Where Texas basketball ranks after landing Tyrese Hunter

One of the biggest moves that have happened all across the college hoops landscape in the NCAA Transfer Portal worked to the benefit of head coach Chris Beard and the Texas basketball program entering the holiday weekend. On the afternoon of May 27, Texas landed a commitment out of the transfer portal from the reigning Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and former Iowa State Cyclones stud freshman guard Tyrese Hunter.

This is definitely the biggest addition out of the transfer portal so far this offseason for Beard and the Longhorns. And it could be considered the biggest portal commitment for Beard in general during his two years as the Texas head coach.

But how will the addition of Hunter impact the outlook for the Longhorns in relation to the entire college hoops landscape for next season?

CBS Sports helped to clear up that picture with the updated version of their Top 25 And 1 on May 27. The updated rankings from CBS Sports this weekend saw the Longhorns as the biggest riser in the mix after landing Hunter.

Texas moved up four spots in this version of the CBS Sports Top 25 And 1, up to No. 12. We also saw the Longhorns’ Big 12 foe, the TCU Horned Frogs, as the biggest faller in this updated version of the CBS Sports rankings. TCU moved down four spots to land at No. 18.

Texas basketball cracks the top 15 in the CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 after adding Tyrese Hunter

Here’s more on what this CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 this week had to say on the placement of the Longhorns at No. 12.

"The Longhorns’ ranking is based on Texas returning the top two scorers from a team that finished 15th at KenPom – namely Timmy Allen and Marcus Carr, each of whom is using a fifth year of eligibility. Chris Beard is adding to that core a top-15 recruiting class highlighted by two five-star prospects (Dillon Mitchell and Arterio Morris) and Iowa State transfer Tyrese Hunter."

It’s as simple as Beard and the Longhorns returning two of the most productive scorers from last season in the Big 12 in super seniors Timmy Allen and Marcus Carr along with the addition of Hunter that sees them jump to No. 12 in the rankings. That is an easy argument to get on board with for the Longhorns to rank this high at this point of the offseason.

But there’s still work to do for Beard and the Longhorns staff to help round out the frontcourt unit ahead of next season. If last season proved anything, it’s the fact that Texas needs a more well-rounded rotation in order to compete in the postseason next year.

You can’t argue with the fact that Texas immediately becomes a more formidable contender on the national scene by nabbing Hunter out of the portal.

Texas finished up last season with a record of 22-12 (10-8 Big 12), along with nabbing their first NCAA Tournament win since 2014. The season ended with a loss in the Round of 32 at the hands of the three-seed Purdue Boilermakers.