Texas Longhorns
Big 12 (23-10, 11-7)
The young Texas team burst onto the scene in late January when they beat four ranked teams in a row, Iowa State, Kansas State, Baylor and Kansas. Other than that the Longhorns have been surprisingly consistent, beating the teams they should beat.
Big Wins: 12/18 at North Carolina (86-83), 1/18 Iowa State (86-76), 2/1 Kansas (81-69)
Bad Losses: 1/8 at Oklahoma State (74-87), 2/8 at Kansas State (57-74), 3/8 at Texas Tech (53-59)
Coach: Rick Barnes (16 seasons at Texas)
Why They Can Surprise:
On both ends of the floor, the Texas frontcourt has been a pleasant surprise. Cameron Ridley is a big body in the paint and has turned into a dangerous scoring threat. He is also a tough rebounder and the most potent shot blocker on the squad. Jonathan Holmes has a more dynamic offensive game than Ridley and is not afraid to step out and take some three-pointers, but that does not affect his intensity on the glass or his ability to block shots. Connor Lammert and Prince Ibeh can give the starters a break without much of a drop in production. Lammert is the better scorer and rebounder and Ibeh is right there with Ridley when it comes to blocking shots. The frontcourt deserves most of the credit for the Longhorns being among the best rebounding teams in the nation, but wing Demarcus Holland deserves some credit for being tough on the glass when needed.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Despite a big chunk of the team’s shots coming from inside the arc, the Longhorns have a poor shooting percentage. Holmes and Ridley are relatively efficient, but the backcourt can struggle and bring down the team’s percentage. Isaiah Taylor and Javan Felix are both more than capable of having huge offensive outputs, yet sometimes they need to work the ball inside and let the big guys do their thing. Coach Rick Barnes basically runs a two point guard offense with Taylor and Felix. However, that does not always equate to smart decisions and those two will need to do a better job taking care of the ball.
Probable Starters:
Isaiah Taylor, Freshman, Guard, 12.5 ppg, 3.9 apg
Javan Felix, Sophomore, Guard, 11.8 ppg, 2.9 apg
Demarcus Holland, Sophomore, Guard, 7.1 ppg, 2.4 apg
Jonathan Holmes, Junior, Forward, 13.0 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 1.3 bpg
Cameron Ridley, Sophomore, Center, 11.2 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 2.2 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Damarcus Croaker, Freshman, Guard, 3.3 ppg
Prince Ibeh, Sophomore, Center, 3.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg
Connor Lammert, Sophomore, Forward, 5.9 ppg, 5.2 rpg
Martez Walker, Freshman, Guard, 4.1 ppg
Kendal Yancy, Freshman, Guard, 3.5 ppg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 74.5 (78th in nation, 7th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 70.2 (176, 6)
Field-Goal Percentage: 43.1 (229, 9)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.1 (30, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.1 (286, 8)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 32.1 (255, 8)
Free-Throw Percentage: 66.8 (267, 8)
Rebound Margin: 7.6 (9, 1)
Assists Per Game: 12.4 (202, 8)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.5 (193, 9)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
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 3/9
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
