NEWS: Where the new ESPN Bilas Index places Texas basketball

Texas basketball is seen as an NCAA Tournament-caliber team going into the final stretch of the season, according to the most recent edition of ESPN’s BIlas Index.

In less than a month, Texas basketball will begin its defense of the Big 12 Tournament championship. That means that Texas’s first complete regular season under head coach Rodney Terry is coming to a conclusion with just a few games remaining.

There have been many highs and lows during Terry’s first full season as Texas’s head coach, particularly in Big 12 competition. But if the Longhorns finish the regular season well, they have a chance to secure a single-digit seed in the NCAA Tournament and a favorable route in the Big 12 Tournament.

Midway through February, Jay Bilas placed Texas basketball as one of the top 30 college basketball teams.
Texas has won two of its last three games and has seen some fair success in Big 12 play over the past two weeks. With a 5-6 record in Big 12 play, the Longhorns are currently tied for ninth place in the conference standings, but they are only two games behind third place.

The latest version of ESPN’s Jay Bilas’ “Bilas Index” illustrates how Texas’s Big 12 campaign has been inconsistent this year. However, it also demonstrates the Longhorns’ genuine ability to contend for a victory in the closing minutes and during the postseason, primarily because of the experience of guard Max Abmas and big man Dylan Disu.

At the end of the regular season, Bilas had the Longhorns ranked as the 29th best college basketball team. He talked about how tough it is to compete in the Big 12, and how that might be contributing to Texas’s uneven conference play this year.

” The Big 12 is a gauntlet, which might explain why the Horns have won back-to-back games just once in the new year.”

Bilas also discusses the value that Disu and Abmas bring for the Longhorns this season in Big 12 play, and how integral they will be for this team’s success down the stretch.

“Dylan Disu has been a consistent force since getting back to full strength after missing the start of the season due to injury, and Max Abmas provides a big-time, shot-making presence.”

If the Longhorns can pull the big upset of the No. 3 Houston Cougars on the road this weekend, that would be a huge first step to getting on the path to earning a solid single-digit seed in March Madness.

If Texas hopes to finish the regular season with a winning record in the Big 12, it must also keep playing well at the Moody Center, home court.