Texas Longhorns Get Key Players Back While Spring Injuries Test Depth

We break down Steve Sarkisian’s spring football injury updates, including who’s returning to pads and who Texas must replace for the rest of spring. Then we shift to Texas Pro Day standouts before previewing the Longhorns’ Sweet 16 run and the biggest keys to upsetting Purdue. 
• Arch Manning recovery progressing and nearing full integration 
• Justus Terry back in pads and why it matters in a new defense 
• Khaliq Lockett surgery ending his spring and what it means for WR depth 
• Increased spring reps for young receivers and veterans in the system 
• Pro Day takeaways with Anthony Hill and Malik Muhammad drawing heavy attention 
• Matthew “Matty Ice” Caldwell’s throwing session and why it helped him 
• Texas basketball’s upset of Gonzaga powered by balanced scoring 
• Purdue matchup overview with wing athleticism versus interior size 
• Three point defense as the swing factor against Purdue’s offense 
Please make sure to like, subscribe, and rate our podcast, and comment down below on YouTube to let us know your thoughts 

Transcript

Spring Football Injury Updates

SPEAKER_01 0:01

Spring football is back, and we should have some more big injury. Welcome into the Texas Longhorns on SI podcast. I'm your host, Matt Galatson. Joining me, as always, is my co-host, Zach Demitt, who is live in San Jose for the Texas Longhorns Sweet 16 matchup with Purdue. But first, Zach, we're going to talk spring football because Steve Sarkeesian spoke to the media yesterday before Pro Day, or maybe it was after Pro Day, I can't remember.

SPEAKER_02 1:01

Before.

SPEAKER_01 1:01

It was yesterday. And um he revealed like there's a bunch of stuff that we're going to talk about throughout the week. I thought that the most pertinent thing that he spoke of was the injury news. Uh the first thing that he updated was Arch Manning saying that he is coming right along in his recovery, and they are going to integrate him back into the fold uh here pretty soon. He's throwing, he's looking good, everything's right on progress. That is very good news. We also had some other major news to talk about as well. Uh the next one is there are a few players, especially one who we thought was going to miss the entirety of spring football, who is getting his way back into the fold. Sark said that Trevor Goosby, Ryan Wingo, Justice Terry, Tyanthony Smith, Xavier Philsomee are all uh back in the fold in some way, shape, or form. Uh Trevor Goosby and Justice Terry, the latter of which we thought was going to miss the entirety of spring football, because I guess that was the initial thought. Um, those guys were both back in pads. Uh Ryan Wingo is getting back into things as well in a modified fashion, and Ty Anthony Smith and Xavier Phil Smear are also getting back involved as well. So that's all great news. Uh and and we'll start there, Zach. I mean, that this is like the Justice Terry one, I think, is especially big because this is a guy that you know I think Texas really hopes to make a big impact this year, and getting back into things during the spring and and getting back into pads and and getting back on that path to you know progressing as a second-year player is really big.

SPEAKER_02 2:39

Yeah, I mean, outside of like Hero Canoe, he's like next up when it comes to the interior of that defensive line, being a guy that can you know make it to the NFL here in a few years. And so um, yeah, the injury with him potentially missing all the spring was significant, but you know, you look you like to hear that from start um because I think we expected Tantani Smith and Justice Terry to be out for the rest of these practices. And if that were at word to have been the case, you know, it is what it is. Um, you still have all of fall and you have all of summer. Um, but you know, certainly when you're learning a new defense under Will Muschant, you you want to have everyone that you that you can avail. And so uh yeah, really like to hear that. Uh Justice Terry was actually at pro day watching. Uh it seemed like the entire team was at pro day watching some of these guys. Um, so it was it was nice to see that. Um, but yeah, uh same thing with Arch. You know, uh no news is kind of like good news, and what we heard from Sark when it came to Arch Manny was expected. Um, nothing really groundbreaking or anything there, that just that he's progressing uh the way that we you know we all expected. And so um, you know, can't wait to see him in the spring game, see what he looks like because uh listen, I I know there's a lot of new new faces that fans are gonna want to see in the spring game, but uh the point remains that Archmanning is at the top of that list, regardless of whatever new guys you brought in. And so uh you know, like to see that he's progressing and uh looking forward to see some of those practice reps once once uh the media is being uh able to be let back in in uh few weeks here. So we'll have to see what happens there.

