Texas Basketball: 2 players that have achieved greatness this season

On the night of March 3, No. 15 ranked Texas basketball and head coach Shaka Smart notched their 15th win of the regular season to date against a team they should be beating. That team that Smart and his Texas squad downed this week was the Iowa State Cyclones, who still have just two wins on the season to date and a goose egg in the win column in Big 12 play.

Following the 81-67 win over Iowa State this week, Smart and the Longhorns now boast a record of 15-7 (9-6 Big 12) as they look to jostle their way up further in the conference standings. For the time being, the Longhorns sit comfortably within the top five or six teams in the Big 12 standings, at least ensuring them not having to participate in a play-in game in the conference tournament later this month.

They’re next set to face the rival Oklahoma Sooners on March 4, after a set of weather delays late last month.

As a whole, Texas is taking their success to a new level this season. The last 10 games or so were worse than the prior dozen, as they’ve still lost five of their last nine outings, but this season as altogether still largely should be considered a success.

Thanks to the elevated play of the rotation nearly top-to-bottom this season, Texas has sat pretty firmly within the top 15 in both major polls most of the way. There’s a chance that the Longhorns could still head into the “Big Dance” with a top three seed in one of the regions.

Who is largely responsible for the elevated success in the win column for the Longhorns this season? Here’s a look into two players that stick out in particular in this regard.