Texas vs Oklahoma 1/24/2024

[Seattle4UT]

Sorry Bucksgal, I hope they do. Texas continues to lay eggs at the worst possible times. Games like tonight especially at home should have been wins versus UNRANKED opponents.

 

[JoeDallas]

Being at the game, I find this comment interesting. It didn’t feel like we ran a press at all tonight. Did we really have one in place for some of the game? I guess, in person, it felt like OU out ran us so easily that a press ended up looking like we just weren’t getting back on defense fast enough. It was maddening to watch.

We ran a press for a few plays in the first half. He didn't stay with it very long. We weren't getting back, with or without the press.

 

[WCBBNUT]

We ran a press for a few plays in the first half. He didn't stay with it very long. We weren't getting back, with or without the press.

My gut tells me a few key players aren’t healthy enough yet (returning from injuries) or conditioned enough yet (freshman) to pull off the press because, up until this year, Vic lived and died by the press. A Texas press usually resulted in an opponent running out of gas in the 4th, but OU had enough in the tank to hold us off.

Vic is pissed based on that post game pressser. The fans are pissed for sure based on this board. If I’m looking for a silver lining, maybe this tragedy of a game will finally get Vic over the Rori hump. Love her and miss her dearly, but Rori is out for the season. Stop looking down your bench for what could have been. This is the team you have now and it’s loaded with talent. Make it work.

I like this group. I hope they find the answer. I sure as hell would hate to be in that practice gym in the morning.

 

[HornView]

Texas scored plenty of points to win. They made free throws. They didn’t even turn the ball over (10 TO’s). The problem was not the offense. It was defense. They couldn’t stop OU and they only caused 9 turnovers

 

[brnkj]

Texas scored plenty of points to win. They made free throws. They didn’t even turn the ball over (10 TO’s). The problem was not the offense. It was defense. They couldn’t stop OU and they only caused 9 turnovers

I feel like our players are being forced into situations where they can't be consistently successful. We really don't have the personnel in the back court, speaking in terms of both abilities and depth, to play in your face defense for 40 minutes.

 

[brnkj]

Stop looking down your bench for what could have been. This is the team you have now and it’s loaded with talent. Make it work.

Yes, time to end the pity party.

 

[Run Pincher]

Vic may get some grief for that presser. He's right, but I don't think it's good to be that harsh on the team in public.

That said, he's not wrong. Texas did absolutely nothing right, had plenty of phantom fouls and still almost pulled it off. But I continue to be dumbfounded as to how ou always has an open shooter, inside or outside, absolutely wide open. Yet Texas does a dumb weave that gets no one open and they have to have a monumental effort to get off a shot and get a basket, or throw it up and hope for a foul. Which, of course never happens.

Why not spread it out like ou and get someone cutting to the basket? A traffic jam around the basket it's getting the job done. Great efforts by Jones and Moore sometimes get it done, but when Faye and Muhammad come in it's nothing but a turnover.

Vic is just as much to blame for that game as the players. He was absolutely schooled.

 

[Run Pincher]

Texas scored plenty of points to win. They made free throws. They didn’t even turn the ball over (10 TO’s). The problem was not the offense. It was defense. They couldn’t stop OU and they only caused 9 turnovers

It was the type of turnover that really hurt. Almost every one led to a fast break and Texas had to tack on an extra pt. with a foul. Although on one of them the player wasn't touched of course. Points off turnovers, ou - 16, Texas - 6.

 

[JoeDallas]

Vic's presser was hard to take. He rightfully always says it is his fault, but the main feeling he conveyed was that it was the players' fault. He was furious and humiliated, and in turn was humiliating to his players. All he could say was that they didn't play hard enough. That doesn't seem like the problem to me. I think they were trying hard, but got really flustered and the things they normally do just weren't working, which got them more flustered and led to bad decision making. With these athletes, his system usually works out well, but when it doesn't, he doesn't have much in the way of adjustments.

 

[LonghornCatholic]

 

[Bucksgal]

I don't think Coach Vic should take any heat for his disappointment. All we ever hear is how everything is his fault. Sometimes, the players need to be held accountable. We don't know that he hasn't been telling the team these types of things in the locker room. Maybe he felt it was time to go public to incite some spark.

 

[brnkj]

I don't think Coach Vic should take any heat for his disappointment. All we ever hear is how everything is his fault. Sometimes, the players need to be held accountable. We don't know that he hasn't been telling the team these types of things in the locker room. Maybe he felt it was time to go public to incite some spark.

I still trust Vic and, as another poster has already said, he will find a way to make this a "respectable" season. However, that does not change my feelings that I wish he could be a little bit more flexible in his strategies as it relates to his available personnel. But I can wish in one hand and piss in the other, and we know which one is going to get full first. He's got his type of guards coming in next year... Still needs to hit that portal. This is two years in a row we have ended up in the same situation with our back court. I have defended our staff's attempts to bring in another seasoned guard during the portal recruiting season, but as @Moooooo has said, the bottom line is we failed in those attempts.

 

[GoHorns22]

I don't think the players are totally to blame. I don't think we had a very good defensive strategy for the type of offense that Ok. played. Our team seemed confused on defense the whole game, which indicated to me poor coaching preparation. I thought the offense performed well at times, but they gave up too many turnovers. Maddie has been better than expected at point guard, but she is not Rori. The offense just isn't as efficient without Rori. I also hope Gaston gets back soon.

 

[Jun Chou]

Man oh man.. I’ve been watching Vic’s teams since 2012 and then is one of the worst defensive performances I’ve seen from one of his team since 2012… I wonder what went on prior to this game. No one is playing hard on defense and then they can’t rebound.. just letting balls go through their hands. This dribble drive is driving me insane. It is sometimes effective but most times it’s in effective. Teams know how to defend it! Vic has to run a better offense, consistently. Defensively, he need to run some zone.. he has the length out on the perimeter and paint to cause a lot of turnovers just by being in a 2-3 zone or a 3-2 zone for a high-powered 3 point shooting team.