SPEAKER_01 4:19

Yeah, uh, you know, pretty pretty positive stuff all around. I think that's

Khalik Lockett Surgery Changes Reps

SPEAKER_01 4:24

safe to say. However, we do we do also have a little bit of negative news uh in regards to injury. Um freshman, well, I guess second year player, uh he's going, you know, red shirt freshman Khalik Lockett is uh going to miss the rest of spring after having surgery. Uh Steve Sarkeesian did say that he would be back this summer, um, but it remains a big loss because Texas was already kind of thin at wide receiver uh it during spring, with you know uh uh Ryan Wingo being limited and Emmett Mosley being limited, and Khalik Lockett was expected to kind of step up and take a bunch of reps uh in their place, and especially you know, considering he didn't see the field a whole lot last year. He was, you know, getting an opportunity to run with the ones opposite of Cam Coleman and those kinds of things was a really big deal. Unfortunately, he is now going to miss the rest of spring. He will be back this summer, like I said. Uh, but it remains uh a pretty substantial loss for the Longhorns so far.

SPEAKER_02 5:27

Yeah, uh that that one was tough to hear because of the way that he performed in the bowl game. Um that was after I met Mosley went down that same game, and he just stepped in right away. And I, you know, I know it's a bowl game, it wasn't like the college football playoff or anything, but click clock had showed that he could really produce. And um, that that catch he had in the fourth quarter, uh, that that gave them they gave Texas the lead and they never looked back, and the Longhorns kind of ran away with that game, and it was all because of the spark that he provided. So uh yeah, it was tough to hear that, but um at least when it comes to the receivers, it's it's an it's a negative update from Stark when it comes to Lockett's injury, but you can always look at it from a positive light because now Jermaine Bishop gets increased reps, now Cohen Brown gets increased reps, now Chris Deer gets increased reps, and so on and so on. And even Sterling Burke Hulter, I know he's a veteran, but uh now he's gonna be able to, you know, dive even deeper into that system, and maybe who knows, he has a bigger impact than we expect uh this fall because of that. So uh yeah, that was that was tough to hear. Uh but the good thing is is that it's nothing season ending or anything like that, uh, you know, spring ball is important, but as long as you're ready for for the fall and you know, ready for that season opener, um, because you know, Cleek Lockett, he he's gonna he's gonna hold a potentially valuable depth role on this team. And so um the fact that he'll be able to get back in time is is gonna be big. And so um, yeah, another another guy, um you know, a little less known of a name, but Caden Scherer, uh freshman offensive lineman, he also had um, you know, uh he's gonna be out for spring. Um, so you know, tough to see that, uh, especially for a guy that's just getting on the campus there. But um, you know, local guy from Georgetown. So um, you know, obviously not uh gonna be expected to come in and you know produce right away. Um hopefully down the line he'll be able to uh you know make his way, you know, up that depth chart a little bit as the seasons go on. But for now, uh he'll be out the rest of the spring. So those are the two injury updates from Stark uh that are that were negative yesterday.

