Texas Basketball: 5 arguments for Longhorns to make NCAA Tournament

5. Strength of the defense

Whenever a team is playing as good on one end of the floor as the Texas basketball program is on defense this season, the selection committee has to take notice. The Longhorns saw an up and down start to the Big 12 slate, but their defense is starting to get back to the point it was at early in the regular season.

Where the Longhorns really standout among the team and advanced stats is on the defensive end of the floor. Two Texas guards are putting that on full display this season, including junior Matt Coleman (98.4 defensive rating, 2.4 defensive box plus/minus) and sophomore Courtney Ramey (97.5 defensive rating, 2.3 defensive box plus/minus).

As a team, the Longhorns rank 34th in Division I in points allowed per game (63.3) and 89th in defensive rating (95.5). They’re allowing their opponents to shoot just 42 percent from the field and 32 percent from beyond the arc. Texas also doesn’t let their opposition to get the pace going that they want to. They rank first in total field goals allowed in Big 12 play on the season so far.

So far this season, Texas ranks 321st in Division I in points scored per game (64.6) and 271st in offensive rating (97.5). That shows that the Longhorns heavily rely on their defensive play and ability to slow down the pace. In only eight of the 28 games that Texas played in this season did they have a pace factor of higher than 70.0.