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Texas Basketball: 5 reasons Courtney Ramey, Jaxson Hayes best Big 12 freshmen duo

By Andrew Miller

AUSTIN, TEXAS - JANUARY 19: Jaxson Hayes #10 of the Texas Longhorns reacts as Brady Manek #35 of the Oklahoma Sooners walks by during second half action at The Frank Erwin Center on January 19, 2019 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TEXAS - JANUARY 19: Jaxson Hayes #10 of the Texas Longhorns reacts as Brady Manek #35 of the Oklahoma Sooners walks by during second half action at The Frank Erwin Center on January 19, 2019 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images) /
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AMES, IA – FEBRUARY 2: Jaxson Hayes #10 of the Texas Longhorns battles for a rebound with Talen Horton-Tucker #11 of the Iowa State Cyclones in the second half of play at Hilton Coliseum on February 2, 2019 in Ames, Iowa. The Iowa State Cyclones won 65-60 over the Texas Longhorns. (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images)
AMES, IA – FEBRUARY 2: Jaxson Hayes #10 of the Texas Longhorns battles for a rebound with Talen Horton-Tucker #11 of the Iowa State Cyclones in the second half of play at Hilton Coliseum on February 2, 2019 in Ames, Iowa. The Iowa State Cyclones won 65-60 over the Texas Longhorns. (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images) /

4. Trends in the numbers in the past six games

We already touched on the impact Hayes and Ramey are having for Texas basketball in the past six games. Texas is finally getting back on track in Big 12 play, and actually carries a winning record in the conference standings heading into a key showdown at home on Feb. 12 against the Kansas State Wildcats.

The trust Smart has in Ramey is evident in the fact that he he got at least 30 minutes on the floor in four of the last six games. All of the last six also saw Ramey play more than 24 minutes, which is unprecendented compared to where he was in the rotation early in the regular season.

Ramey is replacing the minutes that were split up between guards Elijah Mitrou-Long and Jase Febres at the beginning of the regular season. Mitrou-Long and Febres are still getting significant time off the bench, but Ramey has taken over one of the starting roles. Hayes is doing something similar in place of sophomore forward Jericho Sims.

Hayes and Ramey are highlighting their two-way ability and efficiency of late for the Horns in conference play. In his last two games Ramey combined for 29 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, three steals, and one block. Those are tremendous numbers for a first-year guard in a crowded back court. Hayes is also productive of late, as he registered six-straight games scoring in double figures before he managed just 11 minutes against West Virginia.

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