3 Areas Texas Basketball Must Improve Before March Madness

After a non-conference schedule where the Texas Longhorns headed into conference play with more questions and concerns rather than answers, the Longhorns battled throughout the start of conference play and struggled in the first eight SEC games as Texas amassed a 3-5 record.

At an inflection point in the season after the Longhorns blew a big lead against Auburn, Texas stared up at an uphill battle if head coach Sean Miller's squad was going to have any chance at making the NCAA Tournament.

And the Longhorns have resoundingly responded to that test with a surge in the middle of the season. Texas has enjoyed a four-game winning streak, now sitting with a 7-5 SEC record. Now looking down the stretch of the regular season, here are three areas the Longhorns have to get better at with just six games left to play and March sitting on the horizon.

Find Consistent 3-Point Shooting

Texas Longhorns forward Camden Heide shoots a three point basket against Mississippi Rebels guard Patton Pinkins. | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

The Longhorns have been able to find much more production from beyond the arc in their last four games compared to earlier in the season, where Texas wasn't shooting many attempts from beyond the arc, let alone making them consistently.

However, the Longhorns still have to get much better from three. During their four-game winning streak, Texas has shot a combined 35 percent from beyond the three-point line, making just 26 of their 73 attempts.

Forward Camden Heide could be one of the main X-factors in helping the Longhorns three-point shooting. The forward has shot over 40 percent from three in the last four games, giving Heide plenty of opportunities to find a rhythm, which will help the Longhorns gain consistency from beyond the arc.

Veteran Backcourt Players Getting More Involved

Texas Longhorns guard Jordan Pope celebrates a three point basket. | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

Texas has two very experienced players in its backcourt in Jordan Pope and Tramon Mark, who, while neither are traditional point guards their valuable contributions comes in their scoring, and they have to find a rhythm down the stretch of the season.

Pope is finding himself in the Longhorns' last two games, averaging 14 points per game while shooting 35 percent from the field and 36 percent from three-point range. Pope's ability to create his own shot, especially from beyond the arc, will be crucial for Texas.

And Mark has also emerged in recent weeks, putting together strong performances and at times being right behind Dailyn Swain in scoring. In the Longhorns' wins against Ole Miss and South Carolina, Mark averaged 18.5 points while shooting 47 percent from the field.

Limit Fouls

Texas Longhorns center Matas Vokietaitis reacts to making a basket before a Mississippi Rebels foul. | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

Miller called out his squad's inability to play without fouling, labeling it a "virus" that the Longhorns are dealing with. And during their four-game stretch, the Longhorns have been able to get better at fouling. They still have a combined personal 68 fouls in four games, averaging 17 fouls a game.

The Longhorns issues with fouling give their opponents easy looks with free-throw attempts, as in four games, Texas' opponents have shot a whopping 95 free throws, with opposing teams converting 68 of them for easy points.