# 2020–21 Texas Longhorns men's basketball team

The 2020–21 Texas Longhorns men's basketball team represented the University of Texas at Austin in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by sixth-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 19–8, 11–6 in Big 12 play to finish in a tie for third place. As the No. 3 seed in the Big 12 tournament, they defeated Texas Tech in the first round and advanced to the tournament championship game due to COVID-19 issues at Kansas. There they defeated Oklahoma State to win the Big 12 Tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 3 seed in the East region. They were upset in the First Round by Abilene Christian.
On March 26, 2021, head coach Shaka Smart left the school to take the head coaching job at Marquette. Shortly thereafter, the school named Texas Tech coach Chris Beard the team's new head coach.

## Previous season

The Longhorns finished the 2019–20 season 19–12, and 9–9 in Big 12 play. They were slated to play Texas Tech in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament but the tournament was canceled before the quarterfinals due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The NCAA tournament, National Invitation Tournament, and all other postseason tournaments were also canceled due to the pandemic.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Will Baker | 50 | C | 7'0" | 245 | Freshman | Austin, TX | Transferred to Nevada |

### 2020 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Greg Brown PF | Austin, TX | Vandegrift (TX) | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Apr 24, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 95 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: 247Sports: 96 ||||||
| 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: "Texas 2020 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 29, 2020. "2020 Texas Longhorns Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 29, 2020. "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 29, 2020. ||||||

### 2021 Recruiting class

College recruiting information (2021) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Keeyan Itejere PF | Knightdale, NC | Grace Christian School (NC) | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Jun 22, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 75 |||||||
| Emarion Ellis SG | Davenport, IA | Assumption (IA) | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Jul 28, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 81 |||||||
| David Joplin PF | Milwaukee, WI | Brookfield Central (WI) | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Aug 16, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Tamar Bates SG | Kansas City, KS | IMG Academy (FL) | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Aug 28, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 85 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 20 247Sports: 13 ESPN: — |||||||
| 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: "Texas 2021 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 26, 2020. "2021 Texas Longhorns Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 26, 2020. "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 26, 2020. |||||||

