Way-Too-Early College Hoops Rankings: Where Does Texas Land?

The Longhorns enter the offseason with question marks across the board

Author:
Zach Dimmitt
Apr 8, 2022 3:26 PM EDT

Texas Longhorns men’s basketball entered the 2021 season at No. 5 in the country, but fell below the national expectation that came with the arrival of new head coach Chris Beard.

Still, Texas secured a 22-win season despite an overhaul of the roster. But now, after a 81-71 loss to Purdue in the second round of the NCAA tournament, the Longhorns are likely set for another offseason of turnover.

Marcus Carr

ESPN released its Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings for the 2022 college basketball season on Monday and has Texas barely squeaking in at No. 22.

The listing provided a brief prediction and a projected starting lineup:

It's difficult to project what Texas will look like next season. Timmy Allen, Marcus Carr, Andrew Jones, Courtney Ramey and Jase Febres are all seniors. Christian Bishop is the only projected returnee who averaged more than 3.7 points per game. But there's some optimism in Austin. Dylan Disu should be healthier next season up front; he was a double-double threat every night at Vanderbilt, and Chris Beard will be hoping he'll return to form. The Longhorns are also welcoming two five-star recruits on the perimeter, with playmaking guard Arterio Morris and explosive Dillon Mitchell entering the fold. Mitchell is a legitimate one-and-done prospect who makes his biggest impact defensively and in transition.
Projected starting lineup:
Arterio Morris (No. 22 in ESPN 100)
Devin Askew (2.1 PPG)
Dillon Mitchell (No. 7 in ESPN 100)
Dylan Disu (3.7 PPG)
Christian Bishop (7.0 PPG)

Chris Beard

The transfer portal could also provide Texas with a boost in talent for the second straight offseason.

The high-flying tandem of Arterio Morris and Dylan Mitchell, both of whom are McDonald’s All-Americans, could provide the Horns with the fast-paced spark that the team lacked last season.

The guessing game will only continue until more is known about Texas’ returners for next season, as Beard and staff gear up for year two.