COACH: Rick Barnes, 13 years at Texas, 13 years in NCAA tournament.
HOW THEY GOT IN: At-large bid.
GO-TO GUYS: Usually when Texas needs a basket, guard Jordan Hamilton is designated to have the ball because the sophomore is so versatile. He enjoyed a breakout season and not only averaged 17.5 points in Big 12 play, but was the league's top rebounder in Big 12 games with an 8.1 per-game average. If covered, Hamilton shows a veteran's savvy and isn't selfish with the ball. The Longhorns often look along the arc for guard J'Covan Brown to take big shots as the backup provides instant punch. He had multiple 3-pointers in nine of Texas' 24 games from Dec. 5 to March 5.
X FACTOR: Granted, guard Dogus Balbay is no scorer. He rarely takes a jump shot. But he will occasionally drive the lane and get to the rack if defenders play off him too much. Where the Turkish import excels is on defense. He always draws the best backcourt scorer and is capable of locking down on anyone. Barnes has proved recruiting a wealth of talent and reloading on the fly to be his greatest strength. While he has brought better scorers into his program to run the point, Balbay was chosen because of his defense and his control of the half-court sets Texas runs so smoothly.
STRENGTHS: The Longhorns are strong, athletic and physical. They are capable of bumping bigger opponents out of position underneath and dominating the glass. Forward Gary Johnson, a senior, exerts incredible strength underneath, while center Tristan Thompson emerged as a dominant force inside as a freshman. Thompson easily led the Big 12 in blocks and ranked second in rebounding. His scoring also improved late in the season. Inside, Texas won't back down and can bring in two bangers, centers Alexis Wangmene and forward Matt Hill.
WEAKNESSES: The Longhorns closed the regular season with three losses in five games to gift-wrap the Big 12 title for Kansas. This gave them something to ponder after starting 11-0 in conference play. Hamilton can force too much offensively out of necessity when the rest of his teammates become too passive and wait for him to make it all happen. He is capable of catching fire, though Texas is just as wise to play through its bigs. Free-throw shooting is a distinct problem and might prove to be this team's fatal flaw. The Longhorns ranked last in the Big 12 in the regular season and could have trouble protecting late leads when the mercury rises into and beyond the Sweet Sixteen.
