Men’s Basketball ranked No. 12 in The Almanac’s preseason top 25 – TexasSports.com

The Longhorns return four rotational players from last year’s team that advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight.
AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas Men’s Basketball team is ranked No. 12 in "The Almanac" preseason top 25, The Field of 68 announced Wednesday morning. The Longhorns open the upcoming 2023-24 regular season with a home game against Incarnate Word on Monday, Nov. 6.

In addition to the team ranking, a pair of Texas players received individual recognition from The Almanac. Graduate guard Max Abmas was named a preseason second-team All-America pick. In the entity’s list of Top 100 players, Abmas was tabbed as the No. 9 player in the nation while junior guard Tyrese Hunter was slotted as the No. 47 player in the country.

Texas returns four rotational players (Brock Cunningham, Dylan Disu, Tyrese Hunter and Dillon Mitchell) from Rodney Terry‘s first season in Austin, when the Longhorns posted an overall record of 29-9 (12-6 Big 12, second) and ranked No. 5 in the final Associated Press poll and No. 7 in the final USA TODAY Sports Coaches poll. The No. 5 spot marked a tie for the highest ranking in the final AP poll by the Longhorns, as UT also was No. 5 in the final AP poll during the 2002-03 Final Four season. The No. 7 spot marked the third-highest ranking in the final Coaches poll in program history and highest since a No. 5 ranking following the 2007-08 season.

The Longhorns advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time since 2008 and eighth time in program history. UT captured its second Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship title in program history, defeating No. 3 Kansas, 76-56, in the championship game in Kansas City, Mo. The Longhorns earned a No. 2 seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, marking the highest seed for Texas in the NCAA tourney since 2008 (also a No. 2 seed).

The 29 wins were the third-most in a single season in program history, as UT went 31-7 in 2007-08 and 30-7 in 2005-06. The Longhorns compiled a 10-7 record against AP Top 25 opponents in 2022-23, and the 10 wins were the most in the nation against AP-ranked foes. The 10 wins against AP-ranked opponents also set a school single-season record, as UT previously went 8-5 in 2003-04. Texas posted a 6-3 mark against AP Top 11 foes during the 2022-23 season and tied a program single-season record for most games played (38). UT began the year at No. 12 in the preseason AP poll and spent all 19 weeks of the poll in the top 12, including 17 consecutive weeks in the top 10. That marked the longest such stretch since Texas was in the top 10 for all 19 polls during the 2002-03 Final Four season.

The Longhorns were one of three teams to rank in the top 15 in KenPom in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency. Texas (15 offense, 13 defense) was joined by UConn (3 offense, 7 defense) and Houston (11 offense, 5 defense).

Fans interested in purchasing a copy of The Almanac can click on the following link: https://cbbalmanac.com/register/presale/.

2023-24 The Almanac Preseason Top 25

Rank
Team
1.
Duke
2.
Kansas
3.
Purdue
4.
Michigan State
5.
Houston
6.
Creighton
7.
Marquette
8.
UConn
9.
Tennessee
10.
Florida Atlantic
11.
Gonzaga
12.
TEXAS
13.
Arizona
14.
Miami
15.
Kentucky
16.
San Diego State
17.
Texas A&M
18.
Villanova
19.
Baylor
20.
Alabama
21.
Arkansas
22.
St. Mary’s
23.
USC
24.
North Carolina
25.
Florida

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