Texas Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Longhorns

Projected Starters

Dylan Osetkowski

Osetkowski is the Longhorns top returning scorer (13.4 ppg) and will again be looked upon to be a scorer again this year. He is a big guy who can stretch defenses as he shot 146 three-pointers last year. He did only shoot 29% from downtown last year so he will need to improve on that number to really become a threat. He averaged just over 35 minutes a game last year so he is definitely their workhorse and with the loss of Mo Bamba and the uncertainty of Andrew Jones return he will again get big minutes. He will look to make the jump in his game and in turn help Texas compete in the Big 12.

Kerwin Roach II

Roach II returns for his senior season after averaging 12.3  ppg. He just like Osetkowski played a lot of minutes and will again be leaned on heavily to produce. He is a threat from anywhere on the court as he shot 36% from deep last year. He will team up with Matt Coleman to make up a very experienced backcourt that should help the Longhorns deal with any pressure that will come from the rough Big 12. Roach II has the potential to break out this year and if he does Texas should be in good shape.

Matt Coleman

Coleman, as mentioned earlier, should join Roach II in the backcourt and like him could breakout in the scoring department. He also played big minutes for the Longhorns last year and that experience should be beneficial for Texas. Coleman will need to improve on this outside shooting as he shot just 28% from three-point range. He did average just over 10 ppg so he has the ability to score. Just like the first two guys if his scoring goes up so does the Longhorns chances.

Jericho Sims

Sims is a big guy that will look to solidify the paint for the Longhorns. He started 11 games last year but averaged just five points per game. With the scoring they should have from the first three guys on this list he may not need to score much. He is their second-leading rebounder returning from last years team and they will need him to be a force on the boards this year. At 6’9″ and 240 lbs he has the size to defend most anyone down low and the strength to not get pushed around.

Jase Febres

Febres played in 31 games last year and started 17 of them. He was not much of a scorer last year and probably will not be looked upon to do much scoring again this year. He does have potential from the outside as he shot 30% last year. He looks like a good glue player that could get hot from time to time and when he does it will just make the Longhorns that much better. Look for him to be more of a setup guy for Osetkowski, Roach II and Coleman. If he can settle into that role he will see his minutes go up.