Texas Basketball: CBS Sports projects Horns as a 1-seed in Bracketology

There is a much different feeling surrounding the Texas basketball program heading into the 2021-22 season than most in the past decade under former head coaches Shaka Smart and Rick Barnes. But now under the new head coach (formerly of the Texas Tech Red Raiders ) Chris Beard, the Texas men’s hoops program has a lot more excitement surrounding it heading into the upcoming season.

The two-time Big 12 Coach of the Year and 2018-19 AP Coach of the Year Beard is leading the Longhorns in what looks to be a more prominent direction heading into the 2021-22 campaign. And the hype is building around the media landscape for what the Longhorns can do on the hardwood next season.

This isn’t usually the time of year where Bracketology commands the headlines around the college hoops landscape. And the latter portion of the summer months definitely isn’t usually a time where Texas hoops fans are looking forward to Bracketology with a keen eye.

Yet, that narrative is much different this year. An early Bracketology projection from Jerry Palm of CBS Sports last week actually slots Beard and the Longhorns as a one-seed for the NCAA Tournament next season. Texas was one of the four top seeds in this Bracketology projection from Palm of CBS Sports.

The other three one seeds were the Gonzaga Bulldogs, Kansas Jayhawks, and UCLA Bruins. And the projected two seeds in this piece are the defending National Champion Baylor Bears, Michigan Wolverines, Villanova Wildcats, and Purdue Boilermakers.

First-year Texas basketball head coach Chris Beard has the Longhorns’ hype building in Bracketology

Here’s more on what this CBS Sports piece had to say on the matter of Texas being projected as a one seed in preseason Bracketology.

"Texas figures to challenge the Jayhawks for the top spot in the conference and a spot on the top line of the bracket. The projected No. 4 overall seed hit the transfer portal hard and added key pieces to the roster, led by former Minnesota star Marcus Carr. The most notable new face though is coach Chris Beard, who came over from Texas Tech after Shaka Smart left for Marquette."

This piece specifically tabbed the hiring of Beard and new additions to the roster by way of the NCAA Transfer Portal as some of the top reasons why Texas could be so good next season. Texas clearly had a busy offseason thus far in the transfer portal, putting together one of the most formidable starting units and benches in the entire country.

Some of the key transfer portal additions for Beard and the Longhorns this offseason included point guard Marcus Carr, forward Timmy Allen, center Tre Mitchell, and power forward Dylan Disu, among others. For a while, it felt like Beard could do no wrong in the transfer portal.

The first game on the regular season schedule officially for the Longhorns for the 2021-22 campaign actually comes against one of the other projected top seeds in Gonzaga. Texas is set to travel to Spokane, WA, to face Gonzaga on Nov. 13.