Texas Longhorns
Big 12 (20-13, 8-10)
Rick Barnes had a nice bounce back season last year after a subpar 2012-2013 season. Lots of high expectations cloaked the Longhorns going into this season and many thought they would challenge Kansas for the top spot – or at least second ahead of Iowa State. They have not quite lived up to their preseason billing, but this is still a talented team. A Barnes-coached Texas team is going to be a tough out in any tournament.
Big Wins: 11/20 vs Iowa (71-57), 1/17 West Virginia (77-50), 3/2 Baylor (61-59)
Bad Losses: 12/23 Stanford (71-74), 1/10 at Oklahoma State (58-69), 2/4 Oklahoma State (63-65)
Coach: Rick Barnes
Why They Can Surprise:
Texas always seems to put long, athletic teams on the floor. Myles Turner is a 6-11 freshman who is an integral contributor. Prince Ibeh, 6-10 center, gives Barnes quality minutes off the bench. Texas is one of the strongest rebounding teams in the nation, averaging nearly 40 per game. They possess the ball and give their playmakers an opportunity to score consistently. And their playmakers can take over a game. Turner is a revelation as a freshman and Cameron Ridley, a former highly-touted recruit, is another big body in the middle. Their most important player is Isaiah Taylor, a speedy guard leading the team in points, assists, and steals per game. He needs to stay healthy for the Longhorns to have postseason success. The talent is there for this team to advance.
Why They Can Disappoint:
For all the good players that Texas boasts, they have too difficult a time scoring for long stretches. They average just 68 points per game and their field goal percentage is average. What truly hurts them game-to-game is three-point shooting. They only hit about six per contest. Tournament play is going to require more efficient shooting from behind the arc. It is difficult for teams to cut into a deficit if the cannot hit the long ball and it could make or break the Longhorns come tournament time.
Probable Starters:
Isaiah Taylor, Sophomore, Guard, 13.0 ppg, 4.6 apg
Kendall Yancy, Sophomore, Guard, 6.4 ppg, 1.8 apg
Demarcus Holland, Junior, Guard, 7.3 ppg, 2.5 apg
Myles Turner, Freshman, Forward, 10.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.7 bpg
Cameron Ridley, Junior, Center, 8.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.7 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Jonathan Holmes, Senior, Forward, 10.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.0 bpg
Javan Felix, Junior, Guard, 8.7 ppg, 2.0 apg
Prince Ibeh, Junior, Center, 2.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.4 bpg
Connor Lammert, Junior, Forward, 5.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 68.1 (158th in nation, 7th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 60.4 (36, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 43.6 (169, 6)
Field-Goal Defense: 36.4 (4, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.2 (193, 6)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 33.9 (193, 6)
Free-Throw Percentage: 72.2 (68, 3)
Rebound Margin: 8.2 (9, 2)
Assists Per Game: 13.0 (145, 7)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.8 (200, 7)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2014 NCAA Second Round win over Arizona State
2014 NCAA Third Round loss to Michigan
2013 CBI First Round loss to Houston
2012 NCAA Second Round loss to Cincinnati
2011 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Arizona
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Oakland
2010 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Wake Forest
2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Minnesota
2009 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Duke
2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over Austin Peay
2008 NCAA Round of 32 win over Miami
2008 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Stanford
2008 NCAA Regional Final loss to Memphis
2007 NCAA Round of 64 win over New Mexico
2007 NCAA Round of 32 loss to USC
*all team stats through 3/8
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
