Big 12 Basketball: Mid-season power rankings

6. Texas Longhorns

14-7, 5-3 Big 12

This season, Texas is 249th in the country in pace, according to teamrankings.com. Last season, VCU, where Shaka Smart used to coach, was 61st. This year, Texas is forcing 13 turnovers per game, good for just 184th in the country. Last season, VCU forced over 16 turnovers per game, good for fifth in the country.

Texas Longhorns

Do you see the picture I’m trying to paint here? Shaka Smart has almost completely abandoned what he is most known for as a coach, and that’s his havoc, full-court pressure defense. He’s still running it occasionally, but he has shelved it for the time being in favor of a defensive system that allows his big men, previously Cameron Ridley and now Prince Ibeh, to set up in the paint and be a force blocking shots.

Boy, has it paid off for Ibeh. He’s never been known as a scorer, but he is averaging double figures over his last three games, all while blocking shots at an elite clip, with a block rate of 13%.

On offense, Smart has handed the keys to Isaiah Taylor, who has cut back on his midrange jumpers that he’s really no good at shooting. After shooting 49% of his shots from the midrange last year, that number is down to 31%, and his shots at the rim is at 54%, up from 36% last year, per hoop-math.com.

All of this combined might equal Shaka Smart’s best coaching effort ever. He doesn’t have many players that fit his system, but he adjusted anyway. In an era full of stubborn coaches, that should go a long way. It’s not like Texas is lighting the world on fire, but they do sit at 5-3 in the Big 12, and after losing Cameron Ridley for the year, making the tournament with this team has to be considered an accomplishment.

Next: Number Five