Texas basketball ranked No. 12 in the initial AP Top 25

The Texas Longhorns check in at No. 12 in the initial AP Top 25 for the 2022-23 season.

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The Longhorns enter season two under Chris Beard with lofty expectations with the return of the top two leading scorers, the addition of Big 12 Freshman of the year Tyrese Hunter and a 2022 recruiting class that was ranked No. 3 by On3.

The Longhorns are coming off a 22-12 season, in which Texas won its first NCAA Tournament game in eight years before losing to Purdue in the Round of 32.

Texas will play one of the toughest schedules in the country this season. Non-conference contests include No. 2 Gonzaga, No. 9 Creighton, No. 11 Tennessee and No. 23 Illinois. The Big 12 boasts five teams in the AP Poll Top 25 – No. 5-T Baylor, No. 5-T Kansas, No. 14 TCU and No. 25 Texas Tech.

The Longhorns’ scrimmage and exhibition games will also be tremendous tune-ups for Beard’s squad. Texas takes on No. 3 Houston in a closed doors scrimmage Saturday at 11 a.m. in San Antonio, and hosts No. 10 Arkansas in an exhibition game October 29.

Texas Longhorns likely starting lineup

PG Tyrese Hunter, 6-1, sophomore (11.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists at Iowa State in 2021-22)

CG Marcus Carr, 6-2, super senior (11.4 points, 1.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists in 2021-22)

F Timmy Allen, 6-6, super senior (12.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists in 2021-22)

F Dillon Mitchell, 6-8, freshman

PF Christian Bishop, 6-7, super senior (7.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 0.9 blocks in 2021-22)

The Texas reserves

SG Sir’Jabari Rice, 6-4, super senior (11.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists at New Mexico State in 2021-22)

PF Dylan Disu, 6-9, senior (3.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, 0.8 blocks in 2021-22)

CG Arterio Morris, 6-3, freshman 

F Brock Cunningham, 6-6, senior (2.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, 0.6 assists in 2021-22) 

PG Rowan Brumbaugh, 6-4, freshman

PF Alex Anamekwe, 6-6, freshman

Trio of Texas players tabbed to All-Big 12 preseason teams

Senior forward Timmy Allen and graduate guard Marcus Carr were both tabbed to the Preseason All-Big 12 team, while sophomore guard Tyrese Hunter each was named Preseason Honorable Mention All-Big 12.

Allen and Carr are two of the six players selected to the Preseason All-Big 12 team. A tie in the voting created an extra position. The awards and teams are chosen by head coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own student-athletes.

Allen was named All-Big 12 Second Team, Big 12 All-Newcomer Team, NABC (National Association of Basketball Coaches) All-District 8 Second Team and USBWA All-District VII Team awards last season. He started all 34 games last year, pacing the team in scoring (12.1 ppg), rebounding (6.4 rpg) and steals (42) and ranked second in assists (71) and third in minutes played (29.0 mpg). He also shot 49.3-percent from the floor (150-304) and 73.1-percent from the free throw stripe (106-145) during the 2021-22 season. Allen reached double figures in scoring a team-best 22 times and reached double digits in rebounds three times last year.

Carr notched All-Big 12 Third Team honors during the 2021-22 season. He played in all 34 games (32 starts) and led the team in assists (3.4 apg) and minutes (30.8 mpg) while ranking second in scoring (11.4 ppg) and fourth in steals (32). Carr registered a 1.83 assist-to-turnover ratio (117-64) and reached double figures in scoring 21 times during the year. During Texas’ two NCAA Tournament games, he averaged 19.0 points per contest while hitting 7-of-13 from three-point range (.538) and recorded 16 assists against just three turnovers.

One of nine selections as Preseason Honorable Mention All-Big 12, Hunter was ranked as the No. 2 transfer nationally of the 2022 offseason by 247 Sports and No. 3 by ESPN and CBS Sports. While at Iowa State last year, he earned Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors and was a finalist for both the Kyle Macy Award (top freshman in Division I) and Lefty Driesell Award (nation’s top defender). Hunter started all 35 games and led the team in assists (4.9 apg) and steals (71) and ranked second in scoring (11.0 ppg) and minutes (32.1 mpg). He paced Iowa State to a 22-13 mark and a trip to the NCAA Tournament “Sweet 16” just one year after the Cyclones posted a 2-20 record.

The Big 12 Men’s Basketball preseason poll will be announced Thursday, Oct. 13. Texas tips off the 2022-23 season with charity exhibition game against Arkansas on Saturday, Oct. 29. Tip is set for 3 p.m. Central at Moody Center. The Longhorns open the regular season with a home contest against UTEP on Monday, Nov. 7. Tip is scheduled for 8 p.m. Central at Moody Center.