Texas Basketball: 3 bold predictions in season opener vs. UTRGV

The 2020-21 Texas basketball regular season tips off at 7 p.m. CT at home at the Frank Erwin Center against the UTRGV Vaqueros.

The tip off of the 2020-21 college hoops season has officially arrived on the afternoon of Nov. 25. The long awaited Texas basketball season tips off on the night of Nov. 25, at 7 p.m. CT against UTRGV. This will be the first time that Texas men’s hoops and head coach Shaka Smart take to the floor since they fell short to the Oklahoma State Cowboys back in early March at home in their regular season finale.

Texas comes into the 2020-21 regular season with the No. 19 ranking in the AP Poll. They have hopes as a potential dark horse contender to win a Big 12 Championship, and get a high seed in the NCAA Tournament. But it will not be easy for Smart and the Longhorns as the regular season schedule is pretty difficult.

On the schedule this season are opponents like the Kentucky Wildcats, Villanova Wildcats, and either the Providence Friars or Indiana Hoosiers (and potentially more in the Maui Invitational next week). Big 12 play doesn’t start easy for the Longhorns either, as they open up the conference slate on the road on Dec. 13 in Waco against the No. 2 ranked Baylor Bears.

The Big 12 as a whole looks to be very deep and talented once again. Even though Texas is ranked inside the top 20 in the preseason AP Poll, they didn’t sit in the top three in the preseason media poll for the Big 12 standings. The favorites to win the Big 12 will once again be the Kansas Jayhawks and Baylor. Teams like the Texas Tech Red Raiders, Texas, West Virginia Mountaineers, Iowa State Cyclones, etc. will be hoping to be sleeper contenders in the Big 12 this season.

Texas gets UTRGV to open up this regular season at home at the Frank Erwin Center. Here’s a look at three bold predictions as the Longhorns open up their hoops regular season on Nov. 25.