NCAA Basketball: Preseason top 25 power rankings for 2022-23 season

Last season’s preseason ranking for the Longhorns was in the top-5 but after the ups and downs with the roster, look for expectations to be more tapered this time around. It’s certainly for me, who likes certain parts of the roster but doesn’t in others. It starts in the backcourt, with Marcus Carr coming back for one more year, and is joined by one of the top offseason transfers in Tyrese Hunter.

Last year’s Big 12 Rookie of the Year played a big part in Iowa State’s miraculous turnaround into being a Sweet 16 team. Hunter averaged 11.0 ppg and 4.9 apg and is a consensus national breakout candidate for this season. He did shoot 39% from the field and 27% from three-point range. The concern is that neither Hunter nor Carr are very efficient from the field, which isn’t ideal for a starting backcourt. But the hope is that will better offensively talented teammates for Hunter and Carr playing more off the ball, that it’ll unlock both of their respective potentials.

Other guards in the backcourt include five-star incoming freshman Arterio Morris, four-star true point guard Rowan Brumbaugh and New Mexico State transfer and double-digit scoring guard Sir’Jabari Rice. There’s a good amount of depth on the perimeter with defensive capabilities. But it’ll come down to how efficient both Carr and Hunter are on offense.

There’s also a chance that the strength remains on the wings, with returning leading scorer Timmy Allen joined by top-10 overall freshman prospect Dillon Mitchell. Both can play each of the forward positions and Mitchell may ultimately be the best player on the roster when it’s all said and done.

There’s not a ton of size on this roster, with 6’7 senior forward Christian Bishop set to start at center once again. His backup, Dylan Disu struggled last season due to injuries but did average 15.0 ppg and 9.0 rpg the year prior at Vanderbilt so he could be due for a bounce-back campaign.

This is a roster with a lot of good pieces but as last season showed, it has to mesh together.