No. 19 Texas basketball says hello to the SEC

Texas (21-13 overall, 9-9 Big 12)

No. 19 Texas joins the Southeastern Conference from the Big 12 with a rebuilt roster. The Longhorns lost all five starters and four more lettermen from last season’s NCAA Tournament team. Coach Rodney Terry signed a load of transfer talent, most notably former Indiana State teammates Jayson Kent and Julian Larry, Tramon Mark from Arkansas and Jordan Pope from Oregon State. Terry enters his second full season in charge after taking over the program in December 2022, looking to recreate the chemistry of the 2023 run to the Elite Eight. Five-star recruit Tre Johnson is the only scholarship freshman.

Players to watch

Kent (F, 13.5 ppg, 8.1 rpg) and Larry (G, 11 ppg) led Indiana State to the NIT championship game last season after the Sycamores were snubbed by the NCAA Tournament. They visited Texas on the same recruiting trip together and committed to the Longhorns within hours of each other.

Tramon Mark (guard, 16.2 ppg) led Arkansas in scoring last season. Texas is Mark’s third program. He started his career at Houston. He started every game for the Cougars in the 2022-23 season when Houston earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Jordan Pope (17.6 ppg) led Oregon State in scoring last season.

Tre Johnson, a 6-foot-6 guard, and five-star recruit, could be a special one. He is arguably the program’s biggest signing since Kevin Durant in 2006 or Mo Bamba in 2017 and is presumed to be a one-and-done with the NBA in his near future.

Top games

The season opener is Nov. 4 against Ohio State in Las Vegas. Two-time defending national champion UConn visits Austin on Dec. 8. The SEC schedule starts Jan. 4 at old rival Texas A&M. Kentucky visits Feb. 15.

Facts and figures

Kansas State transfer Arthur Kaluma and Mark have already topped 1,000 points in their career and Pope is close with 965. Mark, who has been around the SEC at Arkansas, was the only Longhorn named to the preseason all-conference team. Texas will face former coach Chris Beard, who was fired in January 2022 after he was charged with felony family violence, when the Longhorns play at Mississippi on Jan. 29. The charges against Beard were later dropped.