Texas’ basketball program was in utter turmoil after their third consecutive opening round loss in the NCAA Tournament. The shocking loss to Abilene Christian last March saw the end of the Shaka Smart era in which literally nothing besides a meaningless Big 12 Championship was accomplished.
Smart was unable to replicate the success he once had while at VCU. However, there is a new coach in charge for Texas now in Chris Beard. The first-year head coach wasted no time attracting legit talent to Austin via the transfer portal. While at Texas Tech, Beard led the Red Raiders to a National Championship game appearance (2019) and Elite Eight appearance (2018), both of which were the first time in school history.
Beard and the Longhorns are now done constructing the roster, and it is safe to say the starting five can be predicted. The only difference that has shaken up the roster is transfer Marcus Carr joining the squad, as a player of his caliber will find himself starting right away.
While there are a few players from last season that will see more significant playing time with the likes of Brock Cunningham and Jase Febres, it is unlikely that they find their way into the starting rotation. However, Beard was using up to nine players during the tournament, so the more depth pieces the better.
Let’s take a look who I believe could be the sixth man and starting five for Chris Beard in 2021. Obviously this is opinion based and arguments are welcomed.
