Offense Dooms Longhorns in March Madness Loss to Purdue

The Longhorns' biggest weakness showed in its second round March Madness loss to Purdue

The Texas Longhorns entered their second-round March Madness matchup with the Purdue Boilermakers, looking to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since the 2008 season under Rick Barnes. 

Unfortunately for the Longhorns, offensive consistency issues were once again the deciding factor in the game, as they fell to Purdue 81-71 in Milwaukee at Fiserv Forum.

Marcus Carr was one of the lone bright spots for the Longhorns on the offense end, finishing as the team's high scorer with 23 points, and hitting 8 of his 13 shots from the field. 

Next up for the Longhorns was sixth-year guard Andrew Jones, who finished with 17 points. Christian Bishop also added 10 points and was the only other Longhorn in double figures.

However, as a team, the Longhorns largely struggled, shooting just 33.3 percent in the first half and trailing by as many as 14 points.

The Longhorns were able to make six of their last eight shots to close out the half and drop that deficit to six points heading into the locker room.

But, it was too little too late, as that offensive struggles continued in the second half, with Texas ending the game shooting just 40 percent.

Longhorns

Longhorns

Longhorns

On the other end of the floor, Purdue was able to withstand the tenacious Texas defensive effort, shooting 48.8 percent from the field for the game, while big man Trevion Williams dominated the paint with 22 points. 

The Boilermakers also had a major advantage at the free-throw line, and it proved to be the ultimate difference in the game, with Purdue hitting 33 of 46 attempts to just 7 of 12 for Texas. 

With the loss, the Longhorns' debut season under new head coach Chris Beard is now in the books. Texas ends the year with a 22-12 overall record.

Longhorns

Longhorns

Longhorns

And while many from the outside looking in would consider a second-round exit a disappointment, the job Beard was able to do in Austin with a roster that massively turned over from last season, should not go unnoticed. 

Unfortunately for the Longhorns, they are set to face yet another year of turnover, with seniors Marcus Carr, Andrew Jones, Courtney Ramey, Timmy Allen, Christian Bishop, and Jase Febres all likely to move on.

The good news? Dylan Disu, Brock Cunningham, and Devin Askew will all return, while super talented freshman Dillon Mitchell, Arterio Morris, and Rowan Brumbaugh will all enter the fray with high expectations. 

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