Texas Basketball: 3 most important senior leaders down the stretch
Sir’Jabari Rice, SG/SF
The best reserve player in the Big 12 this season is clearly the former New Mexico State Aggies senior graduate transfer Rice.
The fifth-year wing is having an insane season coming off the bench for Terry and the Longhorns as he’s averaged a whopping 14 points per game and four rebounds in conference play. In 2023 alone, Rice has scored at least 16 points off the bench in a half-dozen games.
And he’s scored two dozen points off the bench a couple of times in as many weeks this month.
Rice’s impact on this team does go beyond the raw scoring stats, though. The energy that he’s able to bring to this team off the bench is something that no other Big 12 team really has. And he’s a major reason why Texas has the most productive bench in the Big 12 this season.
He’s also another important veteran voice in the locker room that has meaningful postseason experience under his belt. Rice was a key cog in the New Mexico State team that upset the four-seed Arkansas Razorbacks in the Round of 64 last year.
The two NCAA Tournament games that Rice appeared in last season is valuable experience that can translate to the Texas locker room down the stretch this year.
And the way that Rice complements the other two Longhorns senior players on this list makes for a really unique dynamic that will make Texas a dangerous postseason team.
Sir’Jabari Rice’s clutch stats this season:
— Hook'em Headlines (@HookemHeadlines) February 22, 2023
-51 total points, 4.25 PPG (2nd among Big 12 guards)
-64.7 FG% (leads Big 12 guards)
-44.4 3P% (leads Big 12 guards) pic.twitter.com/JrwgWXRvgN
While Allen and Carr are the two starters that Texas counts on to initiate the offense, Rice is often the spark plug that gets things going off the bench and can light up the scoreboard in clutch time.
His clutch scoring is ultra-important to the Longhorns this season. He leads the team in clutch scoring, field goal percentage, and three-point shooting percentage. Rice also ranks among the top two guards in the Big 12 this season in that trio of clutch time stats.
Next. 3 x-factors that will make or break the stretch run for Texas. dark
If the trio of Allen, Carr, and Rice is firing on all cylinders heading into the postseason, the Longhorns will be a dangerous team for literally anyone to face in March and April. This trio just brings too much balance and experience to the table for Texas to be knocked out early in the postseason if all of them are on.