Texas Basketball: 3 most critical games of 2020-21 regular season

With the release of the Big 12 schedule on Oct. 26, what look to be the most crucial games of the 2020-21 regular season for Texas basketball?

The full conference schedule for the 2020-21 college basketball season was released for Big 12 play on Oct. 26. This signals a big step forward to what will be a very unique college hoops season. And the Texas basketball program does have a squad building up that could be a real contender in the Big 12 this coming season.

Head coach Shaka Smart is sitting on a pretty hot seat heading into the 2020-21 regular season. What makes things even more difficult for him is the fact that Texas has really high expectations heading into the 2020-21 season. In his top 25 projections ahead of the 2020-21 season, CBS Sports college hoops writer Gary Parrish had the Longhorns at No. 18.

CBS Sports had the Longhorns as their fourth highest ranked team in the Big 12, behind the Baylor Bears, Kansas Jayhawks, and West Virginia Mountaineers (in that order). Texas was ranked one spot ahead of head coach Chris Beard and the Texas Tech Red Raiders in CBS Sports top 25 poll for the 2020-21 season.

Moreover, the Longhorns are set to open up the 2020-21 regular season against UTRGV at home at the Frank Erwin Center on Nov. 25. It will be the first time that Texas has a meaningful game at the Erwin Center since their season was called to a premature end in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic back in mid-March.

And the Big 12 opener for the Longhorns is set to come on Dec. 13 in a really difficult matchup against a likely top five ranked preseason team in Baylor, that will be played in Waco. The regular season finale is scheduled for Feb. 27 on the road against Texas Tech.

Here’s a look at the three games that will be the most critical for the Longhorns to get right during the 2020-21 regular season, after the release of the Big 12 schedule.