Texas men’s basketball returns to the Moody Center tonight looking to reset the tone of their season-and they’ll need to do it quickly. After a tough road loss to a red-hot UConn squad, the Longhorns are staring down a crucial two-game stretch before SEC play kicks off in less than three weeks.
Tonight’s opponent? Le Moyne.
And while the Dolphins might not carry the same national weight as UConn, they’re not a team Texas can afford to overlook.
Let’s be honest: Texas’ defense this season has been a major concern. The numbers don’t lie, and neither does the tape.
Opponents are finding open looks far too easily-whether it’s from missed rotations, slow closeouts, or just flat-out defensive lapses. Even against UConn, where the effort looked improved in spurts, the Longhorns still struggled to contain basic off-ball movement.
Simple screens and rubs continue to create wide-open perimeter shots, and that’s a recipe for disaster against any team with capable shooters.
And it’s not just the perimeter defense. Texas has been getting beat off the dribble far too often.
UConn’s guards had no issue slicing through the defense and finishing at the rim, and that wasn’t an isolated incident. We saw similar breakdowns against Virginia and NC State, where opposing ball-handlers routinely got past the first line of defense and faced little resistance in the paint.
That’s not just a schematic issue-it’s also about effort, communication, and pride on the defensive end.
So while Le Moyne might not be a household name, they’ve got a couple of players who can give Texas real problems if the Longhorns aren’t locked in.
Start with Trent Mosquera. The 6'5" guard has been on a tear from beyond the arc and leads the Dolphins with 15.1 points per game.
He’s more than just a shooter, though-he’s second on the team in rebounds at 5.3 per game, showing he’s not afraid to mix it up on the glass. He’s the kind of do-it-all guard who can quietly control a game if left unchecked, similar to what Alex Karaban did for UConn.
Then there’s Shilo Jackson, a 6'9" forward/center who’s been a force inside. Jackson is averaging 14.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game while shooting an impressive 81% from the free-throw line. He may not have the size of someone like Matas Vokietaitis, but he brings a physical, efficient presence in the paint that could cause serious problems if Texas doesn’t shore up its interior defense.
For the Longhorns, this game is less about the name on the opponent’s jersey and more about how they respond to adversity. They’ve got the talent.
They’ve shown flashes. But with the SEC schedule looming, the time for fixing mistakes is running short.
Tonight is a chance to clean up the defensive breakdowns, reestablish effort on both ends, and build some momentum heading into conference play.
Texas can’t afford to sleepwalk through this one. Le Moyne has the weapons to make things interesting. And for a Longhorns team still searching for its identity, this game might be more important than it looks on paper.