Tag: big 12 basketball rankings

Texas basketball predicted No. 3 in Big 12 preseason rankings

The Texas Longhorns will look to duplicate some of last season’s successes on the basketball court.

It’s a new day in Texas basketball. The program gets ready to embark on its first full season with head coach Rodney Terry following a Big 12 Tournament title and Elite Eight appearance.

There’s a stability and security we haven’t seen from the program since the days of former head coach Rick Barnes. There’s a proven track record on which Texas can depend.

Terry and company got the job done in big games last season after weathering an early season storm with former head coach Chris Beard. Terry carried the program out of chaos to among college basketball’s elite. Yet after losing several key players, a new challenge stands ahead of Texas.

The Longhorns will take the court without Marcus Carr, Sir’Jabari Rice, Timmy Allen, Arterio Morris and Christian Bishop among others. With that, the team loses the majority of its production from last season.

The team will, however, return its best post scorer in Dylan Disu who shined in the back half of the season. Texas also brings back point guard Tyrese Hunter and key forwards in Brock Cunningham and Dillon Mitchell.

A late portal haul helped the team add more scorers and defensive pieces to the roster. Oral Roberts’ Max Abmas stands as the team’s prized portal addition after leading his squad in back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. Abmas averaged 21.9 points and 4.0 assists last season.

Virginia transfer Kadin Shedrick is set to give Texas a defensive post presence. He is joined by UT-Arlington guard transfer Chendall Weaver and UTEP forward addition Ze’Rik Onyema. Expectations should be lower for the latter two players, though their contribution could prove essential.

It’s unclear what to expect from the team. Certainly, it’s unrealistic to expect Texas will move as cohesively as last season where several players were already in place. Nevertheless, the new-look Longhorns have a ton of potential. If last year is any indication, head coach Rodney Terry will maximize their performance and win when it matters.

Texas tips off against Incarnate Word on Nov. 6 with big tests against Louisville and Shaka Smart’s Marquette later in nonconference play.

College Basketball: NCAA Tournament status for each Big 12 team

The Big 12 Conference is arguably considered the top league in college basketball this year.

Teams are trying to put the finishing touches on their NCAA Tournament resumes as we approach the end of the college basketball regular season.

The Big 12 Conference is arguably considered the top league in college basketball this year.

Quality depth from top-to-bottom makes the round-robin schedule a gauntlet for all 10 teams. Every game is a dogfight, with upsets a common occurrence each week.

The Big 12 has fared well in March as a conference team has appeared in each of the last three national championship games as well.

60% of the Big 12 currently sits inside the latest AP Top 25 Poll, the highest rate of any conference in the nation. In addition, Kansas, Texas, Baylor and Kansas State are ranked as top 15 teams.

Here is a look at where each Big 12 member falls into the current NCAA Tournament tier status. Big 12 teams are fighting for high seeding, locked into the field of 64 or on bubble watch with four games to go.

Updated look at the Big 12 men’s basketball standings

After Saturday’s slate of games, Texas remains atop the standings while Oklahoma is at the tail end.

There’s a close race for the Big 12 regular season title in men’s basketball. Continue reading “Updated look at the Big 12 men’s basketball standings”