The No. 8 Texas men’s basketball team holds one of the toughest remaining schedules in the country. 

As the team prepares for the upcoming Big 12 tournament, it must first take on four ranked teams consecutively. With the potential to clinch a No. 1 seed come March, each of these remaining games will be crucial to strengthen Texas’ resume. 

Texas will first take on No. 23 Iowa State at home, which will be the second meeting between the two. Texas dropped the first meeting in Ames 78-67 after a second half scoring drought allowed Iowa State to pull away. Luckily for Texas, Iowa State seems to have lost its footing, losing five of their last seven matchups. With four of these losses coming against unranked opponents, Texas will look to pounce upon the struggling Cyclones. 

The key for Texas in this rematch will be limiting its turnovers as the team nearly doubled Iowa State’s number of turnovers in their first meeting. Senior guard Marcus Carr will likely play a key factor in these remaining games, leading Texas in both points per game and assists. Carr has averaged 18.6 points per game in the last three Big 12 matchups and will look to continue his hot streak. 

Texas will then travel to Waco to take on a red hot No. 9 Baylor, which has won 9 of its past 11 matchups. The Longhorns were responsible for one of the losses in a game where senior guard Jabari Rice contributed 21 points off the bench. 

The Longhorns will look to slow down the Baylor backcourt led by freshman guard Keyonte George and junior guard LJ Cryer. The two were responsible for over half of the Bears’ points in Texas and Baylor’s first meeting and have a combined 31.5 points per game this season. 

The final away game of the season will be played next against No. 24 TCU. The Longhorns won their first matchup in an epic second-half comeback, outscoring the Horned Frogs 50-33 after the break. 

The Longhorns have just a 4–4 away game record compared to a 15–1 home record. The Longhorns average 85.4 points per game as a team in conference play at home but just 68.2 when on the road. Texas is likely to rely on Carr, Rice and senior forward Timmy Allen to get the offense going. The trio is responsible for over half of Texas’ points per game this season, averaging a total of 40.1 per game together. 

After this two game road trip, Texas will return to the Moody Center for its final home game of the year, a matchup against No. 3 Kansas. Kansas took the win in its first matchup against Texas, led by freshman Gradey Dick. Kansas also has one of the best scorers in the country with junior forward Jalen Wilson, who is averaging 20.4 points per game this season.

The Big 12 Tournament will begin on March 8 in Kansas City. Texas will look to win its second conference title in the past three seasons and improve its resume to secure the highest seed possible in the NCAA Tournament.