Tag: Big 12 Conference

Texas football targets five-star running back in 2021 class

Texas head coach Tom Herman is hoping to sign the nation’s top running back in consecutive recruiting classes.

Could the Longhorns sign the nation’s top running back in consecutive recruiting classes?

It’s a legitimate possibility. Five-star running back Camar Wheaton took an unofficial visit to Texas this week. A high-profile prospect out of Garland Lakeview Centennial, Wheaton traveled to Austin on Tuesday according to Burnt Orange Nation.

Wheaton currently holds dozens of offers, but Oklahoma and Texas appear to be two of his top destinations. The Longhorns only signed one running back in the 2020 recruiting class in five-star prospect Bijan Robinson.

According to 247Sports Composite, Wheaton is the No. 16 overall player in the 2021 recruiting class. Although the 5’11, 190-pound playmaker is the highest-rated prospect at his respective position, he’s the No. 2 overall player in the state of Texas behind offensive tackle Tommy Brockermeyer .

Wheaton has accounted for over 3,000 rushing yards and 40 rushing touchdowns throughout his high school career thus far.

Rating

Stars Overall State Position
247 4 42 7 4
Rivals 5 7 1 1
ESPN 4 41 4 3
247 Composite 5 16 2 1

Vitals

Hometown Garland, TX
Projected Position RB
Height 5-11
Weight 190

Recruitment

  • Unofficial visit March 10, 2020
  • Attended Junior Day at Texas on February 16, 2019

Offers

  • Texas
  • Oklahoma
  • Alabama
  • LSU
  • Georgia
  • Florida
  • Michigan
  • Kansas
  • Ohio State
  • Nebraska
  • Notre Dame
  • Oklahoma State
  • Stanford
  • TCU
  • Texas A&M
  • USC

Film

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Kansas coach Bill Self predicts Texas to make the NCAA tournament

Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self believes that Texas has already done enough to receive an at-large bid into the NCAA tournament.

The madness continues.

Texas men’s basketball coach Shaka Smart led the Longhorns on a miraculous five-game win streak over the past month. In what appeared to be a disappointing season that had minimal hope, Texas began to creep into discussions regarding the NCAA tournament.

The hype was short-lived as Texas fell flat in the season finale at home to Oklahoma State. In doing so, the Longhorns finished the regular season .500 in Big 12 play and 19-12 overall.

Some believed Texas would need to defeat Oklahoma State in order to receive an at-large bid into the tournament, while others were confident Texas had already done enough to sneak in.

Kansas head coach Bill Self agrees with the latter. According to Dallas Morning News reporter Chuck Carlton, Self believes six teams from the Big 12 should be included in the selection process.

It’s quite an uphill battle for Texas to win the Big 12 tournament and receive an automatic bid. Kansas and Baylor are in a superior tier to the rest of the conference, while the Longhorns would still have to defeat a solid Texas Tech team in the first round to even make it to that point.

In terms of how successful Self has been this season with the Kansas program, his words carry a bit of weight. If you go at least .500 in conference play, you have a much higher probability of making it into the NCAA tournament.

The six Big 12 teams mentioned would include Kansas, Baylor, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Texas and Texas Tech. Four of those six programs concluded the season by going 9-9 in conference play. Texas Tech has the worst overall record of the six teams, but they also have a legitimate chance to make a statement in the Big 12 tournament.

Each of these six teams can make a great case for the NCAA tournament, it solidifies that Texas is still very much in consideration for an at-large bid this year.

 

 

WATCH: Texas basketball celebrates dramatic win, Twitter reactions

In dramatic fashion, Texas defeated Oklahoma on Tuesday night with a last-second shot.

There’s no doubt that some type of magic is surrounding the Texas men’s basketball team right now.

Luck or not, they’re peaking at the right time.

The Longhorns impressive winning streak continued on Tuesday night. In dramatic fashion, Texas defeated the Oklahoma Sooners 52-51 with only one second left on the clock.

Texas guard Matt Coleman III brought the March Madness to Norman. Leading the team with 21 points on the night, Coleman’s last-second three pointer may have punched Texas’ ticket to the NCAA tournament.

That’s a worthy cause of a celebration, right?

The Texas men’s basketball team weren’t the only ones celebrating. Longhorn Nation took to Twitter to express their excitement over the intense ending of a crucial conference matchup.

Check out Matthew McConaughey and quarterback Sam Ehlinger’s immediate reactions on the next page.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2

Locked on Longhorns Podcast: Twitter Tuesday

Episode two of the Locked on Longhorns Podcast covers burning questions surrounding the football, baseball and softball programs.

Host Patrick Conn and his Co-Host Cami Griffin answer burning questions from social media surrounding Texas’ football, baseball and softball programs.

Which five offensive lineman are in the mix for the starting job? After losing wide receivers Collin Johnson and Devin Duvernay, who will take their place and/or have a breakout season in 2020? The running back competition will be the most exciting position battle this offseason, but who will emerge as the starter by the seasons end?

Where are the Texas baseball and softball teams expected to be ranked by the time the Big 12 tournament approaches?

Episode two also previews the Men’s basketball showdown with conference rival Oklahoma.

