Texas basketball is currently ranked the number 13 in the country. After falling to their rival Oklahoma, the Longhorns took a tumble. Then two more tough games against the Baylor and Oklahoma State led Texas to a three game skid. Their game against OSU went into double OT before they ultimately fell to likely the number one overall pick in Cade Cunningham? Is this team capable of being at the top of the rankings in college basketball? Are they ready to make a deep run into March Madness?
The Longhorns have two things that are working for them right now. One is they have deep team that is ready to be able to make a push into march. They had players out against the Oklahoma Sooners yet found a way to make that game a one point game. Not to mention that they lost their head coach in Shaka Smart before the game started. OU was hot from the field and held on to a lead that they built early. Texas rally came up short due to foul trouble and a mistake from an inexperienced coach. Would Shaka have made the same decision? I don’t really know how to answer this question. He definitely would have put more thought into making and early timeout call which led to a hail marry pass that ultimately got intercepted.
The second thing that has been working for Texas is their permitter shooting. Their whole team has been playing well enough for us to give them the credit to be a legit team. They have shot well from beyond the arc, taking the smart shots which have lead them to the promise land each and every win they have. This week they knocked off the Kansas State Wildcats in Manhattan by three points. They also only have to play three more ranked games. They only have one more against a top 10 team which would be against the Texas Tech Raiders. Now Texas has performed well against ranked teams despite their recent skid. They should be able to bounce back behind their stellar guards.
Andrew Jones and Courtney Ramsey need to continue to attack the basket for Texas to be able to compete. The more energy they keep, the better chance this team has. Winning 5 out of their last 6 will be huge in keeping a high seed in the tourney. I see this team making it to the Sweet 16 this year. The only reason they can’t go further is their inconsistently among their big men. Other than that this is a team that can be dangerous down the stretch. Not to mention they play in one of the best conferences in the college basketball this year. So yeah in my opinion, Texas is Back.
Top Picture by Fansided