SPEAKER_01 7:31

Yeah, and then you know, like you said, uh the the receivers that are left now to to take the majority of the reps, uh it's a bunch of guys that like you really want to see get reps still. Uh it's it's Cam Coleman, it's Sterling Burkhalter, Jermaine Bishop, Cohen Brown, Chris Stewart, um, you know, guys like that that are really trying to get integrated into this offensive system and learn the offense. It's gonna be a really good opportunity for them to learn and grow. Uh, specifically when it comes to Cam Coleman, you know, that that we knew he was going to get a ton of reps anyway because he's Cam Coleman and they want to get him ready to go. But some of these other guys are gonna have an opportunity to step up in places that maybe they weren't going to be able to before. And I know that when Ryan Wingo gets back to full tilt, uh that's gonna shift a little bit. But specifically guys like Jermaine Bishop, uh Cohen Brown, Chris Stewart, these true freshmen, I think it's really, really important to get them as many reps as you possibly can because injuries can happen at any time. And you know, we we've we've seen that in years past with Texas in in multiple ways. So good to hear that they're going to get some increased reps, and good to hear that uh Khalik Lockett will be back by summer. Uh, it's not a long-term thing. Caden Sherr, I think, is a little bit longer, but he I think he probably is still going to be ready to go by the season. Either way, I wouldn't expect him to play that much. You know, true freshman, offensive lineman, uh, you know, he still has a long way to go before he's ready to see the field uh for an SEC team. So uh overall, really good news for for the Longhorns on the injury front. A lot of guys that are returning, a lot of guys that uh are really good like getting back in pads, I think, is big. It's not just you know, hey, he's he's working out here on the sideline. You know, it's it's guys in pads, so so we'd love to hear that.

Texas Pro Day Standouts And Surprises

SPEAKER_01 9:17

But uh let's shift over to Pro Day, Zach, because you were there, you were covering it live and in person. Uh, and it was I don't want to say entirely uneventful because I think that there was some cool things that happened. Uh and you know, just a couple of names off the top, I think, that that impressed scouts. Uh, and from what I've heard and what I saw, uh, Anthony Hill was being watched very, very heavily by the Dallas Cowboys, and Manny Mohammed as well seemed to have a tremendous day. Everybody was raving about him. So tell us about what you saw from those two guys.

