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sportsTexas Longhorns

Nightmare in Morgantown: Longhorns’ 38-point loss to West Virginia marks the worst in the Shaka Smart era

The Longhorns’ 97-59 loss to No. 14 West Virginia marks the biggest loss since Smart took over as head coach.

There was only one lingering question as No. 14 West Virginia continued to dominate the Longhorns in Morgantown: Will the Mountaineers hand the Longhorns their largest defeat in program history?

While the Longhorns flirted with breaking that record –– Texas trailed by 42 points late in the second half –– Texas came up short of the 50-point loss to UCLA in 1971.

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This loss, this 38-point blowout, still leaves an ugly blemish on a Shaka Smart era full of them. Texas’ 97-59 loss isn’t only the biggest loss under Smart, but it’s the Longhorns’ largest defeat as a Big 12 school.

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Here are three takeaways from Texas’ nightmare in Morgantown:

Disastrous first half dooms Longhorns

Texas’ Jase Febres hit a 3-pointer to cut West Virginia’s lead to 15-13 at the 12:39 mark –– then the Longhorns crumbled in every facet of the game en route to a 45-20 halftime deficit. From turnovers (12) to second chance points (0) to getting severely outrebounded (28-12), the Longhorns watched the game slip through the cracks after the first half.

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West Virginia wasn’t necessarily polished offensively in the first half, either. The Mountaineers went 11-20 from the free throw line and only managed to make two of their last 10 shots in the first half.

Still, that didn’t stop the Mountaineers from wreaking havoc defensively. Their full court press and aggressive halfcourt defense forced seven turnovers, and the Longhorns shot a woeful 25% from deep (3-12). The Mountaineers brought down 16 more rebounds, 17 more second chance points and found themselves in the double bonus by the 8:00 mark.

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As time would prove, the second half wasn’t much better as the Longhorns watched the Mountaineers blossom their lead from 25 points to as much 42 points.

West Virginia shuts Jericho Sims down

He was just 48 hours removed from his career-high 20-point performance against Kansas, but the Mountaineers made Jericho Sims a non-factor for the entire game.

If the Mountaineers’ focus on Sims wasn’t clear by the first half, it was evident when Sims fouled out early in the second with only three points. Sims was only on the court for a mere 13 points before he shot 1-4, grabbed only two rebounds and committed five fouls.

Mountaineers dominate Longhorns on the boards

West Virginia may not have doubled up Texas’ point total, but they were able to double the Longhorns up on the boards. Whether it was Jericho Sims fouling out early or Texas just looking uninspired, the Mountaineers were able to out-rebound the Longhorns 53-25.

West Virginia took the extra 28 rebounds and turned in not only 27 second-chance points to Texas’ four, but the Mountaineers poured in 52 points in the paint while limiting the Longhorns to 18.

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For a team that gave itself a shot at upsetting No. 6 Kansas in the second half, the Longhorns were expected to at least look competitive against West Virginia. As the halftime score indicated, that was never the case.

With this permanent scar on Texas and Shaka Smart’s resume, the Longhorns now look to avoid a three-game losing streak when LSU comes to Austin on Saturday.