illinois Fighting Illini.
Taking a look at Illinois
The Fighting Illini finished 6th in the Big Ten Tournament this season. They made their first NCAA Tournament in 25 years and have some impressive talent on their roster that could cause some issues. Before we get into the players they need to watch out for, one thing stands out in their last game against Creighton.
Four of their five players in the starting lineup scored double digits against Creighton the other night. Schaefer said they have some accurate three-point shooters on their team.
"You look at the course of an 18, 20-game conference season, their statistics, and you look at their last five, and you look at those stats, which I'm big on, everybody on theTexas Longhorns head coach Vic Schaefer
floor 1 through 5 is shooting 33 percent or better from three."
Senior guard Genesis Bryant stands out from the game against Creighton. She scored 17 points and played 40 minutes. Any player that can play a complete game without fouling out has my attention.
The Longhorns will have to try and force her into foul trouble early, so she has to come out of the game. They don't need her crashing the rim and getting Longhorns Senior center Taylor Jones in foul trouble. The best way to contain her is to force her to pass the ball to her teammates.
Another guard to watch out for is Adalia McKenzie. She was second in scoring for Illinois against Creighton. She finished the game with 14 points. The Longhorns must watch out for her because she is a rebounding guard.
She averages five rebounds a game and can score on second-chance attempts. The best way to limit her grabbing rebounds is boxing her out as far away from the basket as possible. You can't allow her to be in front so she can grab easy rebounds for put-back attempts.
Taking a look at Texas
Madison Booker looked like an All-Star against the Tribe on Saturday night. She showed why she won the SEC Player of the Year against the Tribe by being the leading scorer for the Longhorns. Booker consistently made great shots when needed, which helped the Longhorns immensely with separating from the Tribe with the lead. Look for the Fighting Illini to double-team Booker to throw a wrench into the Longhorns' offense this afternoon.
Another player that will be the main focus of Illinois this afternoon is Taylor Jones. She had a good game against the Tribe on Saturday night and finished with 19 points. She was constantly at the rim, putting in easy lay-ups while grabbing offensive and defensive rebounds.
I'm sure the Fighting Illini will try to keep her away from the rim as much as possible. They can't afford her being underneath the basket. Jones' ability to grab rebounds will be a factor for the Longhorns to advance to the Sweet 16.
One player the Longhorns need to step up this afternoon is Rori Harmon. Even though she did produce some baskets against the Tribe, it feels like she could have contributed more against the Tribe. With Aaliyah Moore out today, the Longhorns need secondary scorers to carry some of the offensive workload. Harmon would be an ideal candidate to finish today's game in double-digit scoring. It will be another fun afternoon at the Moody Center this afternoon.