Texas Basketball: How Tough Loss to Kentucky Will Help Longhorns in 2014-15

The Texas Longhorns made a massive statement Friday night at Rupp Arena, even though they fell 12 points short of knocking off the top team in the nation. 

The first half of the 63-51 loss in the SEC-Big 12 Challenge was dominated by Rick Barnes' Longhorns. The feat is even more mind-boggling when you look at the foul trouble the team experienced. 

Kentucky eventually turned up the pace of the game and showed off its excellent talent. But the defeat on the road handed Texas plenty of positives heading into the rest of its nonconference play. And more importantly, the Longhorns received a massive confidence boost in regards to their chances in the Big 12. 

We all saw Friday night the Longhorns have plenty of depth in the frontcourt. They don't just have one big man to spell the starters coming off the bench. They have three players in Myles Turner, Prince Ibeh and Connor Lammert who can make an instant impact in the paint when called upon. 

Unfortunately for Texas, it had to flaunt its ridiculous depth early in the first half after Cameron Ridley was sent to the bench with two fouls. 

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The referees, who are still calling fouls as we speak, handed Ibeh two fouls and one to Turner before the under-12 media timeout. Turner picked up his second shortly after the break. 

Even with every one of its big men in some type of foul trouble, Texas was able to contest every shot inside the paint taken by mighty Kentucky. 

Despite the Wildcats' insistence on shooting inside instead of opening up lanes for the shooters on the perimeter, Texas was able to counter with impressive defense. 

What Ibeh, Turner and Lammert lack in width, they make up for in height and smarts. It is widely known none of these players have the wide presence in the paint of Ridley, but that did not stop them from physically challenging the imposing Kentucky frontcourt. 

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Before Kentucky woke up during the early stages of the second half, Texas was holding its own, which is a terrific sign of progress for a team expected to challenge Kansas for the Big 12 regular-season crown. 

There is no doubt when Texas has its frontcourt at full strength, it is the best in the Big 12. Kansas has a game-changer in Perry Ellis and a young stud in Cliff Alexander, but after that it doesn't have much. 

Iowa State is seen as the other true contender for the Big 12 regular-season title, but like Kansas, the Cyclones have a small amount of game-altering big men, led by Georges Niang. 

If we base Texas' chances to win the back-to-back games against Kansas and Iowa State in January on just the Kentucky game, it would be hard not to give the Longhorns the advantage. And that is before we begin talking about the things the Longhorns have to improve on before they begin their grueling Big 12 slate. 

With five nonconference games left before the Big 12 opener against Texas Tech on January 3, the Longhorns have plenty of time to fine-tune their flaws. 

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Foul trouble was the obvious concern from the loss to Kentucky, but it is worth noting the Longhorns will not face another team with as much frontcourt depth as the Wildcats have for the rest of the season. 

There will be games where one or two players spend an extended amount of time on the bench, but as we saw Friday night, the next-man-up mentality of the Longhorns is alive and well.

By hanging with Kentucky for a long amount of time, Texas proved it can play well without its imposing big man, Ridley. The three players used to replace Ridley also bring different skill sets to the table, which will cause matchup problems down the road. 

Lammert is a terrific defender who can cause plenty of issues for frustrated opposing offenses. Turner's versatility will challenge future opponents to guard him on the perimeter as well as in the paint. Ibeh is more of a true paint player who has the length to contest any shot in his direction. 

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If we take the focus off the frontcourt, which is hard to do at times, the play of the other players on the court also helped Texas battle with the Wildcats. 

Jonathan Holmes is the top scorer on the team, and as we saw against UConn, he has a knack for showing up in clutch spots. The Longhorns will need the clutch gene of the senior forward to appear at some point during the brutal run through the Big 12. If Holmes is able to make some big shots late in games, Texas could win a few more games than expected. 

The other important quality Holmes possesses is his consistency. In seven of his eight games, Holmes has scored nine points or more. If he continues to put up strong numbers throughout the season as expected, the Longhorns will not have to worry about their play on offense. 

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In the backcourt, Demarcus Holland is gaining a ton of valuable experience in the starting five with Isaiah Taylor out until the start of conference play. 

Holland was one of two Texas players in double digits Friday night, as he scored 10 points in 38 minutes. In four of his eight games this season, the junior guard has found his way into double digits to put his points-per-game average at 8.4. 

If you thought the depth of the Longhorns was scary in the paint, just wait until Taylor joins Holland and Javan Felix in the backcourt for the stretch run. 

Texas certainly has a few things to improve on after the Kentucky game. If they fix the little things in time for the Big 12 regular season, the Longhorns could be on the top of the conference standings in March. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

All statistics obtained from ESPN.com.