Texas Basketball: 3 players who can push the Horns to win the Big 12

3) Texas basketball players who can help win the Big 12

Andrew Jones, Shooting Guard/Wing

A player that came up huge for the Longhorns at times during the Big 12 slate was the former five-star recruit and redshirt junior shooting guard/wing Andrew Jones. Texas would not have elevated their offensive game as they were able to this season without Jones’ spark on that end of the floor playing on the wing.

The 6-foot-4 and 195 pound amassed both a career and team-high 14.9 points per game during the regular season. He also averaged around five rebounds, two assists, and one steal. Jones shot 41.7 percent from the field, 32.6 percent from beyond the arc, and 79.7 percent from the free-throw line. Jones also played his best it seemed when the Longhorns needed an offensive spark the most.

In the 18 games this season where Jones registered at least 13 points individually, they put up a record of 14-4. And in the seven games where Jones put in at least six attempts from the field during the regular season, the Longhorns won six of them.

There’s a pretty clear path to success for Smart and the Longhorns as it pertains to the usage of Jones for the rest of the season; let him do his thing on the offensive end of the floor. His volume scoring ability could be huge for Texas, especially given the return of sharpshooting guard/wing Jase Febres to the rotation of late.