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Texas Tech at Baylor college basketball odds, picks and best bets

Analyzing Monday’s Texas Tech Red Raiders at Baylor Bears sports betting odds and lines, with college basketball betting picks and tips.

The Texas Tech Red Raiders (18-11, 9-7 in Big 12) play the Baylor Bears (25-3, 14-2) in their final regular-season meeting Monday at Ferrell Center at 9 p.m. ET. We analyze the Texas Tech-Baylor odds and betting lines, with college basketball betting advice and tips around this matchup.

Texas Tech at Baylor: Three things you need to know

  1. Baylor has lost two of its past three games, which includes a 64-61 loss to the Kansas Jayhawks Feb. 22, and an upset loss at the TCU Horned Frogs Saturday by a 75-72 score.
  2. Texas Tech has lost back-to-back games, including an embarrassing home upset at the hands of the Texas Longhorns by a 68-58 score Saturday. The losses caused the Red Raiders to fall out of the USA TODAY Sports’ men’s basketball coaches poll and has them currently in third place in the Big 12.
  3. Baylor has beaten Texas Tech, both outright and against the spread, in three of their previous four meetings, including 57-52 victory in the first game of the season (Jan. 7).

Get some action on this college basketball matchup or others by placing a legal sports bet at BetMGM! New customer offer: Risk-free first bet! Visit BetMGM for terms and conditions.

Texas Tech at Baylor: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 3 p.m. ET.

Prediction

Baylor 72, Texas Tech 61

Moneyline (ML)

These two squads have similar attributes. They’re very good defensively—Baylor (-334) ranks fifth in the nation in opponent points per game and Texas Tech (+260) is 29th. They’re both average offensively—the Bears rank 169th in PPG for and the Red Raiders are ranked 134th.

Where Baylor has a decided edge is in the rebounding matchup. Texas Tech is ranked 291st in rebounds per game and Baylor is 58th in opponent rebounds per game. Plus, Baylor has a plus-5.9 rebound per game differential compared to Texas Tech’s minus-0.4 rebound per game differential. In what should be a defensive battle, this rebounding advantage could be major. This has caused me to not respect the Red Raiders’ upset potential so we’ll PASS ON THE MONEYLINE.

Against the Spread (ATS)

BAYLOR -7.5 (-106) is the only way to go if you’re betting the spread. The Bears have the best against the spread record versus ranked opponents in the Big 12 with a 5-2 ATS record and are tied with Kansas for the best ATS record against conference opponents at 11-5. Also, Texas Tech (+7.5, -115) doesn’t bounce back well from losses, at least not against the bookmakers’ lines, as they are 3-7 ATS following a loss. 

Over/Under (O/U)

Let’s TAKE the OVER 129.5 (-115) for the following reasons. First, the Over being set at -115 means the market is betting the Over and BetMGM is trying to get some balance in their Texas Tech-Baylor total handle. Second, the Over is 5-0 in the Bears’ last five games following a straight-up loss and 6-1 in the Red Raiders’ last seven games following an ATS loss. Third, the Over has cashed in two of the last three Texas Tech-Baylor contests.

Want some action on this matchup? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @Geoffery_Clark and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Debut Episode of the Locked On Longhorns Podcast

Host Patrick Conn and Co-Host Cami Griffin take you through Texas’ impressive week in the first episode of Locked on Longhorns.

The first episode of Locked On Longhorns is now available.

The new daily show is hosted by Patrick Conn and Co-Host Cami Griffin and will take you through all of the latest news and happenings surrounding Longhorns athletics.

The primary topic of conversation was the impressive past week for Texas with nearly every program. Softball defeated the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 13 ranked teams in the nation on the road. Baseball lost their first two games of the season this past weekend, but upset No. 6 ranked Arkansas in the process. Men’s and women’s swimming and diving both took home the Big 12 Championship.

Texas men’s basketball continued their hot streak by defeating No. 22 Texas Tech on Saturday. Women’s basketball joined the party by defeating Oklahoma, while Texas track and field won the Big 12.

An update on the four former Texas football players performances at the NFL Combine is also discussed.

Take a listen below.

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Don’t Mess With Texas: Longhorns take down No. 1 UCLA

No. 3 Texas softball defeated No. 1 UCLA in extra innings last night.

Don’t mess with Texas.

In a crucial top-five showdown last night, the No. 3 ranked Longhorns defeated the highest-ranked team in the nation. Texas traveled to California to face the UCLA Bruins in Los Angeles.

There was no shortage of excitement thanks to three key home runs from catcher Taylor Ellsworth, third baseman Mary Iakopo and right fielder Lauren Burke. Texas defeated the Bruins by a score of 6-4 after 8 innings of play.

Senior Miranda Elish pitched a complete game, allowed three earned runs on four hits with six walks and seven strikeouts. Iakopo went 2-for-4 at the plate with a home run and an RBI.

Not only did the Longhorns give the Bruins their first loss of the season, they ended their impressive 23-game win streak. Texas has now out-hit all 19 opponents they have faced this season.

