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Who the Texas Longhorns need to step up for the rest of SEC play

by:Josh Florey•01/28/25
Jayson Kent
Jayson Kent (Will Gallagher/Inside Texas)

According to recent bracketology projections, the Texas Longhorns are squarely on the bubble, bouncing in and out of various March Madness prognostications. To start SEC play, Texas lost three straight games to top-15 opponents like No. 13 Texas A&M, No. 2 Auburn, and No. 1 Tennessee, but went on to win three of the next four to get a game below .500.

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For Texas to make the tournament, the Longhorns will have to beat at least 5-6 more good teams out of their remaining conference games. For Texas to accomplish this feat, they will need a few players to step up.

Kadin Shedrick – F

Shedrick, easily the tallest regular in the lineup at 6-foot-11, averages only six rebounds per game, with Texas as a team averaging about 35 per game. Throughout the season, rebounding has been a major weakness for the Longhorns, as the Horns were out rebounded by double digits in both A&M games and also the loss to Tennessee. If Texas wants to beat any of the tough, ranked teams ahead of them, such as No. 4 Alabama or No. 12 Kentucky, Shedrick needs to get stronger on the glass to prevent opponents from creating second-chance opportunities

Tramon Mark – G

Mark, who transferred from Arkansas this offseason, is still trying to find his role on this Texas team. Even in the A&M game, where he hit a go-ahead shot with just over three seconds left, Mark rode the bench for long stretches of the game. At Arkansas, Mark was an elite scorer, and Texas needs him to step into a bigger role as the season progresses, especially with questionable status of Arthur Kaluma, who has recently been nursing a knee injury and missed the A&M game because of it.

Jayson Kent – F

Kent, a 6-foot-8 transfer from Indiana State, has played more and more as the season has gone on. Kent has great chemistry with Julian Larry, another Indiana State transfer, and has very solid athleticism and hustle. For Texas to make the tournament, Kent will need to rebound better and use his athleticism to help Texas shut down the paint on defense, places where teams like Florida and Texas A&M dominated.

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With upcoming games like the one Wednesday at No. 23 Ole Miss, vs. No. 4 Alabama, and at home against No. 12 Kentucky, the entire team will need to play its best basketball and Rodney Terry offer his best coaching effort if they want to survive the brutal SEC and make it to March Madness.

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