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Texas Basketball: Takeaways from Longhorns loss to No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs

By Cooper Watson

SPOKANE, WA - NOVEMBER 13: Andrew Nembhard #3 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs eyes the court during the game against the Texas Longhorns played at McCarthey Athletic Center on November 13, 2021 in Spokane, Washington. (Photo by Robert Johnson/Getty Images)
SPOKANE, WA - NOVEMBER 13: Andrew Nembhard #3 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs eyes the court during the game against the Texas Longhorns played at McCarthey Athletic Center on November 13, 2021 in Spokane, Washington. (Photo by Robert Johnson/Getty Images) /
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Texas Basketball  (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Texas Basketball  (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

The first true test of the Chris Beard era at Texas Basketball failed miserably on Saturday night. There is something to be said for having the guts to take such an early trip to Spokane to face the No. 1 ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs, though. As abysmal as the on-court performance was, Beard and the Longhorns deserve credit for that type of scheduling. It’s good for the entire sport.

Gonzaga ended up winning by 12 points, but never trailed after the 19:12 mark of the first half. They led by as many as 22 at one point in the second half.

The good news for Texas is that the rest of their early non-conference schedule is relatively easy, giving them plenty of time to prepare for their next major test. A road game against Seton Hall on December 9 will be difficult, but outside of that, the Longhorns will likely be double-digit favorites in every game until they kick off Big 12 conference play on New Year’s Day.

Overall, Saturday was not the best day for Texas fans, seeing their No. 5 ranked basketball team get handled by Gonzaga while simultaneously seeing the football team drop to 4-6 after losing at home to 1-8 Kansas.

I can’t speak to college football, but I can to college basketball. This is a long season—a true road loss to the No. 1 team in the country will hardly be a blemish on this team’s resume come March.

As is the case in any blowout loss, there are plenty of takeaways for the losing team. Here are the major, overarching ones that could face the Longhorns moving forward.

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