3. Texas Longhorns
Sean Miller’s first season at Texas wasn’t looking profound as they finished just 10th in the SEC standings, but then the Longhorns went from the First Four to the Sweet Sixteen as an 11-seed and really showed their mettle. Miller has built his career on bringing great talent to his schools and nobody expected any different in Austin. He lost a fair bit of talent from that Sweet Sixteen run but has orchestrated quite the haul from the portal once again.
This haul is dripping with talent and potential, with all five names revered underclassman ready to take the next big step with the Longhorns. Perhaps the most notable on the list is David Punch, the former TCU forward who put up 14.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, but he’s not the only Big 12 talent joining Texas. Another big addition comes in the form of Isaiah Johnson, who put up nearly 17 points per game as a freshman with Colorado and should develop into a star for the Longhorns.
Two former SEC guards are also among the newcomers for the Longhorns, with Elyjah Freeman coming over from Auburn and Amari Evans heading in after his freshman year at Tennessee. There’s also Mikey Lewis, the former Saint Mary’s guard who put up nearly 14 points per game and left after a head coaching change. These three all should have notable roles in Texas’s backcourt, though it’ll be interesting to see how the minutes all work out.
Johnson and Punch are two former Big 12 stars on the rise and were among the top names in the portal this year. Getting three other notable pieces beyond those two stars is a big reason why there’s plenty of reason to be excited in Austin this next season. They’ve loaded up on raw talent as some of these young stars develop into veteran players and it’s the kind of talent that shouldn’t be settling for a trip to the First Four next season.
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