It’s official, the Texas Basketball schedule has been set. The Texas Longhorns basketball team will open against the North Dakota State Bisons on Friday, November 14th. Here is our breakdown of the schedule.
Non-Conference:
Once again, Rick Barnes wants to challenge his team in the non-conference schedule. They are guaranteed to face Iowa, UConn, Kentucky, and Stanford in November and December. The Longhorns might face Syracuse if they both win or lose their games in the 2K Classic semifinal matchup. They have their powder puff opponents to pad their win total before Big 12 play but they will be challenged in the non-conference.
Big 12 conference play:
The Longhorns will start Big 12 play on the road in Lubbock against an improving Texas Tech basketball team. Then turn around and play Oklahoma on Big Monday at home. Then Oklahoma State on the road. That’s a tough 3 game stretch to start Big 12 play. The rest of the schedule is a minefield to navigate. They have another rough 3 game stretch with Kansas at home on a Saturday, at Iowa State on Monday and at Baylor on Saturday. There isn’t going to be a lot of easy games for the Longhorns in Big 12 play so depth is going to be key.
Overall
The Longhorns are going to need depth for the season. Not just depth in terms of players being able to fill spots on the floor for 3-5 minutes but for consistent playmakers that come off the bench and be just as good as the starters. The level of play should not diminish at all when the Longhorns make a substitution. If they can do that, they should be in the 2-4 seed range. If not, they could end up being a 6-10 seed depending on the momentum heading into March Madness. This is a crucial season for Texas basketball to get back at an elite level and show that they are a force in college basketball.
