This article is part of our College Hoops Barometer series.
The Texas Longhorns are on quite a run. Just one week after absolutely destroying Kansas on the road, Texas won a thriller as the visitor against another ranked opponent, this time in the form of the West Virginia Mountaineers. Andrew Jones nailed the game-winning three-pointer to give the Longhorns the victory, pushing their winning streak to six games. Texas has just one loss on the season, and that is to highly touted Villanova by four points in early December.
Though Texas won the NIT in 2019, coach Shaka Smart has been on the hot seat after missing the NCAA Tournament in 2017 as well as 2019. In fact, even when they made the big dance in 2015, 2016 and 2018, the Longhorns did not have much success. In fact, Texas hasn't won a single March Madness contest since Smart assumed the position of head coach in 2015. That appears likely to change this season, as the Longhorns are turning into a juggernaut. They have the feel-good story in Jones, the cancer survivor. A group of upperclassmen in Matt Coleman, Courtney Ramey and Jericho Sims hungry for tournament glory before their time in Austin comes to an end. And impactful freshman Greg Brown, who is freakishly athletic and could end up as a "One-And-Done" NBA lottery pick this June.
Texas will face Baylor and Kansas in February in matchups which could determine the Big 12 title. The Bears may be slight favorites as of right now, but the Big
