2020–21 Texas Longhorns men's basketball team


The 2020–21 Texas Longhorns men's basketball team represented the University of Texas at Austin in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by sixth-year head coach Shaka Smart and played their home games at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas as members of the Big 12 Conference. They finished the season 19–8, 11–6 in Big 12 play to finish in a tie for third place. As the No. 3 seed in the Big 12 tournament, they defeated Texas Tech in the first round and advanced to the tournament championship game due to COVID-19 issues at Kansas. There they defeated Oklahoma State to win the Big 12 Tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 3 seed in the East region. They were upset in the First Round by Abilene Christian.

2020–21 Texas Longhorns men's basketball
NCAA tournament, first round
ConferenceBig 12 Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 21
APNo. 9
Record19–8 (11–6 Big 12)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • K.T. Turner
  • Neill Berry
  • Cody Hatt
Home arenaFrank Erwin Center
Seasons
2020–21 Big 12 men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 1 Baylor 13 1   .929 28 2   .933
No. 16 Kansas 12 6   .667 21 9   .700
No. 21 Texas 11 6   .647 19 8   .704
No. 18 West Virginia 11 6   .647 19 10   .655
No. 19 Oklahoma State 11 7   .611 21 9   .700
No. 22 Texas Tech 9 8   .529 18 11   .621
Oklahoma 9 8   .529 16 11   .593
TCU 5 11   .313 12 14   .462
Kansas State 4 14   .222 9 20   .310
Iowa State 0 18   .000 2 22   .083
2021 Big 12 Tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

On March 26, 2021, head coach Shaka Smart left the school to take the head coaching job at Marquette.[1] Shortly thereafter, the school named Texas Tech coach Chris Beard the team's new head coach.[2]

Previous season edit

The Longhorns finished the 2019–20 season 19–12, and 9–9 in Big 12 play. They were slated to play Texas Tech in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament but the tournament was canceled before the quarterfinals due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3] The NCAA tournament, National Invitation Tournament, and all other postseason tournaments were also canceled due to the pandemic.[4]

Offseason edit

Departures edit

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Will Baker 50 C 7'0" 245 Freshman Austin, TX Transferred to Nevada[5]

2020 recruiting class edit

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Greg Brown
PF
Austin, TX Vandegrift (TX) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Apr 24, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 95
Overall recruiting rankings:   247Sports: 96
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Texas 2020 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  • "2020 Texas Longhorns Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  • "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 29, 2020.

2021 Recruiting class edit

US college sports recruiting information for 2021 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Keeyan Itejere
PF
Knightdale, NC Grace Christian School (NC) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jun 22, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 75
Emarion Ellis
SG
Davenport, IA Assumption (IA) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jul 28, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 81
David Joplin
PF
Milwaukee, WI Brookfield Central (WI) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Aug 16, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 78
Tamar Bates
SG
Kansas City, KS IMG Academy (FL) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Aug 28, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 85
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 20  247Sports: 13  ESPN:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster edit

2020–21 Texas Longhorns men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 0 Gerald Liddell 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jr Byron P. Steele HS Cibolo, TX
G 1 Andrew Jones 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 192 lb (87 kg) RS Jr MacArthur HS Irving, TX
G 2 Matt Coleman III 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sr Oak Hill Academy Norfolk, VA
G 3 Courtney Ramey 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Webster Groves HS St. Louis, MO
F 4 Greg Brown 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Vandegrift HS Austin, TX
F 5 Royce Hamm Jr. 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sr Aldine Davis HS Houston, TX
G 10 Donovan Williams 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Fort Bend Elkins HS Houston, TX
G 13 Jase Febres 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sr Westfield HS Houston, TX
G 14 Drayton Whiteside (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Sr Vandegrift HS Austin, TX
C 20 Jericho Sims 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Sr Cristo Rey Jesuit HS Minneapolis, MN
C 22 Kai Jones 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 218 lb (99 kg) So Brewster Academy Nassau, Bahamas
F 30 Brock Cunningham 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 204 lb (93 kg) RS So Westlake HS Austin, TX
F 33 Kamaka Hepa 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr Jefferson HS Barrow, AK
F 34 Blake Nevins (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Cypress Ranch HS Cypress, TX
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: December 4, 2020

Schedule and results edit

Source:[6]

