# 2017–18 Texas Longhorns men's basketball team

The 2017–18 Texas Longhorns men's basketball team represented the University of Texas at Austin in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by third-year head coach Shaka Smart and played their home games at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas as members of the Big 12 Conference. They finished the season 19–15, 8–10 in Big 12 play to finish in seventh place. They defeated Iowa State in the first round of the Big 12 tournament before losing to Texas Tech in the quarterfinals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 10 seed in the South region where they lost to Nevada in the First Round 87–83 in OT.

## Previous season

The Longhorns finished the 2016–17 season 11–22, 4–14 in Big 12 play to finish in last place. They defeated Texas Tech in the first round of the Big 12 tournament to advance to the quarterfinals where they lost to West Virginia.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Tevin Mack | 0 | G/F | 6'6" | 220 | Sophomore | Columbia, SC | Transferred to Alabama |
| Kendal Yancy | 5 | G | 6'3" | 210 | Senior | Richardson, TX | Graduated |
| Mareik Isom | 14 | F | 6'9" | 217 | RS Senior | Austin, TX | Graduated |
| Jarrett Allen | 31 | C | 6'11" | 235 | Freshman | Austin, TX | Declared for the 2017 NBA draft; selected 22nd overall by the Brooklyn Nets |
| Shaquille Cleare | 32 | F | 6'8" | 275 | Senior | Andros, BS | Graduated |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Elijah Mitrou-Long | 55 | G | 6'0" | 175 | Junior | Mississauga, ON | Transferred from Mount St. Mary's. Under NCAA transfer rules, Long will have to sit out for the 2017–18 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility. |

### 2017 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Mo Bamba #2 C | Harlem, NY | Westtown School | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) | 216 lb (98 kg) | May 18, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Matt Coleman III #6 PG | Norfolk, VA | Oak Hill Academy | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Jan 16, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Jericho Sims #10 C | Minneapolis, MN | Cristo Rey Jesuit High School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Aug 30, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Royce Hamm #13 PF | Houston, TX | Aldine High School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Jul 1, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Jase Febres #29 SG | Houston, TX | Westfield High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Sep 30, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 7 Rivals: 14 247Sports: 6 ESPN: 27 ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2017 Texas Basketball Commitment List". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 16, 2017. "2017 Texas Basketball Recruiting Prospects". Scout.com. Retrieved January 16, 2017. "2017 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 16, 2017. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved January 16, 2017. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 16, 2017. ||||||

