Texas Longhorns

2023-24 Result: 21-13 (9-9 BIG 12), NCAA Tournament Experience

Key Additions

Jordan Pope (Oregon State)

Tramon Mark (Arkansas)

Arthur Kaluma (Kansas State)

Julian Larry (Indiana State)

Jayson Kent (Indiana State)

Tre Johnson

Texas’ first season in the SEC will have the team looking a lot different than it did last season. Losing Max Abmas and Dylan Disu, the two leading scorers from the 2023 team, initially seemed like a tough season coming for Texas. Early in the portal season, it was uncertain whether they would be able to replace that scoring, along with key role players in Hunter, Mitchell, Cunningham and Horton. However, Coach Terry made a big splash bringing in Tramon Mark from Arkansas, sharpshooter Jordan Pope from Oregon State, and Arthur Kaluma, formerly of Creighton and Kansas State. On top of that, he already had 5-star and projected top 10 pick in next year’s draft. Tre Johnson, committed. Texas reloaded in the portal, but there are still some concerns.

Defensively, the main concern lies on rebounding. Texas has a small team. In most situations, Texas will likely be playing three guards, with some combination of Pope, Mark, Johnson, Julian Larry (Indiana State), and returner, Chendall Weaver. In the front court, they are very thin, with just Kaden Shedrick and 6’8 Jayson Kent. Tre Johnson and Tramon Mark are both 6’6 guards. However, relying on them to be some of the main sources of size for rebounding is not ideal. While they don’t have a ton of size, they do have a lot of guards with speed and length, especially in Mark and Johnson. What Coach Terry decides to do with this team defensively will be interesting because they very well could turn into a pressing team with the amount of speed on the court. The real test for this team will be interior defense and rebounding. Matchups will be a huge factor in how they do.

Offensively, this new group of guys is exactly what Texas needed. They will be playing small a lot of the time, which will typically mean more shooting on the court. In years past, there have been several non-shooters on the floor at the same time, which has really clogged up their offense against good defensive teams in the Big 12. Now that they have recruited more guards and shooting, this should really open things up. With Mark being a strong downhill driver, Pope a sharpshooter, and Tre Johnson an all-around scorer, this offense should be primed for a good season. They will likely play at a faster pace than they have historically due to the change in personnel, but also expect them to play through Shedrick some after he had a strong postseason this past March. The biggest question mark is if Tre Johnson will find his footing right away and be the scorer that they need him to be, or if there will be growing pains, as there usually are for most top end freshmen because they aren’t guarded like any other freshman.

Overall, Texas is a back end of the top 25 team this season, with some upside if the pieces can fit together and Johnson can be the 5 star that he is. When it comes to postseason play, unless someone on the bench breaks out, I think it will come down to matchups in the tournament due to their lack of size on the defensive end. Texas could make a deep run in the tournament and compete for an SEC title, but the SEC appears to be as deep as it has been with a slew of teams expected to start the season in the Top 25 ahead of Texas.