Although currently unranked, the 11-2 Texas Longhorns have had a solid start to their season and have a unique chance to prove themselves over the next 18 days. The horns will face top-15 schools in their next five matchups- something that rarely occurs. If Texas manages to win all, or even a couple of these games; their position in ESPN’s AP Top-25 Poll will surely skyrocket.
But why is this team unranked despite their historical success and good record? Well, they were originally ranked 19th coming into the 2024/25 season but after an underwhelming loss against Ohio State to start the season, Texas lost a ton of respect and fell out of the Top-25.
Since then they have taken one more loss- a close game to 11th ranked UCONN and blown out most of their other competition, scoring 90 or more points in nearly 50% of their games.
Scoring Versatility
The offensive firepower is a key aspect of this Texas Longhorn team and with the ability to put up 100+ points, Texas can theoretically hang with anybody.
Tre Johnson leads the team in points, averaging 19.7 points but versatility in scoring personnel is what makes the Texas Longhorns underrated. Just a week ago the horns put up a whopping 121 points against Arkansas Pine-Bluff despite no player reach +20 points. Instead, the team had eight players in double figures, three players short from their whole team!
Another example, junior guard Jordan Pope went OFF on Dec. 19th against the New Orleans Privateers scoring a career high 42 points. This is currently tied for second for the most points scored by a player in one game this season. Despite his performance, he is only third on Texas’s scoring average, proving just how versatile this team can be.
The offense is just but the Longhorn defense is notable as well, sitting at the 16th-best PPG allowed in the country at an even 62. However, the offenses they have faced so far are statistically bad, so we will see how their defense holds over their next stretch of games.
Boom or Bust Potential
This is the Texas Longhorn’s schedule over the next 18 days:
At No. 13 Texas A&M, Jan. 4th.
No. 2 Auburn Tigers, Jan. 7th.
No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers, Jan. 11th.
At No. 12 Oklahoma, Jan. 15th.
At undefeated No. 6 Florida, Jan. 18th.
If the longhorns can rattle off a couple wins against these esteemed teams- their AP standings will drastically change.
But what happens if Texas wins all of these games? It seems like a serious stretch but hypothetically, could the Texas Longhorns go from unranked to No. 1 in the span of two weeks? If they manage to beat the top two teams back-to-back then they have a legitimate shot at doing so. This has never been done before, mainly because scheduling seldom gives teams a chance to do so.
Although the next few weeks will be a testament to the horns march madness hopes, the rest of their season is filled with equally as hard matchups. With 18 games left in the regular season, 13 of those matchups will be against Top-25 teams.
It’s boom or bust for Texas. If they do rally and win 75% of their remaining games- they will certainly be heading to the March Madness tournament, with more experience playing championship-seeking basketball teams than anybody else. No team would want to face this.
On the other hand, the longhorns could end this season below .500 since 2016-17. They are favored to lose in 13 of their remaining 18 games and could easily plumet to a losing record.
Whichever way it goes, these next few weeks of Men’s College Basketball will be telling for Texas. Will they rise above their favored competition or fall far from the AP-Top-25?
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