The Longhorns are coming off their best season on the court since 2008 despite the major distractions from the Chris Beard incident.
With Rodney Terry now at the helm, Texas is looking to continue to ascend upwards. Although the Longhorns lost their three leading scorers, leader in assists, steals, and rebounds, Texas was able to reload through the transfer portal.
However, there appears to be some doubts surrounding the new look Longhorns.
In CBS Sports‘ Top 25 rankings, Texas came in as the No. 20 team behind programs such as Gonzaga, Baylor, and Alabama. Terry’s squad was ranked ahead of Saint Mary’s, North Carolina, and Illinois.
Gary Parrish broke down his reasoning and mentioned the addition of Max Abmas via the transfer portal.
This ranking is based on the Longhorns returning two of the top five scorers – Tyrese Hunter and Dylan Disu – from a team that won the Big 12 Tournament before securing a No. 2 seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. The enrollment of Max Abmas, a transfer from Oral Roberts who has scored 2,562 points in four years of college, is a big addition.
Texas did bring in the No. 7 transfer portal class in the country, adding both experienced guards and big men. It will be interesting to see how quickly Texas can rise up the rankings or if they will take a step back this upcoming season.