## Schedule and results

Source:
| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 25, 2020* 7:00 pm, LHN | No. 19 | Texas–Rio Grande Valley | W 91–55 | 1–0 | 20 – Ramey | 10 – Tied | 7 – Ramey | Frank Erwin Center (2,451) Austin, TX |
| November 30, 2020* 11:00 am, ESPN2 | No. 19 | vs. Davidson Maui Invitational Quarterfinals | W 78–76 | 2–0 | 14 – Ramey | 6 – Tied | 9 – Coleman III | Harrah's Cherokee Center (0) Asheville, NC |
| December 1, 2020* 12:30 pm, ESPN | No. 17 | vs. Indiana Maui Invitational Semifinals | W 66–44 | 3–0 | 16 – Coleman III | 11 – Cunningham | 4 – Cunningham | Harrah's Cherokee Center (0) Asheville, NC |
| December 2, 2020* 3:00 pm, ESPN | No. 17 | vs. No. 14 North Carolina Maui Invitational Finals | W 69–67 | 4–0 | 22 – Coleman III | 8 – K. Jones | 3 – Tied | Harrah's Cherokee Center (0) Asheville, NC |
| December 6, 2020* 12:00 pm, ESPN | No. 17 | No. 12 Villanova Big East-Big 12 Battle | L 64–68 | 4–1 | 17 – Tied | 6 – Tied | 3 – Coleman III | Frank Erwin Center (2,506) Austin, TX |
| December 9, 2020* 12:00 pm, LHN | No. 13 | Texas State | W 74–53 | 5–1 | 18 – Brown | 9 – Sims | 6 – Tied | Frank Erwin Center (2,426) Austin, TX |
| December 13, 2020 2:00 pm, ESPN | No. 13 | at No. 2 Baylor | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Ferrell Center Waco, TX |
| December 16, 2020* 7:00 pm, LHN | No. 11 | Sam Houston State | W 79–63 | 6–1 | 17 – Tied | 10 – Brown | 6 – Ramey | Frank Erwin Center (2,411) Austin, TX |
| December 20, 2020 1:00 pm, LHN | No. 11 | Oklahoma State | W 77–74 | 7–1 (1–0) | 24 – Brown | 14 – Brown | 4 – Tied | Frank Erwin Center (2,428) Austin, TX |
| December 29, 2020* 7:00 pm, LHN | No. 8 | Texas A&M–Corpus Christi | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Frank Erwin Center Austin, TX |
| January 2, 2021 11:00 a.m., ESPN2 | No. 8 | at No. 3 Kansas | W 84–59 | 8–1 (2–0) | 18 – Ramey | 12 – Sims | 6 – Coleman III | Allen Fieldhouse (2,500) Lawrence, KS |
| January 5, 2021 7:00 pm, LHN | No. 4 | Iowa State | W 78–72 | 9–1 (3–0) | 23 – A. Jones | 9 – K. Jones | 4 – Tied | Frank Erwin Center (0) Austin, TX |
| January 9, 2021 12:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 4 | at No. 14 West Virginia | W 72–70 | 10–1 (4–0) | 19 – Ramey | 14 – Brown | 16 – Ramey | WVU Coliseum (305) Morgantown, WV |
| January 13, 2021 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 4 | No. 15 Texas Tech | L 77–79 | 10–2 (4–1) | 20 – Jones | 9 – Brown | 4 – Ramey | Frank Erwin Center (0) Austin, TX |
| January 16, 2021 7:00 pm, LHN | No. 4 | Kansas State | W 82–67 | 11–2 (5–1) | 19 – Jones | 7 – Sims | 9 – Ramey | Frank Erwin Center (0) Austin, TX |
| January 20, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 5 | at Iowa State | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Hilton Coliseum Ames, IA |
| January 23, 2021 5:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 5 | at TCU | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Schollmaier Arena Fort Worth, TX |
| January 26, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 5 | No. 24 Oklahoma | L 79–80 | 11–3 (5–2) | 15 – K. Jones | 10 – K. Jones | 5 – A. Jones | Frank Erwin Center (0) Austin, TX |
| January 30, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 5 | at Kentucky Big 12/SEC Challenge | | | | | | Rupp Arena Lexington, KY |
| February 2, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 6 | No. 2 Baylor | L 69–83 | 11–4 (5–3) | 25 – Jones | 9 – Sims | 6 – Ramey | Frank Erwin Center (2,532) Austin, TX |
| February 6, 2021 2:00 p.m., ABC | No. 6 | at Oklahoma State | L 67–75 $^{2OT}$ | 11–5 (5–4) | 17 – A. Jones | 10 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Gallagher-Iba Arena (3,350) Stillwater, OK |
| February 9, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 13 | at Kansas State | W 80–77 | 12–5 (6–4) | 24 – A. Jones | 9 – Sims | 7 – Coleman III | Bramlage Coliseum (752) Manhattan, KS |
| February 13, 2021 1:00 p.m., LHN | No. 13 | TCU | W 70–55 | 13–5 (7–4) | 19 – A. Jones | 8 – Sims | 5 – Ramey | Frank Erwin Center (2,431) Austin, TX |
| February 18, 2021 TBD | No. 12 | at No. 9 Oklahoma | Postponed due to inclement weather | Postponed due to inclement weather | Postponed due to inclement weather | Postponed due to inclement weather | Postponed due to inclement weather | Lloyd Noble Center Norman, OK |
| February 18, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 12 | at Iowa State | Postponed due to inclement weather | Postponed due to inclement weather | Postponed due to inclement weather | Postponed due to inclement weather | Postponed due to inclement weather | Hilton Coliseum Ames, IA |
| February 20, 2021 2:00 p.m., ABC | No. 12 | No. 13 West Virginia | L 82–84 | 13–6 (7–5) | 28 – Ramey | 8 – A. Jones | 7 – Coleman III | Frank Erwin Center (0) Austin, TX |
| February 23, 2021 8:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 14 | No. 17 Kansas | W 75–72 $^{OT}$ | 14–6 (8–5) | 15 – Ramey | 10 – Jones | 5 – Coleman III | Frank Erwin Center (2,482) Austin, TX |
| February 27, 2021 11:00 a.m., CBS | No. 14 | at No. 18 Texas Tech | L 59–68 | 14–7 (8–6) | 11 – Sims | 7 – Sims | 6 – Coleman III | United Supermarkets Arena (4,250) Lubbock, TX |
| March 2, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 15 | at Iowa State | W 81–67 | 15–7 (9–6) | 17 – K. Jones | 7 – Ramey | 5 – Coleman | Hilton Coliseum (1,191) Ames, IA |
| March 4, 2021 8:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 15 | at No. 16 Oklahoma | W 69–65 | 16–7 (10–6) | 16 – Sims | 12 – Sims | 4 – Ramey | Lloyd Noble Center (2,952) Norman, OK |
| March 7, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 15 | at TCU | W 76-64 | 17–7 (11–6) | 16 – A. Jones | 5 – A. Jones | 6 – Ramey | Schollmaier Arena (2,229) Fort Worth, TX |
| Big 12 Tournament |||||||||
| March 11, 2021 8:30 p.m., ESPN | (3) No. 13 | vs. (6) No. 20 Texas Tech Quarterfinals | W 67–66 | 18–7 | 19 – Coleman | 11 – Sims | 6 – Coleman | T-Mobile Center (3,510) Kansas City, MO |
| March 12, 2021 8:30 p.m., ESPN2 | (3) No. 13 | vs. (2) No. 11 Kansas Semifinals | Cancelled due to positive COVID-19 test from Kansas | Cancelled due to positive COVID-19 test from Kansas | Cancelled due to positive COVID-19 test from Kansas | Cancelled due to positive COVID-19 test from Kansas | Cancelled due to positive COVID-19 test from Kansas | T-Mobile Center Kansas City, MO |
| March 13, 2021 5:00 p.m., ESPN | (3) No. 13 | vs. (5) No. 12 Oklahoma State Championship | W 91–86 | 19–7 | 30 – Coleman | 14 – Sims | 5 – Ramey | T-Mobile Center (3,525) Kansas City, MO |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 20, 2021 8:50 pm, truTV, TNT | (3 E) No. 9 | vs. (14 E) Abilene Christian First Round | L 52–53 | 19–8 | 13 – Jones | 11 – Sims | 5 – Jones | Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis, IN |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||