SPEAKER_02 9:51

Yeah, Anthony Hill and Malik Mohammed, uh, we kind of expected those two to be the standouts of this pro day. Um, you know, Brian Schottenheimer was there. And at first he he didn't uh show up right away, and then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, he he comes in and talks with uh Steve Sarkeesian for around 20 straight minutes, just them too. I even set a timer just to make sure I got close to exactly how long they were talking. And you gotta expect that they were talking extensively about Anthony Hill and Malik Muhammad, and both of those guys, um, not none of them did the 40. Um, they I they're probably comfortable with their times from the combine. Uh but Malik Muhammad um and Anthony Hill were both uh catching passes uh from Matthew Caldwell, uh, who we'll talk about in a second. But you he was throwing them some passes uh in in a defensive sort of scenario and down the field and then in short, you know, short yardage for Anthony Hill at least. And so um yeah, I think they looked impressive. I think that at the end of the day, you know, the combine already did them tons of favors. The pro day was just kind of uh adding a little bit more on top of that, and you know, being able to be in person and in front of all 32 teams, by the way. And so uh Malik Mohammed is gonna be meeting with the Cowboys here soon. Um, obviously a local Dallas kid, and you know, he was talking about it with the media afterwards that that would be you know pretty much a dream come true for him. And Anthony Hill already had dinner with the Cowboys, and I'm sure he's gonna meet with them again. I need to double check that, but um, they're obviously very high on him. Another Dallas kid, um, you know, Dallas area kid at least. And so uh yeah, it obviously we already know what those two are able to bring to the table. Um, but at the end of the day, the this pro day was a a lot bigger of a deal for guys like um you know Jalen Gilbo or Matthew Caldwell, who is the only quarterback there. Um, and it it yeah, you're right. It wasn't entirely uneventful, but when you compare it to last season's pro day, and then the pro day that we're gonna be having next year, it it is it's pretty much night and day when it comes to some of the star power that's gonna be there because last year you had Quinn Ewers, Matthew Golden, Jaden Blue, Lisco's on, and then next year, I mean, it's just gonna be Hollywood. Um, when it comes to Arch Manning, Cam Coleman, Colin Simmons. And so this year's pro day, not uneventful, but definitely uh not as crowded as it was last year, I will say that. So uh, but yeah, I think that Jalen Gilbo and Matthew Caldwell, um, they did themselves some nice, some nice favors there. Jalen Gilbo uh ran a 4-4-5 on the 40. Um good. That's what he told, yeah, he told the media that afterwards. Um, you know, I thought he I thought he looked pretty solid and he was catching the balls down the field. It's hard to really tell exactly what a guy's gonna be like. When just I mean, I'm not an NFL scout, so uh seeing a guy catch balls down the field when he's guarding no one uh may not say a whole lot, but I know some of these scouts probably you know saw some of that athleticism and obviously know that he was a multi-year starter on an SEC slash Big 12 team. Um, and of course, yeah, you know, I know this past season didn't go quite as you know the way he wanted. It got benched late in the year with for Kate Phillips, but at the end of the day, this guy has tons of experience um you know at for one of the best programs in the country. And so he's got a lot, he's got a lot to bring to the table. And I think he I think he did himself some favors there. Uh with Matthew Caldwell, though, um it was kind of you know interesting heading into the pro day, you know, who's who's gonna be throwing to Jack Endries, uh, because there's not really a lot of receivers, but Jack Injuries he's got someone's gotta throw to him, and you know, is Matthew Caldwell. And Sark said that during the press conference beforehand that Matthew Caldwell was going to be throwing. And so that that kind of uh perked a few ears up because um at the end of the day, you know, he only had 11 pass attempts last season. Of course, those were some big pass attempts, and he they uh they were calling him uh ice, some of the players were during pro day yesterday because uh he's just he's just pretty stone cold. And so I think he looked really, really solid. But he was running some boot legs, um, both sides. So his deep balls, you know, were pretty solid, a few misses here and there, but overall, very accurate, really strong arm. Um, I was I was pretty impressed by him because this isn't a guy that we've really seen a whole lot of, and so you really don't know what he had to offer. And so um I I really I really liked what Matthew Callboy was able to do for himself. And he was telling the media afterwards that this is what he needed, he needed a pro day like this because Matthew Callboy wasn't gonna get a combined invite. You know, he just that wasn't realistic for him. He needed a day like this, and so yesterday was pretty big for him, and um, you know, he's a really confident guy, he has lots of experience. Um, you know, I know he played in Gardner Webb, played at Troy. Um, so it's not like he was uh you know starring for Ohio State or anything like that and getting all these attention, all this attention from scouts, but I think this past year did him a lot of favors, and I think the pro day did did that as well. And so yeah, he was throwing to Michael Taft, who signed up to be uh a temporary receiver yesterday. And Michael Taff he looked pretty good as a receiver, not gonna lie. Some good routes there, and he was doing Matthew Caldwell Caldwell a favor by allowing him to have someone to throw to, aside from Jack Andries, and uh Rhett Anderson walk-on receiver. So uh yeah, those are just a few of the standouts that I that I noticed. I thought um uh Trey Moore, uh kind of a guy who is he gonna play edge, is he gonna play off ball linebacker? Uh he was doing some off-ball linebacker drills, and he's not listed as an edge on the official pro day sheet. He's listed as a linebacker where Ethan Burke obviously listed was listed as an edge. So um, yeah, there's a couple couple standouts there. Um interesting pro day for sure. It's always a who's who with for Texas football because you have former players, current players, and then you have all these NFL coaches. It's just you know, Texas football celebrity row there in the bubble. So a very interesting day yesterday.

SPEAKER_01 15:44

Yeah, uh great info there from Zach. By the way, that that is the most Michael Taft thing that Michael Taft could possibly do. Yep. Like I'm a safety, I'm I'm going into my pro day working out at safety. I'm I'm trying to do myself some favors. Oh, but you know what? I've got a little extra time. Let me go catch some passes for my guy Maddie Ice. He could risk himself injury.

SPEAKER_02 16:08

You know, like he could risk himself some injury, and so that's not like something that every guy would want to do. And so shout out to Michael Taff for wanting to do that.

SPEAKER_01 16:15

Yeah, absolutely. I love that from him. I I think it's very on brand, just the best teammate that has ever teammated. That's what Michael Taff is. And I you know, I I know that teams obviously aren't looking at him at wide receiver, but I think that all 32 of those teams are probably like, God, this guy will do anything for his teammates. That is so cool. So he probably did himself a favor by doing that as well. Uh all right, Zach, let's take a quick break.

