Big 12 Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2020-21 season

While West Virginia is happy to bring back most of its roster for the upcoming season, that doesn’t compare to Texas bringing back everyone from a 19-win regular-season squad, who adds a star as well.

It’s a roster filled with former top-100 recruits, with some having developed more than others. The hope is that the lone newcomer to the roster, five-star power forward prospect Greg Brown, can be the missing piece to take the Longhorns to the next level. At one point believed to have been going to the G League, Brown was a major recruiting victory for head coach Shaka Smart, who say is currently on the hot seat.

The power forward was a weak spot in the lineup, with Kamaka Hepa, Royce Hamm Jr., and Will Cunningham all struggling to be part of the rotation. Brown is a nice player to pair with center  Jericho Sims inside and could very well be the team’s leading scorer next season.

The backcourt is coming back as well, including double-digit scoring guards Matt Coleman, Andrew Jones, and Courtney Ramey. Jase Febres (9.7 ppg) is the fourth guard in the mix as well. Even though these are upperclassmen the hope is that there’s still some improvement with their scoring. Texas ranked 326th in scoring (64.2 ppg) while being one of the worst in the country at getting to the free throw line. Brown’s presence will hopefully provide the right balance on offense and create more production overall.

There’s always a debate on how to view teams who return everyone but were mostly average the season prior. But I have a feeling that Brown will be the lift needed to showcase the Longhorn’s offense and its maximum potential. And with the season being completely different than normal, it’s good to have veterans and upperclassmen throughout the roster.

To be clear though, Texas needs to make the NCAA Tournament this season, or Coach Smart could be in some real trouble.