Texas Basketball: 3 keys for the Longhorns against Purdue

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AUSTIN, TX – NOVEMBER 16: Dylan Osetkowski #21 of the Texas Longhorns shoots the ball against Zane Najdawi #35, Connor Kern #12, Kaelon Harris #23 and Matt Frierson #3 of the Citadel Bulldogs at the Frank Erwin Center on November 16, 2018 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images) /

1. The Longhorns must hold their own from long-range

A big key for the Longhorns in this game will be the three-point line. Texas is 67th in the country in three-point field goal attempts but they are just 313th in three-point percentage (28.9%). On the other end of the floor, they are going to have to run Purdue off of the three-point line. The Boilermakers are 9th in the nation in three-point makes per game and 56th in percentage from beyond the arc.

While Roach leads Texas in three-point attempts with 49, he shoots it at 30.6%, two other key players for the Longhorns’ three-point shooting hopes are sophomore guard Jase Ferbes and freshman Courtney Ramey. The two guards have combined to shoot 22 for 61 from behind the arc, making them the best three-point shooters on the team, among those with at least 20 attempts. This is something that Texas can exploit against Purdue as the Boilermakers allow opponents to shoot 36.0% from three-point land.

On the defensive end, Texas will have to run Purdue off of the three-point line because they have been prolific in terms of makes and percentage this season. More specifically the Longhorns will have to make Edwards and Cline work for their deep shots, as those two have attempted 159 shots, compared to the 225 Texas has taken as a team.

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