Texas Basketball: 12 Reasons the Horns Can Win the Big 12

The Texas Longhorns have a tradition of greatness on the basketball court. Coach Rick Barnes has guided his squads to 12 consecutive NCAA Basketball Tournament appearances, making it as far as the Final Four back in 2003. 

Barnes has engineered one of the best programs in the country after moving to Austin from Clemson in 1998. His teams have a school record 12 consecutive 20-win seasons and have produced some of the best talents in the NBA.

Recruiting has been one of the Horn's strong suits as Barnes has brought big-time players such as TJ Ford, DJ Augustin, Tristan Thompson and Kevin Durant onto the court in the Frank Erwin Center.

This season, the Longhorns come into the Big 12 as strong underdogs after losing freshman phenom Thompson and sophomore Hamilton last season to the NBA. Only junior guard J'Covan Brown and senior forward Alexis Wangmene return with any kind of experience from last season.

Starting off the season with two losses in only five games, it's been a rough beginning but Barnes has the experience and talent to bring this team to the top of the Big 12. We take a look at 12 reasons why the Horns take over the conference in 2012. 

Strong Fanbase

Longhorn basketball is a lot different from football. Texas football attracts the entire state's attention year after year, making even non-graduates wear burnt orange and white during good years on the gridiron.

Basketball, on the other hand, is not the money-maker football is. Fans that attend games in the Erwin Center are real Longhorns who actually go or went to the University of Texas. The fanbase is loyal and makes their presence felt when the Horns play at home.  

Rick Barnes' Experience

Rich Barnes has been the head coach at Texas for 14 seasons, bringing the Longhorns into the elite category in college basketball. The man has crafted the most consecutive 20-win seasons in Texas history, making his team a top-notch squad every year. 

There is no man more fit for the job of molding such a young team into a winning squad. His experience and ability to recruit has set the stage for the Horns to once again stun the college basketball world.  

Weak Non-Conference Schedule

The Longhorns only have to play one ranked team in their non-conference schedule, heading off to North Carolina to face the fifth-ranked Tar Heels four days before Christmas. 

Other than their visit to the east coast, UT is basically taking on all cupcake squads from weak basketball conferences before heading into their conference schedule. Their big highlight matchups until Iowa State will be UCLA, UNC and Temple, not exactly a strong lineup. 

Ideal Conference Schedule

Texas' first half of their conference schedule features two games against a highly-ranked Mizzou squad, a game at home against a teetering Kansas team and then a road game against a Top 10 Baylor team.

This young team could have trouble on the road against Baylor and Missouri, but other than those two matchups the Horns have more than enough talent and potential to stick with the rest of the Big 12 whether it be home or away.

Once the young team gets into sync and becomes more experienced, taking on A&M and Kansas on the road in the second half of the season could be possible wins and beating Baylor at home could be a highlight victory for the season.   

Extremely Young Squad

Over half of the 11 players on Barnes' squad are freshmen. There are no sophomore players and only two seniors. UT is one of the youngest teams in the country and although talented, needs coaching and structure to be successful. 

Usually, an extremely young team is a bad quality, but for coaches like Barnes, this actually falls in as an advantage. The coaching staff will be able to mold each player into what they need them to be instead of trying to game plan to the strengths of a single superstar. 

Depth at Every Position

Of the two main positions in basketball, the guard and the forward, Texas has a single veteran leader in each category and then some very strong young talent holding up the other three spots for their starters.

Behind both forward positions there is a senior and a freshman backup and then at guard there are two juniors and two freshmen. Depth is important on any basketball team and the Horns have just the right ratio of veterans to freshmen to provide great backups to the starters.   

J'Covan Brown

As one of two players on this young team that has any experience, J'Covan Brown was the Horn's sixth man last season. He started a few games due to injuries, but was mostly a backup who played just as much as any of the starters.

As a junior, Brown isn't the oldest but he certainly will be the captain on this squad. He leads the team in points and assists so far this season by a wide margin but will need to start relying on his teammates more if he wants some more wins on possibly his last year at the university.  

Alexis Wangmene

As the other returning player with any real experience from last season, Alexis Wangmene will have to show up in the post to give the Longhorns any real chance in the conference. He has the potential but so far doesn't even lead the team in rebounds. 

With the slow start Wangmene has had to begin this year, Barnes needs to get his senior leadership into gear. Post play is huge in the Big 12 and the key to the conference will be holding down the paint on both sides of the court.  

Experienced Coaching Staff

The three associate coaches for Rick Barnes have combined for 16 years at Texas as assistants. That's a strong record for a college team on any level.

Such an experienced staff really helps Barnes shape his players to where he wants them to be. Individual attention for young talent is important and having actual backing behind what coaches tell players is a huge part in how they develop.  

Top-Notch Recruits

Rick Barnes is one of the best recruiters in the nation. He pulled Kevin Durant all the way from Maryland to come play in Texas, not exactly a short trip. The talent Barnes comes up with is more impressive considering how far Austin is from most places in the country. 

This year's squad is mostly complied of freshman who want to make an impact early. Three of the starters for the Horns are just first-year students at the university and have already shown how good they can be on the court.

Jonathan Holmes is the second leading scorer and the best rebounder on the team after five games. Myck Kabongo, a product of Canada, is dishing out the second most assists and is considered one of the country's best up-and-coming players in college basketball.   

No True Superstar

The Longhorns have many players with a lot of talent on their team. J'Covan Brown may be the leader in two big categories right now early on, but as the freshmen evolve during the year, fans will start to notice a more even distribution of statistics.

Last season, Thompson and Hamilton stole the spotlight from a group of talented players. This year, the Horns are set up to have Holmes, Brown, Kabongo and Wangmene spread the rebounds, points and assists evenly among themselves.

Successful teams in basketball are never just a single man surrounded by backup, they are talented teams with a spread of the stats across three or four players. Texas has been absolved into the first category as of late, but this season gets back to the championship status they have been craving since 2003.  

Quickness over Power

The Longhorn's largest starting player comes in at 6'7" and 241 lbs with senior forward Alexis Wangmene. Holmes, the other forward, is slightly smaller at 6'7" and 239 lbs.

This starting squad is built to beat opponents with speed, not size and power. Forwards who can get up and down the court quicker than their counterparts can be a huge advantage and UT strategizes wisely based on who they have.

Watch for fast-break points to almost always be in the Horn's favor on UT victories this season. Quick scores and steals will be vital for success and Barnes has his team geared correctly to take advantage of other teams' slow post players.