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
November 25, 2020*
7:00 pm, LHN
No. 19 Texas–Rio Grande Valley W 91–55  1–0
 20  Ramey   10  Tied   7  Ramey  Frank Erwin Center (2,451)
Austin, TX
November 30, 2020*
11:00 am, ESPN2
No. 19 vs. Davidson
Maui Invitational Quarterfinals
W 78–76  2–0
 14  Ramey   6  Tied   9  Coleman III  Harrah's Cherokee Center (0)
Asheville, NC
December 1, 2020*
12:30 pm, ESPN
No. 17 vs. Indiana
Maui Invitational Semifinals
W 66–44  3–0
 16  Coleman III   11  Cunningham   4  Cunningham  Harrah's Cherokee Center (0)
Asheville, NC
December 2, 2020*
3:00 pm, ESPN
No. 17 vs. No. 14 North Carolina
Maui Invitational Finals
W 69–67  4–0
 22  Coleman III   8  K. Jones   3  Tied  Harrah's Cherokee Center (0)
Asheville, NC
December 6, 2020*
12:00 pm, ESPN
No. 17 No. 12 Villanova
Big East-Big 12 Battle
L 64–68  4–1
 17  Tied   6  Tied   3  Coleman III  Frank Erwin Center (2,506)
Austin, TX
December 9, 2020*
12:00 pm, LHN
No. 13 Texas State W 74–53  5–1
 18  Brown   9  Sims   6  Tied  Frank Erwin Center (2,426)
Austin, TX
December 13, 2020
2:00 pm, ESPN
No. 13 at No. 2 Baylor Postponed due to COVID-19 issues Ferrell Center 
Waco, TX
December 16, 2020*
7:00 pm, LHN
No. 11 Sam Houston State W 79–63  6–1
 17  Tied   10  Brown   6  Ramey  Frank Erwin Center (2,411)
Austin, TX
December 20, 2020
1:00 pm, LHN
No. 11 Oklahoma State W 77–74  7–1
(1–0)
 24  Brown   14  Brown   4  Tied  Frank Erwin Center (2,428)
Austin, TX
December 29, 2020*
7:00 pm, LHN
No. 8 Texas A&M–Corpus Christi Canceled due to COVID-19 issues Frank Erwin Center 
Austin, TX
January 2, 2021
11:00 a.m., ESPN2
No. 8 at No. 3 Kansas W 84–59  8–1
(2–0)
 18  Ramey   12  Sims   6  Coleman III  Allen Fieldhouse (2,500)
Lawrence, KS
January 5, 2021
7:00 pm, LHN
No. 4 Iowa State W 78–72  9–1
(3–0)
 23  A. Jones   9  K. Jones   4  Tied  Frank Erwin Center (0)
Austin, TX
January 9, 2021
12:00 p.m., ESPNU
No. 4 at No. 14 West Virginia W 72–70  10–1
(4–0)
 19  Ramey   14  Brown   16  Ramey  WVU Coliseum (305)
Morgantown, WV
January 13, 2021
8:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 4 No. 15 Texas Tech L 77–79  10–2
(4–1)
 20  Jones   9  Brown   4  Ramey  Frank Erwin Center (0)
Austin, TX
January 16, 2021
7:00 pm, LHN
No. 4 Kansas State W 82–67  11–2
(5–1)
 19  Jones   7  Sims   9  Ramey  Frank Erwin Center (0)
Austin, TX
January 20, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 5 at Iowa State Postponed due to COVID-19 issues Hilton Coliseum 
Ames, IA
January 23, 2021
5:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 5 at TCU Postponed due to COVID-19 issues Schollmaier Arena 
Fort Worth, TX
January 26, 2021
6:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 5 No. 24 Oklahoma L 79–80  11–3
(5–2)
 15  K. Jones   10  K. Jones   5  A. Jones  Frank Erwin Center (0)
Austin, TX
January 30, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 5 at Kentucky
Big 12/SEC Challenge
Rupp Arena 
Lexington, KY
February 2, 2021
6:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 6 No. 2 Baylor L 69–83  11–4
(5–3)
 25  Jones   9  Sims   6  Ramey  Frank Erwin Center (2,532)
Austin, TX
February 6, 2021
2:00 p.m., ABC
No. 6 at Oklahoma State L 67–75 2OT 11–5
(5–4)
 17  A. Jones   10  Tied   3  Tied  Gallagher-Iba Arena (3,350)
Stillwater, OK
February 9, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 13 at Kansas State W 80–77  12–5
(6–4)
 24  A. Jones   9  Sims   7  Coleman III  Bramlage Coliseum (752)
Manhattan, KS
February 13, 2021
1:00 p.m., LHN
No. 13 TCU W 70–55  13–5
(7–4)
 19  A. Jones   8  Sims   5  Ramey  Frank Erwin Center (2,431)
Austin, TX
February 18, 2021
 TBD
No. 12 at No. 9 Oklahoma Postponed due to inclement weather Lloyd Noble Center 
Norman, OK
February 18, 2021
6:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 12 at Iowa State Postponed due to inclement weather Hilton Coliseum 
Ames, IA
February 20, 2021
2:00 p.m., ABC
No. 12 No. 13 West Virginia L 82–84  13–6
(7–5)
 28  Ramey   8  A. Jones   7  Coleman III  Frank Erwin Center (0)
Austin, TX
February 23, 2021
8:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 14 No. 17 Kansas W 75–72 OT 14–6
(8–5)
 15  Ramey   10  Jones   5  Coleman III  Frank Erwin Center (2,482)
Austin, TX
February 27, 2021
11:00 a.m., CBS
No. 14 at No. 18 Texas Tech L 59–68  14–7
(8–6)
 11  Sims   7  Sims   6  Coleman III  United Supermarkets Arena (4,250)
Lubbock, TX
March 2, 2021
6:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 15 at Iowa State W 81–67  15–7
(9–6)
 17  K. Jones   7  Ramey   5  Coleman  Hilton Coliseum (1,191)
Ames, IA
March 4, 2021
8:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 15 at No. 16 Oklahoma W 69–65  16–7
(10–6)
 16  Sims   12  Sims   4  Ramey  Lloyd Noble Center (2,952)
Norman, OK
March 7, 2021
6:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 15 at TCU W 76-64  17–7
(11–6)
 16  A. Jones   5  A. Jones   6  Ramey  Schollmaier Arena (2,229)
Fort Worth, TX
Big 12 Tournament
March 11, 2021
8:30 p.m., ESPN
(3) No. 13 vs. (6) No. 20 Texas Tech
Quarterfinals
W 67–66  18–7
 19  Coleman   11  Sims   6  Coleman  T-Mobile Center (3,510)
Kansas City, MO
March 12, 2021
8:30 p.m., ESPN2
(3) No. 13 vs. (2) No. 11 Kansas
Semifinals
Cancelled due to positive COVID-19 test from Kansas[7] T-Mobile Center 
Kansas City, MO
March 13, 2021
5:00 p.m., ESPN
(3) No. 13 vs. (5) No. 12 Oklahoma State
Championship
W 91–86  19–7
 30  Coleman   14  Sims   5  Ramey  T-Mobile Center (3,525)
Kansas City, MO
NCAA tournament
March 20, 2021
8:50 pm, truTV, TNT[a 1]
(3 E) No. 9 vs. (14 E) Abilene Christian
First Round
L 52–53  19–8
 13  Jones   11  Sims   5  Jones  Lucas Oil Stadium 
Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

