With the addition of six talented transfers from all over the country, and a solid core of players returning, the Longhorns are expected to be one of the best teams in college basketball this season.
Texas head coach Chris Beard made it clear in his introductory press conference that he did not see this as a rebuilding year. Every move he has made since has proven he wants to win right away.
Although Texas lost four players to the NBA, it is returning its leading scorer, Andrew Jones, and added the Pac-12 player of the year, Timmy Allen, from Utah. The Longhorns have the potential to have a starting five that averaged double-digit points the year prio, and will have a lot more spacing with Dylan Dishu out of Vanderbilt and Tre Mitchell out of UMass.
College basketball analyst Andy Katz is extremely high on Beard’s squad this season and has them ranked No. 3 in the “Power 36.”
🚨 New #Power36 from @TheAndyKatz!
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) July 8, 2021
1. UCLA
2. Gonzaga
3. Texas
4. Kansas
5. Villanova
6. Kentucky
7. Purdue
8. Oregon
9. Michigan
10. Baylor
11-36. 👉 https://t.co/zIVLLCO7A0 pic.twitter.com/frbc0RiE6U
As the roster looks right now, Texas has the potential to contend for a title throughout Beard’s first year on the Forty Acres.
The Longhorns still have a chance to acquire more depth with the top transfer in the nation, Marcus Carr. If Beard is able to add Carr, it would very well give them the best roster on paper in the country.