Texas Basketball: 3 players dazzling in first half of Big 12 play

Brock Cunningham, F

The start to the regular season wasn’t the greatest one for the former under-the-radar three-star recruit and junior forward Brock Cunningham. But that narrative changed quickly for Cunningham after the Longhorns started Big 12 play earlier this month. Cunningham turned a corner from the start of the Big 12 slate and hasn’t really looked back since.

At times during the Big 12 slate, Cunningham truly looked like one of the most valuable players for the Longhorns. Some of what he does for this team on both ends of the floor is just something that is irreplaceable by any other forward in the rotation.

Cunningham is a gritty player that has non-stop energy on both ends of the floor. He plays tough on-ball defense, rebounds the ball with a ton of intensity, and absorbs contact to get to the hoop. Cunningham is the type of player that seems like a catalyst for the Longhorns actually finding an identity at this point of the Big 12 slate.

Not everything that Cunningham does for Texas shows up in the box score. His energy and effort definitely has the ability to change games for the Longhorns, though. And his presence is definitely felt when he’s actually out on the floor. That is evident in the fact that he’s got a career-best .206 win shares per 40 minutes in Big 12 play so far this season.

A good example of Cunningham’s impact on the Longhorns in Big 12 play thus far showed up in the win over TCU earlier this week. He only scored two points, but he made an impact in about every other facet of the game. Cunningham also registered seven rebounds (a whopping five on the offensive glass), four assists, and one steal.