Texas basketball’s 3-point shooting was a strength. In SEC play, it’s becoming a problem

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After his Arkansas team handed Texas basketball a damaging home loss, Razorbacks coach John Calipari made a confession.

“To be honest, guys, they missed a lot of shots that they normally make,” Calipari said of the Longhorns. “But they missed them, and I’m happy they missed them.”

Indeed, the rims inside the Moody Center are going to wake up Thursday morning battered and bruised after the beating they took from the Longhorns’ misfires in Wednesday’s contest, which ended 78-70 in Arkansas’ favor.

Texas shot 34% from the field, tying its worst mark of the season. It also continued what now looks like a troubling trend from 3-point range, rather than a mere hiccup.

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The Longhorns entered the game shooting 37.2% from beyond the arc ‒ good for 45th in the country.

But Texas delivered the majority of its strong shooting performances during its nonconference schedule, when it posted a 41.7% mark from deep.

In SEC play, its 3-point success rate has dipped all the way to 30.2% ‒ comfortably in the conference’s bottom half.

What once looked like an asset has become a problem.

It certainly was against the Razorbacks. The Longhorns shot 6-for-22 (27%) from 3-point range, while Arkansas converted on seven of its 17 attempts.

That disparity negated the good work Texas did in plenty of other areas. Coach Rodney Terry’s team held a strong advantage on the glass, got strong production from its bench and outperformed Arkansas in the paint.

But the 3-point shot is college basketball’s ultimate weapon. And Terry didn’t feel like the Longhorns utilized it very well.

“We’re a much better team when we get a paint touch three,” Terry said. “As opposed to just coming down and getting a first-side three. We took some first-side threes that we didn’t need to take. We had a chance to have the game in the balance a little bit and a lot closer.

“Again, we have to make some better decisions in that regard, in…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/texas-basketballs-3-point-shooting-110535270.html

Author : Austin American-Statesman

Publish date : 2025-02-06 11:05:00

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