Texas Basketball: 10 Bold Predictions for the Longhorns in 2011-12

Rick Barnes may have lost more players than just about any other coach (with the exception of Steve Lavin at St. John's).

Six out of the Longhorns' top seven scorers left due to graduation or early departure to the NBA.

Texas has no starters returning from last year's squad that went 28-8.

This season, Barnes will have has his biggest challenge ahead of him since coming to Austin in 1998.

Here are 10 bold predictions for the Longhorns in 2011-12.

10. Jaylen Bond Will Play a Whole Lot More Minutes in Austin Than Pittsburgh

Jaylen Bond is a 6'7", 220-pound forward from Philly.

After originally deciding to play at Pitt, Bond de-commited and chose instead to come to Austin.

Bond is another versatile, athletic player who can fill lots of holes for Rick Barnes. He runs the floor well, has a fantastic vertical and crashes the boards with anyone.

By just doing those things well, Bond will see decent minutes for the Longhorns this season. 

With the depth that Jamie Dixon has in Pittsburgh, Bond's minutes may have been sparse this first season if he would have stayed a Panther. 

9. Alexis Wangmene Will Become a Solid Contributor in the Paint

Alexis Wangmene has put in his time and paid his dues.

Wangmene, a 6'7", 241-pound, fifth-year senior has the body to bang.

Rick Barnes needs the forward from Cameroon to become an effective defensive stopper and rebounder.

He will need to keep himself out of foul trouble. Last year, when Wangmene played 10 minutes per game off the bench, he also averaged two fouls per game.

His best game as a Longhorn was in last year's win over North Carolina, where he had nine rebounds in 15 minutes of action.

8. Jonathan Holmes Could Fill Tristan Thompson's Shoes

Jonathan Holmes is a talented post player who can line up at either the PF or C.

Holmes can play with his back to the basket or step out and hit the three. At 6'8" and 240 pounds, he will be able to match up with most of the inside players in the conference.

Following Tristan Thompson is no small feat, but Holmes has all the tools to be a fantastic freshman in the paint.

7. Shelden McClellan and Julien Lewis Will Make an Instant Impact on the Wing

Shelden McClellan (pictured; 6'5", 190 pounds) and Julien Lewis (6'3", 190 pounds) are a pair of home-state, four-star, freshmen shooting guards.

They are both strong physical wings who can get to the rim or pull up and hit their jumpers.

J'Covan Brown, Myk Kabongo, McClellan and Lewis give Rick Barnes a lot of backcourt options.

With all of this perimeter talent, don't be surprised if you see some three-guard lineups.

6. Myk Kabongo's Freshman Numbers Will Compare with T.J. Ford's

Myk Kabongo comes to Austin as one of the top point guards in the class of 2011.

He is a pure point who can run the show with his tight handles and precision passing.

If he puts it all together, Kabongo could drop stats that rival Longhorn legend T.J. Ford's fantastic freshman numbers.

Ford averaged 10.8 points and 8.3 assists per game. He was the first freshman in NCAA history to lead the nation in assists.

Kabongo's game will elevate everyone on the floor. While he may not reach the same assist numbers as Ford, he will be one of the best freshman floor leaders in UT history.

5. J'Covan Brown Will Be One of the Top FT Shooters in the Country

Because J'Covan Brown is a fearless penetrator, he gets to the line a lot.

Even though he played almost 400 less minutes than Jordan Hamilton last year, they had the exact same number of free throw attempts (122).

But, more than just taking lots of free throws, Brown is deadly from the line.

After two seasons at UT, he ranks second on the Big 12 career free throw percentage list (87 percent).

Moving over to SG this year, Brown needs to continue to take the ball to the hole and get to the line just like he did in his first two years in Austin.

4. J'Covan Brown Will Be One of the Top Scorers in the Big 12

J'Covan Brown is the highest returning scorer from the 2010-11 team, averaging 9.8 ppg in just 21.5 minutes per game.

Brown will be asked to be the 'Horns primary scoring option.

He proved last year, in spots, that he is ready to step into this role.

Brown scored 23 against Kansas, as he keyed a come-from-behind road victory. The Jayhawks had won 69 straight games at Allen Fieldhouse.

He led the Longhorns in scoring in both games of last year's NCAA Tournament.

Brown scored 21 points in the first-round game against Oakland, knocking down 12 of 12 free throws.

He dropped in 23, hitting all 13 of his free throws in a one-point loss to Arizona.

If Brown can carry that kind of productivity into this season, the Longhorns will not have to wonder where their points will come from.

3. Texas Will Win at Least 10 Games Before Its Big 12 Schedule Starts

Even with a preconference schedule that includes a trip to the Maui Invitational and matchups with UCLA and North Carolina, the Longhorns should be able to pull out 10 wins before they start playing their Big 12 slate.

Texas has a full supply of preliminary games against the likes of Boston, Rhode Island, Oregon State, Sam Houston, North Texas, Texas-Arlington, Texas State, Nichols State and Rice.

Barnes should be able to settle his starting five and come up with a productive rotation before the 'Horns open up their conference play against Iowa State on January 4.

2. The Longhorns Will Extend Their 20-Win Streak to 13 Years

The ‘Horns have won 20 or more games in 12 consecutive campaigns and all but one season under Barnes.

Even with all of the turnover in the program and having to play so many first-year players, the Longhorns will extend this streak to 13 seasons.

A relatively easy preconference schedule (that includes games against Boston University, Oregon State, Sam Houston State, North Texas, UT-Arlington and others) should deliver at least 10 wins before the Longhorns start their Big 12 slate.

1. UT Will Be Selected for the NCAA Tournament for the 14th Straight Time

The UT streak of 13 straight NCAA bids (all under Barnes) is the second-longest in the Big 12 (behind Kansas, 22).

Texas has made it to the Dance every year that Barnes has been in Austin.

While they may be one of the teams that is listed as a bubble team, watch for the 'Horns to be dancin' once again this year.