Big 12 Basketball: 2020-21 power rankings heading into New Year
467. . 7-1 (1-0). . Longhorns . 3. team
When you consider the prestige of the program, annual expectations, and the talent on the roster, no head coach may have been on the hot seat more than Shaka Smart of Texas. But with a bunch of seniors plus a five-star newcomer, this was the best chance for the team to make some noise.
And the Longhorns have done just that. Currently ranked in the top-10 overall, this team is closer to competing for a Big 12 regular-season title than they are even on the bubble. They defeated, Davidson, Indiana, and then North Carolina to win the Maui Invitational. Arguably Texas’ best performance came a week later when taking on Villanova, losing by just four points in a game where they looked just as good as the national title contending Wildcats.
Despite not having senior guard Jase Febres due to a knee injury, Texas has plenty of backcourt production to work with. Matt Coleman leads the team with 13.9 ppg and 4.5 apg, while guards Andrew Jones and Courtney Ramey are in double figures as well.
The biggest positive sign as of late has to be the play for forward Greg Brown. The former five-star prospect had a slow start to the season but has put up at least 17 points in the last three contests, including a season-high 24 points and 14 rebounds in a win over Oklahoma State.
With Brown’s potential combined with the experience and defense of the upperclassmen, the Longhorns aren’t only going to make the NCAA Tournament but very well a Final Four appearance as well. With Kansas up next, we’ll see how high the ceiling really is for Texas.