 

[hoopsalot]

Man oh man.. I’ve been watching Vic’s teams since 2012 and then is one of the worst defensive performances I’ve seen from one of his team since 2012… I wonder what went on prior to this game. No one is playing hard on defense and then they can’t rebound.. just letting balls go through their hands. This dribble drive is driving me insane. It is sometimes effective but most times it’s in effective. Teams know how to defend it! Vic has to run a better offense, consistently. Defensively, he need to run some zone.. he has the length out on the perimeter and paint to cause a lot of turnovers just by being in a 2-3 zone or a 3-2 zone for a high-powered 3 point shooting team.

The dribble drive did not look pretty the other night. But FACT - Texas is the highest scoring Big 12 team in conference play. Defense, defense, defense. Give Jak more minutes. She looks awkward at times but she causes some real problems for opponents. And she is intense. She tries hard. Rest Shaylee and Shay some. Give opponents a different look. Well played zones have slowed Baylor and OU down on occasion this year. But we all know it is not going to happen.

 

[brnkj]

Defensively, he need to run some zone.. he has the length out on the perimeter and paint to cause a lot of turnovers just by being in a 2-3 zone or a 3-2 zone for a high-powered 3 point shooting team.

Throwing in an aggressive 3-2 trapping zone with the overall length we have could create lots of havoc for opponents. It would also be more suitable in allowing Jaq, Maul, and Codio to get involved. But... ain't gonna happen.

 

[Moooooo]

Very disappointing loss.

I heard the post-game radio where Craig Way interviewed Blair Schaefer. She said the team waited too long to start playing hard. I honestly just don't buy that. If your starters aren't putting in the effort (for 3 quarters), you bring someone in from the bench. If you don't have bench players who can come in and play with the effort you require, then that's on the coaching staff.

I was not a fan that against KSU Vic allowed Mittie to dictate the (slow) pace of the game in their favor. He allowed OU to speed up the pace the entire game, and they are pretty much quicker than Texas at every position. When you can't play your game, you're gonna end up losing most of the time.

 

[Moooooo]

For those asking why Maul came in earlier in the game than usual, I believe it was to give Booker some rest (she looked exhausted) in the last minute or two of the first and maybe second quarters. Could have also been to keep her from picking up a foul on the defensive end.

 

[Moooooo]

Reading the comments in this thread, most of what I was thinking has already been stated. I have stated before that Vic is a very stubborn coach (so are a lot of head coaches out there), especially when it comes to changing his offensive and defensive strategies during a game when obvious adjustments are needed.

Vic has stated in the past (as had Conradt) that "you win with guards". And, Vic has repeatedly stated that he "recruits to a fit". Well, the reason the weave doesn't work well is because it requires quickness and good ball handling; we don't have enough of that with this roster. Other than Rori, Vic has completely lost the identity of his quick back court players with the gradual departers of guards like Kyra Lamber, Celeste Taylor, Joanne-Allen Taylor, Aliyah Matharu, and Kyndall Hunter. And, he didn't really replace their skill sets. I get that bringing in transfer Tionna Herron was a good (long-term) decision; but, the immediate need for this season was quickness and ball handling.

Vic's failure to want to use the 3-point shot as an offensive weapon is frustrating. At Miss. State, I remember Victoria Vivians shooting a bunch of them from the wind spot, same for Espinoza-Hunter; I think Rickea Jackson shot a bunch of them for him, too. The 3-point shot is a huge equalizer; OU and ISU definitely use it to their advantage. Even old school head coaches like Dawn Staley and Kim Mulkey are allowing their players to shoot 3-pointers much more liberally; they still need to be good shot selections within the offense, but that has to change under Vic.

 

[Sangre Naranjada]

Kyra Lamber, Celeste Taylor, Joanne-Allen Taylor, Aliyah Matharu, and Kyndall Hunter

I wouldn't include Hunter on this list. All she ever did for us was make a bunch of 3 pointers in her very first game. She never, ever ran or supplemented the dribble drive offense.

 

[Jun Chou]

Reading the comments in this thread, most of what I was thinking has already been stated. I have stated before that Vic is a very stubborn coach (so are a lot of head coaches out there), especially when it comes to changing his offensive and defensive strategies during a game when obvious adjustments are needed.

Vic has stated in the past (as had Conradt) that "you win with guards". And, Vic has repeatedly stated that he "recruits to a fit". Well, the reason the weave doesn't work well is because it requires quickness and good ball handling; we don't have enough of that with this roster. Other than Rori, Vic has completely lost the identity of his quick back court players with the gradual departers of guards like Kyra Lamber, Celeste Taylor, Joanne-Allen Taylor, Aliyah Matharu, and Kyndall Hunter. And, he didn't really replace their skill sets. I get that bringing in transfer Tionna Herron was a good (long-term) decision; but, the immediate need for this season was quickness and ball handling.

Vic's failure to want to use the 3-point shot as an offensive weapon is frustrating. At Miss. State, I remember Victoria Vivians shooting a bunch of them from the wind spot, same for Espinoza-Hunter; I think Rickea Jackson shot a bunch of them for him, too. The 3-point shot is a huge equalizer; OU and ISU definitely use it to their advantage. Even old school head coaches like Dawn Staley and Kim Mulkey are allowing their players to shoot 3-pointers much more liberally; they still need to be good shot selections within the offense, but that has to change under Vic.

No.. Rickea did not shoot many 3’s with Vic. He had her deadly in the midrange. She was a mismatch and he used her well at the 4.