### 2018 Recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2018 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Gerald Liddell #11 SF | Cibolo, TX | Byron P. Steele II High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Aug 10, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Courtney Ramey #11 PG | St. Louis, MO | Webster Groves High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Apr 27, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Kamaka Hepa #13 PF | Barrow, AK | Jefferson High School | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Oct 31, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Jaxson Hayes #9 C | Loveland, OH | Moeller High School | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Sep 29, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Brock Cunningham #41 PF | Austin, TX | Westlake High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Aug 4, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 8 Rivals: 9 247Sports: 8 ESPN: 13 |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2018 Texas Basketball Commitment List". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 1, 2018. "Texas 2018 Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved May 1, 2018. "2018 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 1, 2018. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved May 1, 2018. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 1, 2018. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition ||||||
| Oct 25, 2017* 7:00 pm | | vs. Texas A&M Hurricane Harvey relief game | W 73–69 | | Tudor Fieldhouse (2,048) Houston, TX |
| Regular season ||||||
| Nov 10, 2017* 7:15 pm, LHN | | Northwestern State | W 105–59 | 1–0 | Frank Erwin Center (9,516) Austin, TX |
| Nov 14, 2017* 7:00 pm, LHN | | New Hampshire Phil Knight Invitational opening round | W 78–60 | 2–0 | Frank Erwin Center (8,465) Austin, TX |
| Nov 18, 2017* 4:00 pm, LHN | | Lipscomb | W 80–57 | 3–0 | Frank Erwin Center (8,592) Austin, TX |
| Nov 23, 2017* 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. Butler Phil Knight Invitational Motion Bracket quarterfinals | W 61–48 | 4–0 | Veterans Memorial Coliseum (6,955) Portland, OR |
| Nov 24, 2017* 4:30 pm, ESPN | | vs. No. 1 Duke Phil Knight Invitational Motion Bracket semifinals | L 78–85 $^{OT}$ | 4–1 | Moda Center (13,746) Portland, OR |
| Nov 26, 2017* 12:00 pm, ESPN | | vs. No. 17 Gonzaga Phil Knight Invitational Motion Bracket 3rd place game | L 71–76 $^{OT}$ | 4–2 | Moda Center (15,365) Portland, OR |
| Nov 29, 2017* 7:00 pm, LHN | | Florida A&M | W 82–58 | 5–2 | Frank Erwin Center (8,511) Austin, TX |
| Dec 5, 2017* 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at VCU | W 71–67 | 6–2 | Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA |
| Dec 12, 2017* 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | | Michigan | L 52–59 | 6–3 | Frank Erwin Center (12,504) Austin, TX |
| Dec 16, 2017* 1:00 pm, LHN | | Louisiana Tech | W 75–60 | 7–3 | Frank Erwin Center (8,828) Austin, TX |
| Dec 18, 2017* 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | | Tennessee State | W 47–46 | 8–3 | Frank Erwin Center (8,218) Austin, TX |
| Dec 22, 2017* 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. Alabama Vulcan Classic | W 66–50 | 9–3 | Legacy Arena (16,146) Birmingham, AL |
| Dec 29, 2017 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | | No. 11 Kansas | L 86–92 | 9–4 (0–1) | Frank Erwin Center (15,802) Austin, TX |
| Jan 1, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Iowa State | W 74–70 $^{OT}$ | 10–4 (1–1) | Hilton Coliseum (14,131) Ames, IA |
| Jan 6, 2018 1:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Baylor | L 60–69 | 10–5 (1–2) | Ferrell Center (7,119) Waco, TX |
| Jan 10, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPNU | | No. 16 TCU | W 99–98 $^{2OT}$ | 11–5 (2–2) | Frank Erwin Center (9,736) Fort Worth, TX |
| Jan 13, 2018 4:00 pm, ESPNews | | at Oklahoma State | L 64–65 | 11–6 (2–3) | Gallagher-Iba Arena (6,707) Stillwater, OK |
| Jan 17, 2018 7:00 pm, LHN | | No. 8 Texas Tech | W 67–58 | 12–6 (3–3) | Frank Erwin Center (12,396) Austin, TX |
| Jan 20, 2018 1:00 pm, CBS | | at No. 6 West Virginia | L 51–86 | 12–7 (3–4) | WVU Coliseum (14,001) Morgantown, WV |
| Jan 22, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | | Iowa State | W 73–57 | 13–7 (4–4) | Frank Erwin Center (9,123) Austin, TX |
| Jan 27, 2018* 1:00 pm, ESPN2 | | Ole Miss Big 12/SEC Challenge | W 85–72 | 14–7 | Frank Erwin Center (10,913) Austin, TX |
| Jan 31, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPNU | | at No. 10 Texas Tech | L 71–73 $^{OT}$ | 14–8 (4–5) | United Supermarkets Arena (15,098) Lubbock, TX |
| Feb 3, 2018 5:15 pm, ESPN | | No. 12 Oklahoma College Gameday | W 79–74 | 15–8 (5–5) | Frank Erwin Center (15,533) Austin, TX |
| Feb 7, 2018 7:00 pm, LHN | | Kansas State | L 64–67 | 15–9 (5–6) | Frank Erwin Center (9,211) Austin, TX |
| Feb 10, 2018 1:00 pm, ESPNU | | at TCU | L 71–87 | 15–10 (5–7) | Schollmaier Arena (6,549) Fort WOrth, TX |
| Feb 12, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPN | | Baylor | L 73–74 $^{2OT}$ | 15–11 (5–8) | Frank Erwin Center (9,204) Austin, TX |
| Feb 17 2018 11:00 am, ESPN | | at No. 23 Oklahoma | W 77–66 | 16–11 (6–8) | Lloyd Noble Center (11,645) Norman, OK |
| Feb 21, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Kansas State | L 48–58 | 16–12 (6–9) | Bramlage Coliseum (8,623) Manhattan, KS |
| Feb 24, 2018 1:00 pm, LHN | | Oklahoma State | W 65–64 | 17–12 (7–9) | Frank Erwin Center (12,316) Fort Worth, TX |
| Feb 26, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPN | | at No. 6 Kansas | L 70–80 | 17–13 (7–10) | Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS |
| Mar 3, 2018 11:00 am, ESPN | | No. 20 West Virginia | W 87–79 $^{OT}$ | 18–13 (8–10) | Frank Erwin Center (11,364) Austin, TX |
| Big 12 Tournament ||||||
| Mar 7, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPNU | (7) | vs. (10) Iowa State First Round | W 68–64 | 19–13 | Sprint Center (17,752) Kansas City, MO |
| Mar 8, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | (7) | vs. (2) No. 14 Texas Tech Quarterfinals | L 69–73 | 19–14 | Sprint Center (17,653) Kansas City, MO |
| NCAA tournament ||||||
| Mar 16, 2018* 3:30 pm, TBS | (10 S) | vs. (7 S) No. 24 Nevada First Round | L 83–87 $^{OT}$ | 19–15 | Bridgestone Arena (17,552) Nashville, TN |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. S=South. All times are in Central Time. ||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| AP | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | RV | — | — | — | — | — | Not released |
| Coaches | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — |
*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings