Texas Basketball: 3 players that must step up in March

The ups and downs of the Big 12 slate continued for head coach Chris Beard and No. 21 ranked Texas basketball in a loss to head coach Scott Drew and the No. 3 ranked Baylor Bears in the final game at the Frank Erwin Center for this program. Texas had a chance to round out their more than four-decade-long run at the Erwin Center on a high note with an upset of Baylor on Feb. 28. But they weren’t able to get it done in the end.

Some of the same issues plagued the Longhorns in this loss to Baylor, which came by the final score of 68-61, in clutch time as we’ve seen in prior games throughout Big 12 play. Texas had trouble getting stops when it mattered most, and the offense became very limited thanks to a lack of go-to options and continuous ball movement.

Who needs to step up in March for Texas basketball?

Texas needs to find some source of offense to turn to in clutch time. And that doesn’t necessarily mean just turning to iso-ball with one of the experienced guards. Keep getting the ball around the perimeter and generating some opportunities around the paint with solid off-ball movement. That’s what helps Texas thrive when the offense is running smoothly.

This is a time when the Longhorns need their best and most experienced players to be playing at their peak levels. The regular season finale against the Kansas Jayhawks and the Big 12 Tournament lies ahead before Selection Sunday. This is obviously a critical stretch ahead for the Longhorns this month.

Here’s a look into three Longhorns players that must step up in March for this team to really live up to the hype during the postseason.