Texas 2010 Preview & Predictions

Texas Longhorns Basketball 2010-2011 Preview, Predictions, Picks & Odds

With the College Basketball 2010-2011 Season just around the corner, we are providing season previews & predictions for all NCAA basketball teams to give you the betting edge this year. Follow the best College Basketball Handicappers as they analyze their teams in this 2010-2011 basketball season preview. Be sure to bookmark SportsbookBuzz.com your source for Sportsbook Reviews. Use our comprehensive and insider info to bet successfully on the College Basketball in our recommend online sportsbooks.View the rest of our 2010-2011 NCAA Basketball Season Previews here.

Texas Preview Picks, & Odds.

Texas 2009-2010 Record: 24-10 overall; 9-7 Big 12 (Tie/6th)

Texas Coach: Rick Barnes – At Texas: 294-115,12 years; overall: 496-249, 23 years

Texas Players to Watch: Avery Bradley’s defection to the NBA leaves Jordan Hamilton as the Longhorns’ leading returning scorer. Hamilton averaged 10 points while playing an average of 20 minutes agame, all of which came as a reserve. With the Longhorns looking for ago-to guy, Hamilton could be their man.

Texas Key Losses: Damian James, G-F, 6-7, 225 (18.0 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 1.7 spg); Dexter Pittman, C, 6-10, 290 (10.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.9 bpg); Avery Bradley, G, 6-2,180 (11.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.3 spg); Justin Mason, G, 6-2, 195 (3.6 ppg, 2.0 rpg)

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2010-2011 Texas Season Preview

Many of the ills that ailed Texas last season can be found in the black-and-white of the stat sheet. The Longhorns were one of the worst freethrow shooting teams in America. They lacked consistent outside scoring. They were careless when it came to protecting the basketball. Their defense left room for improvement. Those deficiencies certainly contributed to a second-half collapse following a 17-0 start that left Texas sitting atop the polls. The Longhorns then lost 10 of their final 17 games and were bounced out of the NCAA Tournament in a first-round overtime loss. When it came time to address what went wrong, coach Rick Barnes focused on the intangibles. It would have helped if his team hadn’t shot 63.3 percent from the foul line, Barnes said, but that ugly stat could have been overcome through better chemistry.

Texas Backcourt

Some of the leadership problems were a result of injuries at point guard. Varez Ward ruptured a tendon in his quadriceps early in the season. Just when Dogus Balbay started settling in at the point, he tore ligaments in his knee. Ward, Balbay, J’Covan Brown and incoming freshman Cory Joseph are candidates to fill the spot this season. Balbay had the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the league, but needs to score to keep opponents from playing off of him. Avery Bradley had a nice freshman season, but decided to leave after one season for the NBA (he was the No. 19 pick in the draft). His departure could leave Jordan Hamilton as the go-to guy in the backcourt. Hamilton turned in some big performances off the bench as a freshman, and figures to be a major threat from the perimeter this season.

Texas Frontcourt

Texas has some retooling to do in this area with the loss of Damion James, a doubledouble machine (55 for his career) and the Big 12′s all-time leading rebounder. Also gone is 6-10 center Dexter Pittman, who led the team in shooting (65.4 percent). Of the returning “bigs,” only 6-6 Gary Johnson started more than one game last season. Johnson started four times and averaged 9.4 points and 5.6 rebounds a game. That betters the combined production of 6-10 Clint Chapman, 6-7 Alexis Wangmene and 6-6 Shawn Williams, whose season was ended by ankle surgery after seven games. The Longhorns do bring in 6-9 Tristan Thompson, the nation’s NO.4-ranked power forward, who will be expected to play early given the circumstances.

2010-2011 Texas Predictions

Barnes knows the pressure is on to avoid another underachieving campaign like last season. His team is loaded with high-profile players and his charge is getting them to buy into the system.

Texas Finish in the Big 12: 4th

Texas Betting Odds

Texas Odds to Win 2010-2011 Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament: +3000
Texas Odds to Win the Big 12: +300

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Texas Basketball Handicapping Picks

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