STF Super Awesome Team Preview: #15 Texas Longhorns

Team: Texas Longhorns

Conference: Big 12

Last Season Recap: 25-10 (12-4) The Longhorns rode the incredible Kevin Durant as far as they could. To be specific, Texas lost to a more team-oriented Southern Cal by 19 points in the NCAA tournament after a 12-4 run through the Big 12 in which Kansas was the only thorn in their side.

Key Players Returning: Let's all try to remember that Texas only lost one freshman to the NBA last year. Star guard D.J. Augustin brings his handle and shooting touch back to Austin. He's joined by A.J. Abrams and his 15 ppg in the backcourt. Unfortunately, the three, four, and five spots will have to be filled with lackluster upperclassmen or unproven (but very talented) freshmen.

What's To Love: A strong backcourt. D.J and A.J. should be O.K., to say the least. With Durant gone, these two players will probably look to score even more than they did last season.

What's Not To Love: Where's the beef? None of the big men currently wearing burnt orange has showed us anything on the collegiate hardwood as of yet. If they can't figure out the rotation before conference play starts, the Longhorns will be in trouble.

Key Player: With three lineup holes to be filled, it's hard to choose just one, but I'm going with 6'7" sophomore Forward Damion James. He was inconsistent last year - some nights it was a double-double, others it was a single-double. The encouraging news is that he often had his best nights against the toughest conference opponents. Maybe he'll shine in Durant's absence.

Best Case: Rick Barnes remembers how to coach a team effort. One or more of the freshman class lives up to his billing. The Longhorns return to the Sweet 16.

Worst Case: Without an experienced frontcourt, Texas drops a few winnable games in league play. The Longhorns return to the NCAA tournament, but flame out in the first round.

STF Prediction: We'll learn a lot about Texas early on. They've put together a few boffo non-con games - @UCLA, @Michigan State, Wisconsin at home. If they struggle in those games, the sharks will be circling in the Big 12. However, I think the backcourt will hold the course steady enough for a record of 23-7 (11-5) which is not too far off of last year's pace. They'll go back to the big dance and probably make the sweet 16, though I don't see them going back to the Final Four (as they did in 2003) unless one of the underclassmen develops into that all-important third scoring threat.