If the Texas’ men’s basketball team’s 2012-13 struggles did anything for last year’s team, they allowed the surprisingly-resurgent Longhorns to sneak up on opponents.
After the disaster of a 16-18 season, the stealthy Longhorns team contended for the conference title before a late slide, finishing 24-11 and third in the Big 12. Despite a late February swoon, Texas still managed to return to the NCAA tournament and win its first game since 2011 when Cameron Ridley’s put-back beat the buzzer and Arizona State.
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If Texas did indeed sneak up on opponents during last season’s return to prominence, the Longhorns have no such luxury this season. Rick Barnes’ squad returns almost every significant player from last season and added one of the nation’s best recruits in Myles Turner. The experts noticed.
Texas finds itself ranked 10th in the preseason USA Today Coaches’ Poll. The Longhorns are also picked to finish second in the Big 12. Four Longhorns earned preseason all-conference recognition as well. Johnathan Holmes, Isaiah Taylor and Ridley were honorable mention all-conference picks, and Turner was tapped co-freshman of the year with Kansas big man Cliff Alexander.
“That’s a far cry from last October, when Texas was picked to finish eighth in the preseason,” wrote Brian Davis in the Austin American-Statesman last week.
As Texas continues to prep for the Nov. 14 season opener, expectations will only surge as Barnes’ squad rounds into shape. The Longhorns, as Davis pointed out following a rare open practice, can play any way they deem necessary. Part of that practice saw the Longhorns scrimmage with a skyline of a lineup including Turner, Ridley, Holmes, Connor Lammert and Taylor.
“Look at the size of this bunch: Turner, a svelte Cam Ridley (6-9), Connor Lammert (6-9), Jonathan Holmes (6-8) and Isaiah Taylor (6-1). That’s four big men and Taylor at point guard,” Davis wrote.
Barnes may use that lineup at times, but chances are he’ll opt for a slightly more athletic one, using a combination of DeMarcus Holland, Jordan Barnett, Javan Felix or Damarcus Croaker in lieu of one of the big men. The coach prefers to let Texas’ defensive tenacity – often sparked by Holland – ignite more of a fast-paced attack rather than a half-court one.
“But they’ve got to get up and down the floor,” Barnes said of his big lineup. “They didn’t do a very good job of that, either offensively or defensively.”
After watching Texas practice, ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla touted the Longhorns’ versatility. Not only do they rival top-ranked Kentucky when it comes to front-court size, the Longhorns can go small and get up and down the floor just as comfortably.
“While I expect Texas to utilize its impressive size, Barnes has the option of playing smaller and quicker as well,” he wrote. “The backcourt of Taylor, Holland and Felix was on the floor about a quarter of the time last season and gives the Longhorns the luxury of playing two point guards at once.”
Still, though, experts look for Texas’ success to come by dominating the boards – at both ends – and disrupting opponents’ shots with the size of a front line that averages 6-foot-10, Fraschilla said.
“The result should be a team that rebounds the ball on both ends and defends the rim with that size and depth,” he wrote. “Texas grabbed almost 40 percent of its missed shots last season, sixth-best in the country, and led the Big 12 with nearly six blocked shots a game. But they should be even better this year.”
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