Player statistics edit

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game

* – Recorded statistics when playing for Texas

Texas Longhorns Men’s Basketball statistics
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Andrew Jones 19 19 31.7 .406 .302 .807 5.0 2.11 1.11 0.11 15.4
Courtney Ramey 19 19 34.4 .417 .437 .831 2.8 3.95 0.95 0.11 14.1
Matt Coleman III 20 20 34.4 .476 .353 .800 3.9 4.25 1.20 0.10 13.0
Greg Brown 19 19 22.5 .426 .351 .672 7.4 0.26 0.63 1.11 10.9
Kai Jones 19 2 22.7 .582 .423 .660 4.8 0.74 0.95 0.74 8.2
Jericho Sims 19 19 23.5 .640 .000 .520 6.8 0.58 0.58 0.84 8.1
Donovan Williams 12 0 12.3 .327 .174 .846 1.2 0.25 0.42 0.25 4.1
Kamaka Hepa 7 1 7.6 .471 .500 .000 1.0 0.14 0.14 0.29 3.4
Jase Febres 6 0 14.1 .286 .263 .000 1.7 0.67 0.50 .50 2.0
Royce Hamm Jr. 16 1 10.4 .559 .500 .300 2.9 0.19 0.13 0.50 2.6
Gerald Liddell 7 0 11.5 .429 .286 .167 1.7 0.43 0.14 0.14 2.1
Brock Cunningham 18 0 16.8 .237 .233 .333 3.4 0.94 0.89 0.11 1.4
Blake Nevins 2 0 0.6 .500 .000 .000 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Andrew Deutser 1 0 1.1 .000 .000 .000 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Drayton Whiteside 2 0 0.9 .000 .000 .000 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Rankings edit

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
т = Tied with team above or below
Week
PollPre1234567891011121314151617Final
AP1917т13т1110844455613121415139Not released
Coaches2222^12111094445561313161616921

^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.

Notes edit

  1. ^ The game against Abilene Christian, which was originally scheduled to air exclusively on truTV, was simulcasted on TNT after the Oregon-VCU game, which was scheduled to air on the latter network around the same time, was cancelled due to VCU having to withdraw from the tournament due to COVID-19 protocols.

References edit

  1. ^ Mar 26, FOX Sports Wisconsin; ET, 2021 at 11:59a (March 26, 2021). "Marquette hires Shaka Smart as new men's basketball head coach". FOX Sports. Retrieved April 7, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ "Longhorns name Red Raiders' Beard as coach". ESPN.com. April 1, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  3. ^ "All Power 5 leagues cancel conference tournaments". ESPN.com. March 12, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  4. ^ "NCAA cancels remaining winter and spring championships". NCAA.org. March 12, 2020. Archived from the original on March 12, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  5. ^ "Westlake product, Longhorns center Will Baker enters transfer portal". KXAN. November 28, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  6. ^ "2020-21 Men's Basketball Schedule". Texas Longhorns. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  7. ^ "Kansas vs. Texas Big 12 Championship Semifinal Game Has Been Canceled". big12sports.com. Retrieved March 12, 2021.