Sponsor Message And Quick Reset

SPEAKER_01 16:39

Uh, when we come back, we are going to talk Texas in the Sweet 16. They took down the giant, and uh, you know, it just huge stuff for the Longhorns.

SPEAKER_00 16:52

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Sweet 16 Context And Narratives

SPEAKER_01 17:44

Welcome back to the Texas Longhorns on SI podcast. I am your host, Matt Galaxon, and I'm joined, as always, by my co-host, Zach Demitt. Zach, like I said, is live on scene in San Jose getting ready for the Sweet 16 matchup against the Purdue Boilermakers. Who and before we get into the Purdue game, there's one thing I did want to mention about Purdue. Uh they're considered a basketball school. Right? Texas is considered a Cenderella. The the the tiny Texas Longhorns are considered a Cinderella. Uh, did you know that Texas has more all-time tournament appearances than Purdue?

SPEAKER_02 18:24

Yeah, I I actually did see that. They have around like 40, I believe, in Purdue, probably in the 30s somewhere, which is which is pretty crazy. And so Texas still without the national title. Um, and so yeah, very interesting.

SPEAKER_01 18:36

And I I think they also have as many Final Four appearances as well. So uh little bit of a little bit of a you know weird narrative can you know not call I mean I know Texas is a football school, but I mean they they got a pretty good basketball history as well. I know they've never won a national title, but I just wanted to mention that for all those out there saying that Texas doesn't have a chance. Uh let's talk about how they got there though, Zach.

Gonzaga Upset And Balanced Scoring

SPEAKER_01 19:00

First, obviously, Texas knocks off BYU and AJ Debonzo. We talked about that uh last week. But then along come the monster Gonzaga Bulldogs, the team with more NCAA tournament wins, I think, than like anybody else, or at least appearances than anybody else in in the modern era. They are they are just a consistent machine of of basketball good. Uh and you know, yes, they did have a big injury, but the Texas Longhorns come in and they knock off the Bulldogs 74 to 68. It was tight all the way up until the very end when Cam Heidi hit a massive, massive three-pointer to put the Longhorns up uh by four, and then uh, you know, Gonzaga was unable to recover from that, and the Longhorns took home the win. Kind of an interesting box score as well for Texas. Uh Modus Voika Titus had 17, Jordan Pope had 17, only 11 from Dalen Swain, only six from Tramone Mark. Uh the only three points of the night for Cam Heidi came on that big three-pointer at the end. And you also had 12 off the bench for Nick Cody, which was uh which was big for him. But you know, typically in the past, when we've talked about Texas basketball, Zach, if uh Dalen Swain or Tramone Mark or the combination of both isn't leading the way for them offensively in terms of production, they've been they've struggled. And Texas has found a way to you know get those points that they need it's been a very balanced attack for the Longhorns so far in the tournament. Other guys stepping up when they need it. And now Texas is you know the highest remaining seed left in the tournament, I believe, at uh at 11. Lowest seed and it's huh? The lowest remaining. Yeah, that's what I mean. Like the lowest remaining seed, like the highest number, the 11. Right, right. Uh, and and it's it's really big stuff. Sean Miller continues to dominate the round of 32, and the Longhorns have a chance to go in and upset basketball school Purdue uh in a really massive matchup for Sean Miller in his first year.

