Texas Basketball: 3 struggling players that must step up in January

Tyrese Hunter, G

By far the most notable player on this list that is struggling mightily for the Longhorns of late is the reigning Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, sophomore guard Tyrese Hunter. After getting off to a pretty hot start to the regular season, Hunter has absolutely hit a wall on the offensive end of the floor in the last month.

The cold stretch is getting pretty insane for the former Iowa State Cyclone in the last half-dozen games or so. Hunter has only scored in the double figures once in the last six games, which is a career low for the talented guard.

In the last two games combined, Hunter has shot just 2-of-13 from the field, 0-of-6 from beyond the arc, and 4-of-6 from the free-throw line. That led to him putting up just seven points in the wins over Oklahoma and Texas A&M-Commerce, respectively.

Not only has Hunter lost an edge on the offensive end of the floor, but he’s also not having the same impact on Texas’ perimeter defense compared to what he showed at the outset of the season. Hunter has just one steal in the last four games and his defensive rating is the worst among the regular starters for the Longhorns during that span.

All of these struggles for Hunter have culminated in some of his advanced metrics tanking in the last month. According to Sports Reference, Hunter has the worst game score by far of any Longhorns player in the last seven games. Hunter’s game score in that span sits at just 3.3. Meanwhile, the next lowest on the team is senior forward Brock Cunningham, who has a game score that nearly doubles Hunter’s (5.8).

It’s obvious that you never want your starting point guard to essentially be the least efficient player on the team by this wide of a margin.

Thankfully, while Hunter is going through a real cold stretch on the offensive end, senior guard Marcus Carr is having a career stretch in the last five or six games. Carr is averaging more than 20 points per game in the last five outings, including a 41-piece in the win over Texas A&M-Commerce.

Hunter is an important player to this team, and he needs to continue to work to find his shot and get that defensive presence back that we all know he can bring to the table on the perimeter. The next game up against Kansas State will be an important one to see if Hunter can find his game as the Longhorns return home to the 40.