New-look Texas will look to break into the win column when it hosts Lafayette in Saturday’s home opener in Austin, Texas.
This is the first of four straight home games against mid-major opponents for Texas before a trip to Hawaii to compete in the Maui Invitational Thanksgiving week. This stretch should give the Longhorns ample time and game activity to better acclimate to each other and the demands of new coach Sean Miller.
The Longhorns opened their season and Miller’s tenure with a 75-60 loss to No. 6 Duke on Tuesday in the inaugural Dick Vitale Invitational in Charlotte. Dailyn Swain scored 16 points to lead Texas in the loss while Matas Vokietaitis and Jordan Pope had 15 points each.
Texas led by one point at the break but surrendered a 10-0 Duke run to open the second half. The Longhorns rallied to within 51-48 midway through the second, but were ultimately doomed by another push from the Blue Devils.
The Longhorns shot 32.2 percent from the floor, made just 5 of 17 3-point attempts and were hurt by 16 turnovers.
“The more we play, the longer we stay together, I believe we will be a better team, a more competitive team and a team that can win bigger games later in the year,” Miller said. “That doesn’t mean we start with a bunch of excuses. I have to remember that this is the starting line, not the finish line.”
The Longhorns have won 23 consecutive home openers and are 104-15 all-time in home openers.
Lafayette (1-1) travels to Austin after a 79-44 win over Division III Dickinson on Wednesday. Caleb Williams scored a game-high 16 points and Andrew Phillips added 15 before the Leopards emptied their bench.
The win allowed Lafayette to bounce back from an 85-76 loss at Saint Joseph’s on Monday in its season opener.
The Leopards have adopted a “win at all costs” attitude this season, according to Williams.
“We knew last year we had a good team, but this year we came back with younger guys,” Williams said. “Everyone doubted us and we’re just trying to flip the script.”
–Field level media
