3 players that can get Texas basketball from Sweet 16 to Final Four

Timmy Allen, F

The return of senior forward Timmy Allen to the starting lineup was a huge boost for Terry and the Longhorns in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. He gives Texas a unique presence playing at the three or the four on both ends of the floor.

Allen’s switchability on the defensive end is vastly underrated, which he proved by limiting the senior All-American Penn State guard Jalen Pickett to just 38.5 percent shooting from the field and a whopping seven turnovers this weekend in the Round of 32.

He also gives Texas another facilitator that can work the offense from inside the arc. Allen has the rare ability to create his own offense by pulling up from the mid-range or driving the lane while also possessing the necessary court vision to pick apart opposing defenses by facilitating from the elbow or the wing.

Unfortunately, though, Allen was limited or out in the four games prior to the Round of 32 since the start of the Big 12 Tournament due to a lower-body injury. He missed the entirety of the Big 12 Tournament and was limited to just 20 minutes on the floor in the Round of 64.

However, we really got to see what Allen can provide to this team in terms of just an overall energy boost when he had his minute restriction lifted in the win over Penn State in the Round of 32. Allen came out of the gates with an insane amount of jump in his game against the Nittany Lions, giving the Longhorns some extra possessions back early in the first half with two key offensive boards.

Allen finished up the win over Penn State with a game-high dozen boards to go along with nine points, three assists, and one block. He did a little bit of everything, along with a lot of rebounding, to help Texas win the battle on the boards.

It goes without saying that the type of energy Allen provided for the Longhorns in the Round of 32 will make a huge impact on the team moving forward this postseason. And if he continues to return to form in terms of his ability to facilitate the offense and score from the mid-range, Texas will only get more dangerous on that end of the floor from here on out in the Big Dance.

If Allen can give the Longhorns around a dozen points, six rebounds, and six assists in an efficient manner, that will make this starting unit an extremely tough cover given all the other threats you have to worry about on the offensive end with this team.