Texas Basketball: Who Will Step Up Starting with West Virginia?

Texas Longhorns vs. West Virginia Mountaineers College Basketball Preview

The Texas Basketball team needs someone to step up for head coach Shaka Smart. Saturday’s home game against Top-10 West Virginia would be a good start.

Tevin Mack was supposed to be that guy for the Longhorns until he was suspended indefinitely following Wednesday’s ugly home loss to TCU.

Mack took the Alpha role that Eric Davis wanted at the start of the season. But, Mack will miss the West Virginia game and perhaps the next two games against more Top-10 teams Kansas and Baylor.

It appeared that Coach Smart’s rebuilding process would feature Mack anchoring the backcourt and Jarrett Allen anchoring the frontcourt. Allen does not show much emotion on the court, but his play tells a different story. When he’s consistent.

Allen has a tendency to turn the ball over or let defenders tip away passes. It would help if the Longhorns guards made more accurate post-entry passes, but Allen looks passive at times. We keep waiting for him to turn into Jahlil Okafor of Duke two seasons ago. And, if the Longhorns are going to survive this Big 12 schedule, Allen should be more assertive and dominant in the post.

What Are The Alternatives for Texas Basketball?

It’s hard to find alternatives to Jarrett Allen as the center of the offensive attack. The perimeter play is too inconsistent – the revolving door of point guards have a tendency to turn the ball over and the shooting guards routinely miss three-pointers.

Kerwin Roach and Andrew Jones have alternated good games and bad games at the PG spot. Meanwhile, Eric Davis and freshman guard Jacob Young cannot find their shot from the outside.

On the inside, Shaq Cleare has good and bad moments, while freshman James Banks is purely a defender at this stage.

Senior guard Kendal Yancy could return from injury for the West Virginia game, but Shaka Smart has slotted Yancy in a supporting role. Yancy is only averaging 6.2 points in 18.5 minutes so far this season.

It appears that Coach Smart will look for the hot hand each night. Tevin Mack became a consistent scorer the past month of the season, but his suspension forced a change in plans. It’s going to be difficult to find the right combination, especially when Mack played in 38 of 40 minutes Wednesday night against TCU.

Projecting Texas’ Starting Lineup

Starting with West Virginia on Saturday afternoon, it looks like Eric Davis will be re-inserted into the starting lineup. If Yancy is healthy, he would slide into an important reserve role against the pressing WVU defense. Otherwise, the only other guard available off the bench would be Jacob Young.

Therefore, the Starting Lineup will likely feature Cleare and Allen in the frontcourt and Roach, Jones, and Davis in the backcourt. Off the bench will be Yancy (perhaps), Jacob Young, and James Banks.

UPDATE: Kendal Yancy was still inactive for the game due to injury. However, transfer player Mareik Isom made his season debut coming off the bench. Coach Smart also put Jacob Young in the starting lineup over Andrew Jones.

This is a big test for Shaka Smart in a rebuilding year for Texas Basketball. Can he pull off a major upset against a West Virginia unit that has a big advantage against the Longhorns ballhandlers?

Losing Tevin Mack for Saturday’s game hurts Texas’ chances, but never count out Coach Smart when his back is against the wall.

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