Big 12 Conference Preview: #3 Texas Longhorns

2013-14 Season Results: 24-11, 11-7 conference record. T-3rd in the Big 12, 65-79 loss to Michigan in the third round of the NCAA Tournament.

Key Losses: Martez Walker (suspended indefinitely).

Key Returners: F Jonathan Holmes, G Isaiah Taylor, G Javan Felix, C Cameron Ridley, G Demarcus Holland, F Connor Lammert.

2014 Recruiting Class: Myles Turner (ESPN 5-star, #2 C), Jordan Barnett (ESPN 4-star, #23 SF), Obinna Oleka (JuCo, PF).

The story of the 2014-15 Texas Longhorns will revolve around their head coach, Rick Barnes, and his recruiting exploits. Barnes has done his due diligence and yet again won the once-in-a-lifetime athlete sweepstakes, landing 6’11” center/absolute monster Myles Turner for his Longhorns squad. Like LaMarcus Aldridge and Kevin Durant before him, Turner will be expected to produce right out of the gate for Texas. Based on Turner’s raw athleticism and sweet shooting touch, there’s no reason not to expect the freshman phenom to quickly become a household name by season’s end.

These Longhorns, however, are no one-trick pony. They return their entire starting five from a team last season that finished with a 24-11 record, scoring 71.8 points per game in the Big 12. They are an experienced squad with last season’s leading scorer Jonathan Holmes leading the way as the lone senior on the team. Holmes is bolstered in experience by juniors Javan Felix, Cameron Ridley, Demarcus Holland and Connor Lammert, all of whom averaged over 20 minutes per game last season. Throw in sophomore G Isaiah Taylor, the team’s second leading scorer last season at 12.7 points per game, and things look downright scary for the Longhorns in 2014-15.

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Oh, you want more daunting news for the rest of the Big 12? How about Turner’s fellow incoming freshman, 4-star SF Jordan Barnett. Rated as the #23 SF in the country, the 6’7″ Barnett has touch from beyond the arc and has been known to jump out of the building a time or two. Barnett’s ability to both hit it from deep and also finish in the paint matches perfectly with Myles Turner’s skillset, as the big man can hit 20-footers in his sleep, and you know he’s a beast in the paint. Turner and Barnett comprise one of the most dangerous freshman classes in the country, let alone the Big 12. That they should be able to step right into Rick Barnes’ offense will add even more depth to an already stacked Longhorns lineup.

Texas has the Big 12 figured out better than any other school in the conference. They have a guard-heavy lineup that can score at will, but they also possess the necessary size in their frontcourt to be able to give opposing offenses fits. As it was last season, the Big 12 looks to be one of the more competitive conferences in all of Division I this coming season. Scoreboards will be lit up once conference play commences, there’s no doubt about that. It’s the teams, however, with that ever important intangible – size – that will rise above the rest come tournament time. Texas is perhaps the best example of an offensive juggernaut that also has a formidable defense. It’s their size and their defense that will land them near the top of the Big 12 standings this season.

What’s that they always say about the Lone Star state? Oh that’s right – everything’s bigger in Texas, and the Longhorns are certainly no exception.

Projected Finish: 3rd

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