Texas is coming off a 19-15 season that had them exiting the NCAA Tournament in the first round. Losing top 10 pick Mo Bamba to the NBA hurts the inside presence. But with Kerwin Roach coming back for his senior year and Andrew Jones returning to the team after being out all of last year due to rehab of leukemia in what was truly an inspirational story of him being back on the court after fighting through all of that. Senior forward Dylan Ostekowski brings UT a 3 point threat from the forward position. Texas also brings in the 2nd best recruiting class in the Big 12, headlined by PG Courtney Ramey and SF Gerald Lidell (both top 50 recruits according to 247). Due to the lack of depth at the Center position, Jaxson Hayes could also come in and potentially start from day 1 with the departure of Bamba and not having a true Center on the team. Eric Davis Jr. and Jacob Young are others with Bamba that left the program. Texas has the talent especially at the guard position and got some fantastic recruits. It all comes down to the coaching and Shaka Smart has had teams with tons of talent, but doesn’t play up to it’s expectations, due to the coaching. Texas should compete this year and off of talent alone, will win a couple games that they are not expected to win.
Notable Non-Conference Games:
November, 9th- Arkansas (El Paso, TX)
November, 22nd- North Carolina (Las Vegas Invitational)
November, 23rd- Michigan State/UCLA (Las Vegas Invitational)
December, 9th- vs. Purdue
January, 26th- at. Georgia (Big 12/SEC Challenge)
The 2nd game has UT playing on a neutral court on a very weird location on Fort Bliss in El Paso as part of the Armed Forces Classic. It’s not strange that they’re playing on a base, that seems to be a yearly tradition in College Basketball. But the fact it is in El Paso is a little strange as there are bases closer to both schools than El Paso. Texas plays in a jam packed Las Vegas Invitational with national powerhouses. If UT can pick up 2 wins in that tournament, it would be huge for their confidence for the rest of non-conference. They also have a huge game against up and coming Purdue, who has been ranked in the Top 10 the best 2-3 years. They end off with the Big 12/SEC Challenge against Georgia in Athens. Texas should be able to win that game as Georgia has struggled when playing against the Big 12 in the Challenge. UT will be in the middle of the pack this year, but a postseason run doesn’t seem likely for this year’s team.
Projected Starting Line-up:
PG: Andrew Jones (Jr.)
SG: Kerwin Roach II (Sr.)
SF: Gerald Lidell (Fr.)
PF: Dylan Ostekowski (Sr.)
C: Jaxson Hayes (Fr.)
Projected Finish: NCAA Tournament, 2nd Round