The Longhorns are back on the road to take on No. 2 ranked Washington tonight in Fullerton. If they can manage to pull out a win, that would mark the third top 10 win for Texas in the last four days.

Texas QB Sam Ehlinger named top returning player in conference

Pro Football Focus recently named Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger the top returning player in the Big 12 for the 2020 season.

The accolades continue to pile on for Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger.

He has statistically progressed each year with the program. If the same path of development continues, he could realistically become a Heisman Trophy finalist as a senior. In 2019, he quietly surpassed several of Vince Young’s records such as career total offense, single season passing yards and total touchdowns.

That’s no easy feat, considering Young was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2019 and is arguably the best to ever play at his position. Young’s dual-threat ability was unparalleled and is something Ehlinger hoped to shape his style of play around.

He has complete control over Texas’ offense. Everything starts and ends with him, which is why Pro Football Focus considers Ehlinger the top returning player in the Big 12 conference for the 2020 season.

PFF also lists Ehlinger as the sixth-most valuable player in the country over the past two seasons.

“His arm, though, is the reason why he lands at number one on this list. Ehlinger was forced to throw into a tight window at one of the 25 highest rates last season, and he didn’t let that hinder himself or the team. His tight-window passing grade was third in the country and his rate of accurate passes thrown was the eighth best. If Ehlinger can just cut back on his tendency to bail on clean pockets, improve his overall pocket presence and trust his arm, good things can happen for him and Texas.”

Ehlinger is known for his running abilities, but his accuracy has been one of the most pleasant improvements throughout his collegiate career. With left tackle Sam Cosmi returning to anchor the offensive line unit, Ehlinger’s protection should allow an ample amount of time for him to improve on his pocket presence.

Ehlinger will leave behind a similar legacy as Colt McCoy and Vince Young if he’s able to lead Texas to a National Championship this season.

 

 

 

 

Three reasons why Oklahoma lost to No. 1 Baylor 65-54

The chance was there. Here are three reasons why Oklahoma lost to the country’s best team on Monday night. 

The chance was there.

Oklahoma (16-10, 6-7 Big 12) played host to No. 1 Baylor (24-1, 13-0) with an opportunity to essentially lock in an NCAA Tournament bid and get its second marquee win of the year.

The Sooners faltered, falling to Baylor 65-54 despite the multitude of chances to get over the hump against the Bears.

Here are three reasons why Oklahoma lost to the country’s best team on Monday night.

FEW MORE MADE SHOTS, FEW LESS TURNOVERS

Over the course of Oklahoma’s runs at Baylor, the Sooners just never hit that next shot or turned the ball over.

Down 28-15, Oklahoma cut the lead to six before halftime. Down 39-31, the Sooners cut the lead to just one, then a rushed Kristian Doolittle 3-point attempt allowed Baylor to cut the momentum again.

There were plenty of chances for Oklahoma to get over the hump, but the Sooners just couldn’t take the needed leap.

JARED BUTLER THE MOMENTUM KILLER

Baylor is the No. 1 team in the country for a reason.

The Bears defend. They rebound. They are tough.

But every time Oklahoma made that run at Baylor, it felt like star guard Jared Butler was there for an answer. Butler scored 22 points on 8-of-19 shooting, including 5-of-12 from three.

REAVES DISAPPEARED

If Oklahoma had any chance to pull off the major upset, it needed each of its big three to play at a high level. The Sooners got a little out of Brady Manek and Kristian Doolittle, but got virtually nothing out of Austin Reaves.

The Wichita State transfer has struggled for much of the 2019-20 season, but Reaves scored two points on 1-of-5 shooting against Baylor on Tuesday night.

That was just not going to get it done.

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Three reasons why Oklahoma lost 61-57 to No. 1 Baylor

What a game. The Sooners almost pulled off the upset over No. 1 Baylor in the final seconds. Here are three reasons why Oklahoma lost. 

What a game.

Oklahoma was close to pulling off the major upset over No. 1 Baylor. The Sooners were overmatched for much of the night, but had a chance with six seconds left to take a one-point lead over the country’s top-ranked team.

The shot hit the front of the rim and the Sooners fell 61-57 to the No. 1 ranked Bears.

Here are three reasons why Oklahoma lost.

BIG THREE NOT SO BIG

For the second time in three games, Oklahoma didn’t get a collective scoring effort from its big three.

Brady Manek did his part, scoring 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including 4-of-8 from the 3-point line. The other two, Austin Reaves and Kristian Doolittle, went a combined 7-of-31 from the floor and 16 points.

The Sooners desperately need all three playing well to win in the Big 12.

DEFENSIVE REBOUNDING

Baylor had a size advantage coming into the Big Monday matchup.

The Bears used it to their advantage in the first half, grabbing 12 offensive rebounds. Those rebounds resulted in 11 second chance points.

Baylor kept a good distance away for much of the game due to its offensive rebounding.

by the hair of baylor’s chin

Wow.

De’Vion Harmon got the ball on a fast break and found Reaves in the corner in the waning moments of the game down two. The 3-point attempt was open, it looked good, but barely nicked the front rim and missed long.

Oklahoma was that close to pulling off the upset over No. 1 Baylor.

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