NCAA Basketball: 2021-22 Christmas wishlist for each top 25 team

18. Texas Longhorns – Get Marcus Carr going

Marcus Carr was arguably the biggest transfer pickup last offseason, coming off averaging 19.4 ppg and 4.9 apg at Minnesota. He’s one of the best scoring guards in the country and can go for 30+ points in any game. However, something just hasn’t clicked between him and Texas, currently averaging 8.6 ppg and 3.3 apg, and now is coming off the bench.

It very well could be that playing in a controlled offense with the Longhorns has impacted Carr greatly, while also playing alongside senior guards Andrew Jones and Courtney Ramey. The offense overall for Texas needs to improve if they want to perform at the preseason top 5 ranking, starting with Carr himself. But if he’s going to be coming off the bench going forward, at least be an effective and efficient scoring in limited minutes.

17. Xavier Musketeers – Get Zach Freemantle going

The leading scorer and rebounder missed the first month of the season with a leg injury but returned for the past seven games. It looked as if Freemantle was back when he had 24 points against Ball State but although he was inserted back into the starting lineup, the 6’11 forward only has scored a combined 29 points in four games since.

Iowa transfer Jack Nunge (12.5 ppg and 7.3 rpg) has been very impressive in his place but Freemantle at his best gives Xavier the best chance to compete for an NCAA Tournament bid. His post-game skills are some of the best in the country and his offense can rely upon more. Let’s hope that the junior big can get back to the 16 and 9 averages he had last season.