Texas Basketball: 3 most critical games of 2020-21 regular season
1) Most critical games for Texas basketball in 2020-21
467. 465. Dec. 20, 2020. Frank Erwin Center. 19-12. 44-37, Texas. Austin, TX. 18-14
What better way for the Longhorns to get their start to the Big 12 schedule off and running then by exacting revenge on the last team that beat them to round out the prematurely called 2019-20 season. Head coach Mike Boynton and the Oklahoma State Cowboys downed Texas by more than a 20-point margin in their regular season finale at the Erwin Center last season, back on March 7.
Even higher stakes will be on the line for the Longhorns in their Big 12 home opener against Oklahoma State than in the regular season finale last year, since it was called off in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Texas will get their shot at stopping the nation’s top ranked 2020 high school prospect, and five-star Montverde Academy point guard Cade Cunningham.
As the most highly touted incoming player to the Big 12 this year (ahead of five-star Texas commit Greg Brown), Cunningham is the talk of the town for the Pokes. And since he had Texas among his finalists, but wound up taking his talents to Stillwater to join Oklahoma State, there should be a chip on Smart’s shoulder for this Dec. 20 showdown in Austin.
Next. 3 early storylines for Texas vs. Kentucky. dark
This will be a battle between two teams jostling for position likely around the middle of the Big 12 standings. A game like this could be one that sets the tone for each team for nearly the entirety of the Big 12 schedule. If the Longhorns get a win here, it could give them a lot of confidence coming off a really difficult Big 12 opener on the road against the ultra-talented and experienced Bears.