Texas Longhorns
2018-19 record: 21-16, 8-10 in the Big 12
Head coach: Shaka Smart
Tenure at Texas: 5th season
Career coaching record: 234-122
Home court: Frank Erwin Center
Starters: G Matt Coleman III, G Courtney Ramey, G Jase Febres, F Jericho Sims, C Will Baker
Bench: G Andrew Jones, F Royce Hamm Jr., C Kai Jones, G Donovan Williams
Overview: A road contest against Purdue and then the 2K Empire Classic in Madison Square Garden will be the key matchups for a new-look Texas team. In New York City, the Longhorns will take on Georgetown with Duke and California awaiting a potential championship or third-place dual. In the Lone Star Showdown in early December, Texas will matchup with Texas A&M and then conference play opens the next month on the road against Baylor.
Texas lost its top two scorers to graduation and its third in Jaxson Hayes to the NBA. To mitigate the loss, head coach Shaka Smart recruited a trio of top-100 recruits highlighted by Austin, Texas native Will Baker, a top-40 prospect. Texas will also welcome the return of Andrew Jones, who was diagnosed with leukemia back in January of 2018. Matt Coleman III and Courtney Ramey will handle most of the ball handling duties while Jericho Sim’s expanded role as an upperclassman has the potential to up his scoring output. Jase Febres will have more opportunities to build on his 89 made 3-pointers a season ago.
One thing that needs to go right: Texas will utilize its NIT Championship to springboard back into a top-three conference finish and an NCAA Tournament berth behind continued elevation from the experienced backcourt of Coleman and Ramey.
One thing that could go wrong: The non-conference schedule doesn’t leave much room for error and a slip up or two in conference play could leave a talented Longhorns’ core on the outside looking in on Selection Sunday in March.
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