## Player statistics

* – Recorded statistics when playing for Texas
Texas Longhorns Men’s Basketball statistics :
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| Andrew Jones | 19 | 19 | 31.7 | .406 | .302 | .807 | 5.0 | 2.11 | 1.11 | 0.11 | 15.4 |
| Courtney Ramey | 19 | 19 | 34.4 | .417 | .437 | .831 | 2.8 | 3.95 | 0.95 | 0.11 | 14.1 |
| Matt Coleman III | 20 | 20 | 34.4 | .476 | .353 | .800 | 3.9 | 4.25 | 1.20 | 0.10 | 13.0 |
| Greg Brown | 19 | 19 | 22.5 | .426 | .351 | .672 | 7.4 | 0.26 | 0.63 | 1.11 | 10.9 |
| Kai Jones | 19 | 2 | 22.7 | .582 | .423 | .660 | 4.8 | 0.74 | 0.95 | 0.74 | 8.2 |
| Jericho Sims | 19 | 19 | 23.5 | .640 | .000 | .520 | 6.8 | 0.58 | 0.58 | 0.84 | 8.1 |
| Donovan Williams | 12 | 0 | 12.3 | .327 | .174 | .846 | 1.2 | 0.25 | 0.42 | 0.25 | 4.1 |
| Kamaka Hepa | 7 | 1 | 7.6 | .471 | .500 | .000 | 1.0 | 0.14 | 0.14 | 0.29 | 3.4 |
| Jase Febres | 6 | 0 | 14.1 | .286 | .263 | .000 | 1.7 | 0.67 | 0.50 | .50 | 2.0 |
| Royce Hamm Jr. | 16 | 1 | 10.4 | .559 | .500 | .300 | 2.9 | 0.19 | 0.13 | 0.50 | 2.6 |
| Gerald Liddell | 7 | 0 | 11.5 | .429 | .286 | .167 | 1.7 | 0.43 | 0.14 | 0.14 | 2.1 |
| Brock Cunningham | 18 | 0 | 16.8 | .237 | .233 | .333 | 3.4 | 0.94 | 0.89 | 0.11 | 1.4 |
| Blake Nevins | 2 | 0 | 0.6 | .500 | .000 | .000 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Andrew Deutser | 1 | 0 | 1.1 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Drayton Whiteside | 2 | 0 | 0.9 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking т = Tied with team above or below :
| | 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 | Final |
| AP | 19 | 17т | 13т | 11 | 10 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 9 | Not released |
| Coaches | 22 | 22^ | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 9 | 21 |
^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.