-Matt Cox

Key Returners: Andrew Jones, Courtney Ramey, Jase Febres
Key Losses: Matt Coleman, Jericho Sims, Greg Brown, Kai Jones
Key Newcomers: Marcus Carr (Minnesota), Dylan Disu (Vanderbilt), Tre Mitchell (UMass), Christian Bishop (Creighton), Timmy Allen (Utah), Jaylon Tyson, Devin Askew (Kentucky)

Lineup:

Outlook: Shaka Smart finally got the monkey off his back. An immaculate non-conference performance followed by an impressive 11-6 run through the Big-12 helped the Longhorns secure a well-deserved 3-seed in the big dance. Finally, he could exhale.

Turns out that monkey was a persistent little primate. Wearing a purple shaded mask (read: Abilene Christian), it ran down Shaka and beat the Horns into oblivion, erasing all gains from a stellar 2021 regular season. The writing was on the wall – ultimately, the former VCU wonder boy bolted for Marquette.

The Texas response?

“Ok, enjoy Milwaukee, Shaka!”

The Longhorns’ athletic department promptly responded by raiding West Texas for one of the premier coaches in college basketball, poaching Chris Beard from archrival Texas Tech. All I’ll say is get the popcorn ready for the Texas / Texas Tech showdown in Lubbock, folks – there may be some juice in the building.

Beard didn’t take any shortcuts to reach the coaching mountaintop. A true grinder, Beard has paid his dues to get where he’s at today. He holds those steppingstone experiences in the highest regard, which is precisely what defines the roster he’s assembled for his inaugural season at Texas. For the exception of top-50 freshman Jaylon Tyson, the Horns will go to battle with a battalion of decorated, multi-year veterans, most of whom are new arrivals in Austin.

For a while, the backcourt looked mostly unaffected by this infusion of transfer talent – most of the newcomers are of the wing or forward variety. A two-pronged guard attack of Courtney Ramey and Andrew Jones would’ve been more than enough to anoint Texas a surefire Big-12 contender, even in the wake of Matt Coleman’s loss. But Beard wasn’t satisfied with the status quo. He convinced Marcus Carr, one of the game’s most prolific shot makers, to bring his talents to Texas. 

Let me put all my cards on the table. In a nutshell, I love Carr. Our top-100 player rankings are currently under construction and Carr will be near the top of my totem pole. Yet, I’ll concede I may be shrugging off one glaring concern: With three full collegiate seasons under his belt, Carr’s field goal percentage sits at a ghastly 39%.

However, context is king. It’s why I’m stubbornly convinced Carr is ready for takeoff under Beard’s tutelage. Look what Beard did with Mac McClung last season. McClung soared in Beard’s offense, posting his most efficient season of his college career while shining as a late game closer.  

Marcus says, “hold my beer, Mac”.

Another subtle gem in Carr’s game is that, despite his high usage, he values the basketball. While there’s no guarantee Carr will own the lion’s share of the ball handling duties, it seems inevitable the rock will be in his hands often, especially in late shot clock situations.

Relative to Ramey, Carr’s the more reliable decision maker. Ramey should welcome Carr’s arrival with open arms. He will have to forfeit his own usage, but it should come with an uptick in efficiency.
Ramey certainly CAN initiate the offense. He CAN make plays for others. He CAN score off movement. But this team already has a bevy of scorers and playmakers. Save Jase Febres, the one hole on the perimeter is knockdown shooting – don’t look now but guess who’s a career 37% shooter from long distance, coming off a Big-12 run in which he canned 44% from bonus land (*whispers, it’s Ramey*). While Ramey can do a little bit of everything, THAT part of his game needs to shine through on this mega talented Horns roster.

I’m obligated to mention Devin Askew because he’s a former 5-star recruit and Kentucky transfer, but he remains a major work in progress. Next page.

As teased earlier, the frontline underwent a total makeover this summer. From young, elastic NBA rim runners to proven, grizzled college producers, the broader DNA of the frontline looks night-and-day different from the Shaka era.

In steps Timmy Allen, Dylan Disu, Cristian Bishop and Tre Mitchell. Mitchell probably brings the strongest star power cache of this bunch, but Allen, Disu and Bishop are primed to be stars in their roles – plus, they’ve already cut their teeth against Power-6 competition. Mitchell, who I compared to a poor man’s Nikola Jokic last summer, could be an offensive hub for virtually any team in this league but he may not even start. That’s how loaded this haul of transfers is (ok fine, he’ll probably start). Disu and Bishop are both elite in their own niche, while Allen’s multi-positional versatility on the wing is bound to tug on Beard’s heartstrings.

As alluring as this roster is on an individual basis, how the offensive puzzle fits together remains a valid concern. Beard himself has already hinted at some potential offensive turbulence, just given the sheer difficulty of assembling the myriad of moving parts: 

I don’t have any grand illusion that our offense will be the best offense in college basketball in November and December. It takes time,” Beard said. “So we’re really going to have to hang our hat on defense.”

Optimizing floor spacing could be a major challenge early on. Beard will have to get creative in how he uses Allen and Bishop, specifically, who are non-shooters and could cramp floor spacing if deployed in tandem. Bishop is another personal favorite of mine, who I’m hoping Beard uses in a similar manner as Chris Clarke (quasi point forward) two years ago – though, in limited fashion.

Regardless, the headline of Beard’s quote is simple: defense will drive the bus. The overhauled staff, headlined by former Fresno State head honcho Rodney Terry, reinforces this emphasis on defending, and the roster is well-equipped to make it come to life. Mark Adams, Beard’s long-time deputy and trusted defensive architect, is now running the show in Lubbock, so we’ll see how closely Beard sticks to his “no-middle” script. 

Bottom Line: There’s a captivating narrative permeating throughout this Texas team. Most of this roster’s nucleus, be it incumbents or newcomers, have already amassed plenty of individual accolades. Now, in the twilight phases of their college careers, they’re following a coach with championship pedigree in pursuit of that elusive national title.

It will take a masterful juggling act to appease all the hungry mouths, but if there’s a Houdini capable of such a feat, it’s Beard. He’s subtly curbed expectations for the offensive side of the ball, which may not be pretty out of the gate. But by March, Texas should be a two-way force to be reckoned with.