Texas Basketball: 3 bold predictions for Big 12 opener vs. Baylor

1. Matt Coleman misses a triple-double by three rebounds

The Texas basketball program is going to need Coleman to put his best foot forward in this Big 12 opener against Baylor. Coleman is the leader of this team on both ends of the floor. But his play has cooled off of late after a very hot start.

So far this season, Coleman ranks in the top five in the Big 12 in win shares (2.1). He also ranks in the top 20 in player efficiency rating (19.7) and points per game (12.6) in the Big 12. So far, Coleman is averaging 12.6 points per game, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.8 assists, while shooting 47.0 percent from the field and 47.7 percent from beyond the arc.

There were three occasions this season where Coleman came rather close to notching a triple-double. In wins over Purdue, High Point, and McNeese State, Coleman was no more than five points, assists, and/or rebounds off notching his first triple-double of the season.

Also mind you that Coleman would need to likely at least get 35 minutes of playing time against Baylor to even get the production required for a triple-double.

This is the boldest of the three bold predictions on this list. Texas isn’t likely to have any players nab a triple-double on the road against any top 10-Big 12 team this season. But Coleman would be the most likely to come close to it. It would be especially crucial to get an outing like this out of Coleman against a team that ranks at No. 25 in points allowed per game (60.3) and No. 16 in defensive rating (85.9) in the country this season.