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Texas ranked No. 24 in ESPN's way-too-early top 25 for Sean Miller's first season

Joe Cookby:Joe Cook•04/08/25•

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Sean Miller
Sean Miller (Mikala Compton/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

The moment after the buzzer sounded on the 2024-25 college basketball season with the Florida Gators finishing as champions, ESPN started looking ahead to 2025-26. The worldwide leader released its way-too-early top-25 for next year, even in an era where so much about individual rosters and programs is in flux. Still, ESPN views the squad Sean Miller has already mostly put together as the No. 24 team in the nation for next season.

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To be fair, a significant amount of dust has settled with regards to the portal. Texas does have three spots left to fill, but that means 12 spots out of the 15 total are known. Despite the freshness of the end of the season, data exists to know about what the Longhorns (and other teams) could potentially be.

Here’s what ESPN had to say about why it put the Longhorns in the top 25.

It’s an offseason of change in Austin. Rodney Terry was fired shortly after the Longhorns’ NCAA tournament exit, with Xavier’s Sean Miller announced as his replacement less than a day later. Miller brought guard Dailyn Swain with him from the Musketeers and is taking over a roster that brings back three starters in Jordan Pope, Chendall Weaver and Tramon Mark. He also landed a key transfer Sunday when Florida Atlantic big man Matas Vokietaitis committed.

Remaining needs for Texas include a true point guard to help Mark shoulder the workload and to keep Pope from having to operate in a spot he may not be comfortable with, another big man to pair with Vokietaitis, and a shooter who can help stretch the defense to the perimeter.

ESPN’s projected starting lineup featured returners in Pope, Weaver, and Mark plus transfer additions in Swain and Vokietaitis.

Miller’s offensive acumen, another year playing together for significant contributors who were on the roster, the addition of some much-needed size, and the energy of a fresh start has given optimism the chance to grow on the 40 Acres. But the specter of another difficult SEC slate plus the likelihood of first-year growing pains can also bring up reasons for concern in Austin.

Speaking of, other SEC teams in the top 25 included No. 6 Kentucky, No. 7 Arkansas, No. 11 Alabama, No. 12 Auburn, No. 19 Florida, and No. 21 Tennessee. Houston was the No. 1 team.

Ahead of the 2024-25 season, ESPN labeled Texas as the No. 22 team in its way-too-early top 25. Texas started the 2024-25 season No. 19 in the AP poll. The Longhorns were eliminated in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament after a 19-16 campaign.

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ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25

  1. Houston Cougars
  2. Purdue Boilermakers
  3. Louisville Cardinals
  4. UConn Huskies
  5. Michigan Wolverines
  6. Kentucky Wildcats
  7. Arkansas Razorbacks
  8. Duke Blue Devils
  9. St. John’s Red Storm
  10. UCLA Bruins
  11. Alabama Crimson Tide
  12. Auburn Tigers
  13. Iowa State Cyclones
  14. Wisconsin Badgers
  15. Kansas Jayhawks
  16. BYU Cougars
  17. Arizona Wildcats
  18. Michigan State Spartans
  19. Florida Gators
  20. Gonzaga Bulldogs
  21. Tennessee Volunteers
  22. Texas Tech Red Raiders
  23. Ohio State Buckeyes
  24. Texas Longhorns
  25. North Carolina Tar Heels

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