Texas basketball’s spot in ESPN’s way-too-early 2023-24 top 25 ranking
Texas basketball had a lot happen in the last couple of weeks. In the last 14 days, Texas was able to make its deepest NCAA Tournament run in more than a decade and hired a new full-time head coach. Texas made it to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament before suffering a hard-fought loss at the hands of the five-seed Miami Hurricanes on March 26.
And then, the Longhorns made it official by removing the interim tag from Rodney Terry, who is replacing Chris Beard as Texas’ next full-time men’s hoops head coach. Terry was officially announced as Texas’ next full-time head coach on March 28, just two days after the Longhorns’ run in the Big Dance came to an end.
After such a busy stretch over a short period, the Longhorns can now look ahead to what promises to be an action-packed offseason for Terry and Co. Expectations already look to be building for the Longhorns ahead of the 2023-24 season too.
We’re getting our first taste of the way-too-early rankings for the 2023-24 college hoops season after the National Championship Game concluded on April 3. After the four-seed UConn Huskies topped the five-seed San Diego State Aztecs in the title game on April 3, the lists of way-too-early rankings have started to pour in.
So, where did Texas rank in some of the way-too-early top 25 rankings for the 2023-24 college hoops season (namely from ESPN)?
Texas basketball still has an optimistic outlook for Rodney Terry’s first year as HC in 2023-24
One of the most discussed early top 25 polls annually comes courtesy of ESPN. Jeff Borzello of ESPN published the way-too-early top 25 rankings on the night of April 3, following UConn’s win over San Diego State in the title game.
ESPN ranked Texas at No. 18 in its early poll for next season.
Players with looming NBA Draft/transfer decisions and Terry’s roster-building ability were two big factors mentioned that will impact Texas’ outlook for the 2023-24 season.
"Rodney Terry’s first offseason as the full-time head coach in Austin will be spent figuring out which of his players are coming back. There were six seniors among the Longhorns’ top eight players, while Tyrese Hunter is testing the NBA draft waters and Dillon Mitchell is projected to be selected in the draft."
It’s also worth noting that ESPN is currently assuming that the likes of sophomore guard Tyrese Hunter and senior big man Dylan Disu will return to school for next season.
Hunter has already declared for the NBA Draft, although he could still return to Texas for at least another year if he ultimately withdraws from the 2023 class. And we’re still waiting on an announcement from Disu as to whether he will return to Texas for the final year of his eligibility.
Other way-too-early top 25 rankings for the 2023-24 season
ESPN was one of the more favorable way-too-early top 25 rankings in terms of the Longhorns’ outlook for next season. Fox Sports had the Longhorns at No. 24 in its way-too-early ranking, and Sports Illustrated excluded Texas entirely from its poll.
There are mixed opinions regarding what Terry will be able to do with the Longhorns in his first full season as the head coach.
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Texas finished up the 2022-23 season with a record of 29-9 (12-6 Big 12) following the 88-81 loss in the Elite Eight to Miami on March 26. Terry and the Longhorns won the Big 12 Men’s Tournament crown this year and finished up in second place in the conference standings during the regular season.