It's a little too early to know for sure, but it's starting to seem like the Texas Longhorns might have a shooting problem — and it's one that fans became all too familiar with last season. While Madison Booker is known for being willing to take open three point shots, the rest of the team seems to shy away from what is a crucial skill (especially in the SEC).
The Longhorns were undefeated until the LSU Tigers got a hold of them Sunday, and they suffered a second loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks Thursday night. Both games were played on the road, which certainly gave Texas a bit of a disadvantage, but mid-January is also when things start to get especially tough.
That's even more true for the SEC. Everyone in the conference is good; mid-January is when teams start to show if they're prepared to be great. Texas has a lot of promise and one of the strongest rosters in program history, so the bones are there; the team just needs to go out on a limb and take wide open threes when they become available.
Texas doesn't prioritize the 3-point shot in their offense
Part of the reason the Longhorns tend to shy away from wide-open threes is the shot isn't baked into the team's offense the way it is at some schools. Texas brings a lot to the court every time they hit it, and have so far been able to get away with not shooting as many threes as they could. But the team fell victim to this same shooting problem last season, something that became especially apparent during the Final Four — when they again lost to South Carolina.
This year's Longhorns roster is one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country, which makes the decision to not take the wide open shot all the more confounding. If you feel reasonably sure someone will be there to rebound the ball — something the Longhorns can usually rely upon — why not take the shot?
Texas may need to reevaluate before March
While this strategy may get the Longhorns through the rest of conference play, being afraid to take a wide open three could hurt the team when it's time to play UConn. Texas also needs to keep a sharp eye focused on the Vanderbilt Commodores (who they will play in Nashville on February 12) and the Tennessee Lady Vols (who they face immediately afterward on February 15), two teams who aren't afraid to take the big shot.