Busting Brackets
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Big 12 Basketball: Grades for each team in this 2020 offseason

By Matthew Mastandrea

WACO, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 22: Jared Butler #12 of the Baylor Bears and Marcus Garrett #0 of the Kansas Jayhawks in the second half at Ferrell Center on February 22, 2020 in Waco, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
WACO, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 22: Jared Butler #12 of the Baylor Bears and Marcus Garrett #0 of the Kansas Jayhawks in the second half at Ferrell Center on February 22, 2020 in Waco, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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AUSTIN, TEXAS – FEBRUARY 01: Jase Febres #13 of the Texas Longhorns consults with head coach Shaka Smart (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TEXAS – FEBRUARY 01: Jase Febres #13 of the Texas Longhorns consults with head coach Shaka Smart (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images) /

4. Texas B

There are a few reasons I put Texas at number four on this list, but one of the biggest comes from them retaining their entire roster for the upcoming season. Texas and Shaka Smart are looking to build on a season that saw them tie with Oklahoma, finishing 19-12 with a 9-9 record in Big 12 play.

What might be even more impressive than their 2020 roster, is their 2021 recruiting class. To date, the Longhorns have landed three four-star recruits. The list includes Emarion Ellis, a combo guard out of Davenport, Louisiana, Tamar Bates, a shooting guard out of Bradenton, Florida, and David Joplin, a power forward out of Brookfield, Wisconsin.

Texas has also gotten a commit from three-star power forward, Keeyan Itejere out of Raleigh, North Carolina. These four recruits will play a big role in the 2021 season as they will be replacing five senior longhorns.

The impressive accolades continue, as Texas is excited to see what they’re going to get this season from freshman, Greg Brown III. Brown, the 6-9 forward, was a five-star recruit in the 2020 class and is close to homecoming from Carthage, Texas.

Shaka Smart is entering his sixth season as the Longhorns head coach, and it would be an understatement to say that he hasn’t met expectations from Longhorns nation. However, this is a big get for Smart, and his strong 2021 class also shows that he might be able to right the ship sooner than later.

When you have a team returning everyone, you could point out any player, but I believe Matt Coleman III will be the biggest player to keep an eye on this season. The 6-2 guard averaged 12.7 points per game last season, and his ability to run the Texas offense will be one of the biggest indications of just how legit Texas is this year.

While rumors will continue to swirl about Smart, it’s safe to say that he controls his own destiny. Texas’s offseason has put their allowed them to put their fate in their own hands, as they look to earn a top-three finish in the Big 12 and take that success into the tournament.

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