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Texas Basketball: 5 reasons Longhorns win Big 12 Tournament

By Andrew Miller

LUBBOCK, TX - MARCH 04: Jericho Sims #20 of the Texas Longhorns dunks the basketball during the second half of the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders on March 4, 2019 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. Texas Tech defeated Texas 70-51. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TX - MARCH 04: Jericho Sims #20 of the Texas Longhorns dunks the basketball during the second half of the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders on March 4, 2019 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. Texas Tech defeated Texas 70-51. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /
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Texas Basketball
AUSTIN, TEXAS – JANUARY 29: Kerwin Roach II #12 of the Texas Longhorns reacts as his team plays the Kansas Jayhawks at The Frank Erwin Center on January 29, 2019 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images) /

2. Return of Kerwin Roach Jr.

Since his suspension from the Texas basketball team for a violation of team rules late in the regular season, this squad is floundering in Big 12 play. Roach Jr.’s absence in the rotation caused the Horns to nab a record of 1-4 to round out the regular season. The Texas offense direly needs his presence back in the mix.

The only win the Horns got during the stretch run of the regular season did come in impressive fashion over Iowa State at home. But, the other four results were quite disappointing. That namely included the regular season finale which resulted in a 69-56 victory for the Horned Frogs over the Horns.

This does come at a great time for Texas to get Roach Jr. back in the starting five. He’s still the leading scorer for the Horns, at slightly over 14.0 points per game. He also has one of the better player efficiency ratings on the team, at 19.9. There is plenty of backing to the idea that his return will make a massive impact.

In general, Roach Jr. averages 14.4 points per game, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists. Few players in the Texas rotation is able to provide the volume scoring boost that Roach Jr. brings to the table. He has an incredible offensive box plus/minus rating at 5.5 this season, which is a good for a career high. He also has a solid offensive rating of 107.5 and 1.6 offensive win shares on the season.

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