Big 12 Basketball power rankings: Kansas State soars, Texas Tech falters

3. Texas Longhorns – 12-2 (1-1)

After losing head coach Chris Beard due to an off-the-court domestic issue (now fired), the Longhorns managed to continue winning with Rodney Terry leading the way. He and the team won the first Big 12 Basketball game, in a last-second 70-69 victory over Oklahoma.

Timmy Allen and Marcus Carr each had 13 points for Texas, with Sir’Jabari Rice having 11 points and seven rebounds off the bench. Both Tyrese Hunter and Dillon Mitchell had one made field goal each but the Longhorns’ defense managed to keep them in the game.

That defense apparently took a night off in the next game against Kansas State. They gave up 58 points in both halves for a shocking 116-103 defeat. It completely overshadows the best game that Carr and Hunter have had in the backcourt together, scoring 56 points combined. Texas shot 52% from the field and made 11 three-pointers but again, did nothing on defense to keep them in this one.

The Longhorns look to bounce back this weekend on the road at Oklahoma State, before facing TCU and Texas Tech at home. The absence of Coach Beard hasn’t been talked about much on the court since they’ve been winning but if they continue to lose, expect that to change.