SPEAKER_02 21:06

Yeah, I mean you I think you hit it right on the head um that they're getting comp contributions from uh guys that you may not expect, and you know, while also having their nor normal guys not score as much. I mean, Tramon Mark only six points um in that game against Gonzaga. You know, Dalen Swain had 11 points, he still had six rebounds and six assists and zero turnovers, which is great, but not scoring nearly as much as you'd expect from him. Like Nick Cody off the bench with 12 points, I think he had three rebounds, a few assists. It was like the by far, far and away, the best game of his career. He scored 20 against Arkansas Pine Bluff last year. Who the, you know, who the hell cares about that, really, to be honest. But uh to to come off the bench with 12 points in March Mattis after he fell way out of the rotation earlier this season, I thought that was so big for Texas. Um, they look like a completely new team with the The way that the points are getting distributed. I mean, they finished with like 20 assists against Gonzaga after you know a few weeks against Florida at home when they lost. They only had two assists. It's just a completely different team. And you know, who would have thought that Texas would still be in the tournament and the Florida Gators would be out? I think that's just incredible. This team has really overachieved. Um, and so yeah, I it's it's been it's been night and day. The defense has been improved, the way the offense, uh the offense has been efficient all year, but the way that it's uh been churning has been has been uh different and improved in my opinion as well, with the way they're sharing the ball and then getting contributions all around. Um, but yeah, it's it's been really impressive. I think the one of the best parts about that Gonzaga game is it was tight throughout. Um Cam Heidi's three obviously gives him a four-point lead, and then they end up covering uh it was like a five and a half point spread. They end up covering it because Montespoke Titus scores a pointless layup there at the end. Um how about that backdoor cover by Texas there? I just thought that was hilarious. So um, you know, that they've covered in both of their uh both of their uh tournament wins so far. Um, I actually believe they covered against NC State as well. They're like one and a half point uh underdog there. So um, yeah, just you know, no matter what happens tomorrow against Verdue, this team has overachieved this season. Anything else is just a cherry on top. Of course, you don't want to see them fall out of the tournament when they're so close to potentially, you know, insanely make it to the final four. I mean, who would have thought that would happen um if they're able to do that? It's still a long way to go, of course. But um, I mean, you gotta you gotta give credit to Sean Miller, but not only him, you gotta give credit to the players because uh they they were they could have been down and out after that loss to all miss in the SEC tournament. They still had to go to practice not knowing if they were gonna make it into the tournament. So but Sean Miller said they were practicing hard as as if they they knew they were still gonna be playing. But it's hard to get your team to be able to do that when there's no guarantee that you're gonna be in the tournament. So um the way they've turned things around has been super, super impressive. I

Purdue Matchups Texas Must Win

SPEAKER_02 24:01

think Purdue uh, you know, talking about that matchup, they had the number one offense in the country according to Ken Pong. Uh defenses are in the 30s. I do think Texas has the athletic advantage against Purdue. Uh their wings are not uh as athletic as Dalen Swain, Kenda Weaver, Tremond Mark. I think that Texas has the for sure advantage there. The only thing is that Trey Coffin Ren and um uh Oscar Clough, those guys, uh the big men for Purdue are absolutely elite. Monasco Gatayez is gonna have quite uh a task on his hands, same with Nick Cody. Um, so and of course, you know, I of course need to mention Braden Smith, who's now the NCAA's all-time leader and career assist. So this guy obviously is one of the best point guards of all time. Um, he he knows exactly what he's doing on the floor. He's very experienced, he's played a national title game, and so Texas has uh quite the task on their hands because Purdue's offense is the best that they have seen all season long. Um, but I do think there is some ways Texas could win this game when it comes to uh utilizing Dalen Swain and Tramon Marx's uh length and athleticism on the wings. Um, and then Vogatis, uh, I think he could have an advantage as well a little bit because Kaufman Wren and Clef are not exactly elite shot blockers. They're very good on offense, but on defense, I think that Vogatis could have an advantage over them in that regard. Uh, but he's gonna have a tough time on the defensive end as well. So a lot of things to watch. Um, you know, if this if Texas is able to pull this off tomorrow, we'll you know what a season that would be for Sean Miller, regardless of how it ends. And so we gotta wait and see what happens. But this definitely is gonna be the best team they've played all season long, in my opinion.

