At the beginning of Texas men’s basketball’s season, sophomore forward Nic Codie was part of head coach Sean Miller’s starting lineup.
However, Codie was dropped after the opening four games. In his following eight appearances, he only played double-digit minutes three times.
It wasn’t until mid-February that Codie found himself playing significant minutes, winning the team’s game ball against Missouri.
Afterward, in his last 10 games, Codie has played double-digit minutes off the bench in nine games — including 26 against No. 3 Gonzaga in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, producing 12 points, four rebounds and three assists.
Codie’s resurgence to the Longhorns’ rotation, paired with sophomore center Matas Vokietaitis playing his best basketball as of late, could be the key as No. 11 Texas takes on No. 2 Purdue in the Sweet 16 on Thursday.
“Nic Codie has continued to develop, get more confidence,” Miller said. “We have more confidence in him, and there have been a lot of times between Matas (Vokietaitis) and Nic (Codie) together over the last couple of weeks that we’ve been really efficient and playing good basketball when those two guys are in together.”
The Boilermakers are a physical team, starting with 6-foot-11 senior center Oscar Cluff and 6-foot-9 senior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn against No. 7 Miami in the second round. Off the bench, 7-foot-4 sophomore center Daniel Jacobsen also contributes to the physicality.
Codie and Vokietaitis are 6-foot-8 and 7-foot, respectively, and will play an important role in keeping them at bay from dominating in the paint.
Cluff and Kaufman-Renn combined for 16 rebounds in their 79-69 win over Miami, showcasing their physicality when crashing the glass. The Boilermakers’ four offensive rebounds against the Hurricanes came from Cluff and Kaufman-Renn.
With senior guard Fletcher Loyer on the perimeter for the Boilermakers, it is key that the Longhorns deny their opponents’ offensive rebounds and cause as many turnovers as possible.
Loyer only missed one field goal against the Hurricanes, making all four of his three-point attempts in an efficient, second-rebound performance.
“(Purdue) really (does) attack you with two bigs for the majority of the game,” Miller said. “They’re incredibly efficient, the best offense in the country. They do it by precision and excellent offensive rebounding, which playing two bigs gives them an inherent advantage there. … I don’t think there’s a more important aspect of the game that when Purdue misses, we can’t let them kill us on the glass.”
In their last meeting in the 2022 NCAA second round, the Longhorns did what this year’s team is most known for: fouling. Purdue had 46 free throws in that game, scoring 33, while Texas only went 7-12. The Boilermakers would go on to win the game 81-71.
While the Longhorns have been known for their foul troubles, most notably when Miller referred to it as the team’s virus in January, they have surprisingly kept the troubles tucked away.
In the second round of the tournament, three players did not commit a single foul, and for those who did foul, no one recorded more than three.
If the Longhorns can keep their limited fouls going into the Sweet 16, it will only add to Texas’ chances of keeping its glass shoe fitting properly.
“We have improved in terms of limiting fouls,” Miller said. “We’re just a little bit more disciplined.”
Texas will face Purdue tomorrow at 6:10 p.m. at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif.
