Texas Basketball: 5 thoughts heading into the long down week

4. Dylan Osetkowski needs to find more consistency on the boards

One of the expectations for the front court for Texas basketball this season was hitting the glass harder than it did last year when current Orlando Magic rookie center Mohamed Bamba was not in the lineup. Bamba was the spark plug for the rebounding efforts for the Horns last season, but he was a likely one and done his entire time on the Forty Acres.

Now, it’s time for Texas basketball to find a new source of rebounding when the situation calls for it. That responsibility has to first fall to senior forward Dylan Osetkowski, before any of the younger bigs. The senior leadership is key to the Horns finding success on and off the court this year, which is a responsibility that falls on the shoulders of Osetkowski and Roach Jr.

Osetkowski does lead the team in rebounds this season, and is nearly averaging a double-double per game. His player efficiency rating this year is also higher than his career average. All indications point to Osetkowski excelling in a newfound leadership role during his senior campaign, but there were some noticeable flaws from him of late.

So far, Osetkowski averages 10.6 points per game, 8.6 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 0.7 blocks. His numbers that are significant for his play in the paint fell of late. Outside of one breakout performance, where he posted 17 boards in the devastating loss to Radford, Osetkowski has not registered rebounding numbers in double figures in a single game since Nov. 16.