SPEAKER_01 25:44

Yeah, I mean it I don't think that there's any secret about that. ESPN's matchup predictor has Purdue with a 75.5% chance of winning the game. Uh, they're also favored by seven and a half. Uh the game's gonna be on CBS at 6.10 p.m. uh Thursday night. Uh big matchup for Longhorns, that's for sure. In case you're wondering, uh the remaining teams in the tournament, the Sweet 16 as we have it now, uh Arizona will face off against Arkansas tomorrow at 8.45 p.m. Obviously, Texas and Purdue at 6.10 p.m. Uh we also have Michigan and Alabama on Friday at 6.35, Tennessee and Iowa State. I did not expect the balls to make it that far. Uh there uh Friday night at 9.10 p.m. These are all Central Time, by the way. Uh tomorrow night at 9.05, we have Illinois and Houston. Uh Iowa and Nebraska tomorrow at 6.30. Uh we also have Michigan State and Yukon on Friday or on Friday at 8.45. And then Duke and St. John's on Friday at 6.10. Uh one of those things is not like the other thing, and that is Texas. Uh they they are not one of those teams. Like Iowa's probably the closest one where it's like, wow, what are they doing here? But that's still a pretty good team. I just uh it's it's really cool after the struggles that we saw Texas have this year at different points in the seasons and the shortcomings that we thought that they had to see them in the field with these other teams. I I do think it's hilarious that they're being called a Cinderella because it's like literally Texas is literally the biggest brand in college sports, uh, alongside like Notre Dame. And to to see them being painted as a Cinderella and all these memes of Sean Miller and a Cinderella dress and like all this stuff, it's just like it's kind of absurd. Uh if you if you switched around like one or two games in the year Texas won that they you know that they probably gave away or whatever, they're probably an eight or nine seed. And and maybe they don't even make it this far. They just got a good draw. Uh, and you know, I I I can I agree with your with your assessment of the game. I think Texas has the athletic advantage on the wings. I think Purdue has the advantage inside. How is Texas going to deal with that? It's been a little bit of an Achilles heel for them defensively all year uh when there's those big guys that uh are a little bit more dominant. But you know, I I feel pretty good. Uh I I I think that beating Purdue, I mean, sorry, beating uh beating BYU and beating Gonzaga are two really good wins, and it gives you confidence that Texas can do it again. I mean, Purdue's Purdue's a really good team, though, so we're gonna have to see where that one goes. But uh as of right now, you know, the it it's hard not to have confidence in this team after the way they've performed the last couple games, especially when you're getting a lot of points and and production from Jordan Pope and Nick Cody and you know, timely shots from Cam Heidi, and Modest Voikatitis just looks really, really good. And I I love his uh his mentality too, is keep kind of saying the same thing in this tournament. He keeps saying, I don't care who I play, I just want to go out there and fight. And and I think that that's kind of the mentality that this Texas team is carrying throughout the tournament. So uh really, really good stuff for the Longhorns. We'll be back tomorrow to preview it a little bit more uh as we prepare for this uh for this matchup.

The Three Point Defense X Factor

SPEAKER_01 29:10

Um, you know, uh any closing thoughts on this game before we get out of here, Zach? You know, is is there a key or a a you know a matchup or a stat that you think is gonna could turn the tide in the Longhorns way?

SPEAKER_02 29:24

Yeah, I mean, uh it starts with the defense, like you said, but more specifically, the three-point defense, Purdue is top ten in the country in three-point percentage. Um, so they're you know, they're not taking like a ton of threes necessarily, but when they do when they do take them, uh it's it's more likely than not they're gonna hit them. And if you're able to get that advantage in that in that category, uh, regardless of who you are, uh you're gonna have a really good chance of winning the game. And so um, you know, Texas, they're not the same defense they once were, but you don't want it all of a sudden to be one of those things where you regress back to what uh you know to the bad habits that you had during the season. Um I don't really think that's gonna be as bad as it once was when it comes to the defense, um, but that is something to watch uh because if Purdue's hitting their threes and Texas doesn't have an answer on the other end, uh the game could get out of hand pretty quickly because Purdue's offense is is just that elite. So um definitely something to watch there.

SPEAKER_01 30:22

Yeah, and for those who don't know as well, should Texas pull off this upset against Purdue, not only will Sean Miller equal Rodney Terry's deepest tournament run, but he will also have to face the winner of Arizona and Arkansas, and that will not be fun. So, you know, we'll we'll see what happens. Um a lot of good teams left in the field. I'm surprised four is not in it. They're they were my pick to win the national championship, so I look like kind of an idiot now, but but here we are. Uh but thank you so much for tuning in to this edition of the Texas Longhorns on SI podcast.

Final Thoughts And Listener CTA

SPEAKER_01 31:00

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