The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Kansas State
No. 15/16 Women’s Basketball preview: Big 12 Championship
03.09.2023 | Women's Basketball
No. 15/16 Texas (23-8, 14-4 Big 12) vs. Texas Tech (18-13, 6-12) OR Kansas State (16-15, 5-13 Big 12)
Game 32
Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship Quarterfinals
Friday, March 10, 2023 – 1:30 p.m. Central
Kansas City, Mo. – Municipal Auditorium
GameDay Quick Facts
TELEVISION: The game will be nationally televised on ESPNU/ESPN+. Brenda VanLengen (pxp) and Holly Warlick (analyst) will have the call.
RADIO: The game will be carried on 105.3 FM in Austin. Craig Way (pxp) and Kathy Harston (analyst) will call the action. The broadcast will be streamed on TexasSports.Com.
SERIES: Texas leads the all-time series against Texas Tech 78-32 and leads against Kansas State 30-17.
Notables
BIG 12 CHAMPIONS: The Longhorn finished 14-4 in conference play and earned a share of the conference championship, their first regular season conference title since the 2003-04 season.
BIG 12 AWARDS: Texas head coach Vic Schaefer was selected by the league's coaches as the Big 12 Coach of the Year. Rori Harmon earned Defensive Player of the Year and Shaylee Gonzales was selected the Newcomer of the Year. Landing on the All-Big 12 First Team were Rori Harmon and DeYona Gaston. Gonzales earned a spot on the second team, Harmon earned a spot on the defensive team and Amina Muhammad was selected to the All-Freshman Team.
ELITE COMPANY: Rori Harmon and Iowa guard Caitlin Clark are the only two players in NCAA DI women's basketball that are averaging at least 11.9 points per game, seven assists per game and five rebounds per game.
DEFENSE GETTING IT DONE:
Texas is 19-0 on the season when they hold an opponent to 59 points or less. 21 times this season Texas has held an opponent to single digits for a quarter. The Longhorns held an Oklahoma offense averaging 86.7 points per game to 45 points. Texas ranks 10th in the NCAA in turnovers forced per game and seventh in the NCAA in blocked shots per game.
BATTLING ADVERSITY: The Longhorns have faced adversity with multiple players suffering injuries this season. This season the Longhorns have had 45 missed games by rotational players.
RORI HARMON: Sophomore All-American Rori Harmon made history on Jan. 4 in the Longhorns win over TCU as she became the 4th player in program history to record a triple-double. Harmon scored 17 points and added 11 assists and 10 rebounds. After missing the first five games of the season due to injury, the Longhorns are 21-5 with Harmon in the lineup this season. In Big 12 play Harmon is averaging 13.0 ppg, 7.7 apg, 5.8 rpg and 2.1 spg. Harmon leads the Big 12 in assists per game. Harmon is No. 4 on the UT all-time list for assists for sophomores with 189. Harmon was named to the Naismith Trophy Player of the Week Midseason Team. Harmon leads the team in fouls drawn (123) and charges taken (29). Harmon has played 40 minutes in nine conference games for the Longhorns.
GASTON COMING UP BIG:
DeYona Gaston notched her second double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds in the win at Baylor. Gaston scored 15 of her 19 points in the first half against Oklahoma. Gaston scored a career-high 24 points in the Texas win at Kanas. Against TCU, Gaston scored 16 points and tallied a career-high four assists. Gaston is one of the most improved players in scoring in the Big 12. Going from 5.3 points per game last year to 12.5 per game this season, that is the fourth largest improvement in the conference. Gaston has the seventh biggest rebounding jump in the conference as well. Gaston ranks second in the Big 12 in field goal percentage at 53.1 percent shooting from the field. Gaston recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds in the Longhorn win at Oklahoma.
ON THE GLASS: The Longhorns are 19-5 this season when they outrebound their opponent. Texas has been effective on the offensive glass as they lead the Big 12 and rank 13th in the NCAA in offensive rebounds per game at 15.3. Texas has won the offensive glass in 23 games this season. Against West Virginia, the Longhorns grabbed 14 offensive rebounds and only gave up four offensive boards to the Mountaineers.
20 WINS: The Longhorns notched their 20th win of the season against TCU. For head coach Vic Schaefer, he has now won 20 or more games in 10 straight seasons as a head coach.
GONZALES GOING OFF: In her first season in Austin, Shaylee Gonzales has made an impact. Gonzales has scored in double-figures in 22 games this season. In the Texas win over Texas Tech Gonzales scored 25 points and went a perfect 10-10 from the free-throw line. Against TCU, Gonzales not only scored 16 points, but added seven rebounds, six assists and three steals.
JONES AN INSIDE FORCE: Taylor Jones has blocked three or more shots in nine games this season and in three games she has blocked five shots. Jones blocked five shots in the Texas win at Oklahoma. Jones tallied a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds last time out in the game vs. Baylor.
