Big 12 Basketball: 5 biggest questions heading into 2021-22 season
By Andrew Tineo
Will Chris Beard make it work at Texas?
Although not the favorite to win the conference, the most talented roster resides in Austin. The biggest headlines coming through returnees and acquisitions during the off-season make this roster loaded.
The Longhorns are 10 deep with legitimate starters, with at least six being starters at the majority of schools in the country. The backcourt is loaded, with Andrew Jones, Courtney Ramey, alongside Kentucky transfer Devin Askew and newly-added Minnesota guard Marcus Carr.
Not including the addition of Vanderbilt’s Dylan Disu and Utah’s Timmy Allen, who were both impact players in their respective conferences.
Creating a starting lineup for this roster is easier said than done and the Longhorns acquired the most talent of any team in college basketball over the previous three months.
The question lies as to what Chris Beard can do with all the diamonds and jewels at his disposal. I am cautious to give the Longhorns a Top three national ranking or being the best team in the conference.
It’s the first year under Chris Beard and a lot of talented players that are going to need to get used to the system that Beard runs. Current Texas Tech Head Coach Mark Adams was an assistant under Beard and helped tremendously with Texas Tech’s schemes, specifically on the defensive end.
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How Beard can put all the pieces together and make a championship-winning team will be the deciding factor between a final four contender, or a team that falls behind Kansas and Baylor in the Big 12.