Texas Longhorns: Ranked Wins Are Setting The Tone For March
By Cole Mentzel
The Texas Longhorns have beat four ranked teams so far this season and things are starting to look promising for the tournament.
The Texas Longhorns are a part of the very competitive Big 12 Conference that contains five ranked teams: No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 7 Kansas, No. 13 Iowa State, No. 14 West Virginia and No. 15 Baylor.
If that isn’t crazy enough for you, then try this: This Texas Longhorns team, without center Cameron Ridley, has beat three of those five teams. The team beat North Carolina back in December, then in the span of 22 days stretching from January to February, they managed to defeat Iowa State, West Virginia and Baylor. They lost to Kansas during the stretch but still managed to play a great game in the process, leading by seven at one point in the second half.
The fact of the matter is that the Longhorns are beginning to improve without Cameron Ridley. And they’re arguably more dangerous now than they were back when he was in the lineup. The reason for this is because of added production from other areas of the team.
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The most obvious source of offense and defense for the Longhorns has been center Prince Ibeh. For the first three years of his college career, he has waited patiently and now he is finally getting that opportunity.
Since Ridley broke his foot before the game against UConn, Ibeh has been averaging 24.4 minutes a game. Before that, he only averaged 9.5 minutes. With all of his extra playing time, Ibeh has put up averages of 6.4 PPG, 6.9 RPG and 3.3 BPG. Here’s a few of his notable stat lines:
- KU: 7 points, 7 rebounds, 7 blocks
- TCU: 17 points, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks
- VAN: 13 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks
- BAY: 9 points, 6 rebounds, 5 blocks
The most interesting thing to take note of is the fact that those were consecutive games. Ibeh has utilized his great ability to block and he has been truly showing us how good of a player he can be.
Connor Lammert has also been a major key in keeping the season afloat. His three-point shot has been more evident since conference play started and he has been the same solid player that he has been throughout his career in Austin.
Besides the seniors, the bench, including three freshmen, has been a key feature of the Longhorns’ most recent streak. Eric Davis Jr., Kerwin Roach Jr. and Tevin Mack have provided the team with valuable points from the bench and as freshmen, they have provided some excitement for the future.
The fact that almost every player on the team is playing well is a great thing and most of the credit for that has to be given to Shaka Smart. His winning mentality and incredible coaching has done wonders for a team that was expected to simply fade away after losing a key player.
Smart was known for his success in March back in his VCU days and all of these upsets/ranked wins is giving fans a taste of what could be coming once he gets his first opportunity to coach the Longhorns in the tournament.
The chemistry between teammates right now is something special to watch. If the team continues to thrive against the Big 12, they will be a team that no one wants to face once March Madness gets here.
Next: Freshmen Provide Glimpse Of Bright Future For Texas
The Texas Longhorns are on pace for their best record since a 28-8 finish in 2010-11. Their excellent coaching and continued success has turned 2015-16 into a potentially special season.