The Good, Bad and Ugly From Texas Longhorns' Win vs. NC State

The Texas Longhorns will leave paradise picking up two wins in their three-game stint at this year's Maui Invitational, starting with a loss to Arizona State, followed by a win over Chaminade, and ending with a hard-fought 102-97 victory over No. 23 NC State on Wednesday night.

Leading the Longhorns to their first win over a nationally ranked opponent was a high-scoring affair from multiple Longhorns, with six different players reaching double-digit figures. Jordan Pope led the way with a season high 28 points, followed by Chendal Weaver, who also had a season high 17 points, while Dailyn Swain, Camden Heide, Matas Vokietaitis, and Simeon Wilcher all scored double-digit points.

Taking a closer look at the matchup, here's what the Longhorns did well, where some struggles remain, and an area that the Longhorns need to address quickly once they return home to the Moody Center to take on the Virginia Cavaliers part of the ACC/SEC Challenge on Dec 3.

The Good: 3-Point Shooting Keeps Rolling

Texas Longhorns guard Jordan Pope (0) shoots a three point basket against Rider Broncs guard Jamir McNeil (5) during the second half at Moody Center. | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

Texas had been struggling to find a rhythm from beyond the arc, and in the second half of its game against Chaminade, it looked like the Longhorns found something as they made 10 out of their 15 three-point attempts.

And against NC State, the Longhorns kept their rhythm rolling for the entirety of the game Wednesday night, as they shot 50 percent from three-point range, making 16 of their 32 three-point attempts.

Leading the way was Pope, who made seven of his 13 three-point shots and started the game making five straight 3-pointers. Also making an impact were Weaver, Heide, and Wilcher, who all made three shots from beyond the arc each.

The Bad: Struggles Defending the Paint

Rider Broncs forward Zion Cruz (0) shoots against Texas Longhorns center Matas Vokietaitis (8) and guard Chendall Weaver (2) during the second half at Moody Center. | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

The Longhorns have been pretty stout guarding the paint throughout the early part of the season; however, NC State was able to take advantage of their paint touches all night.

As the Wolfpack ended the game with 46 points in the paint, outscoring the Longhorns, who managed just 20. NC State was able to capitalize on its eight offensive rebounds, scoring 14 second-chance points.

The Ugly: Foul Trouble Galore

Texas Longhorns forward Camden Heide (5) battle for the ball with Fairleigh Dickinson guard David Jevtic (35) and forward Josiah Francis (15) during the first half at and Moody Center. | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

Texas got into plenty of foul trouble in its time in Maui, accumulating 70 personal fouls throughout its three games in the tournament.

And against NC State, the Longhorns found their fouling issues becoming a real problem with both Vokietaitis and Heide fouling out of the matchup late into the game.

While the fouls-outs didn't harm the Longhorns in the end, it will be something that has to get cleaned up moving forward.