Texas ranked No. 24 in ESPN’s way-too-early top 25 for Sean Miller’s first season

The moment after the buzzer sounded on the 2024-25 college basketball season with the Florida Gators finishing as champions, ESPN started looking ahead to 2025-26. The worldwide leader released its way-too-early top-25 for next year, even in an era where so much about individual rosters and programs is in flux. Still, ESPN views the squad Sean Miller has already mostly put together as the No. 24 team in the nation for next season.

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To be fair, a significant amount of dust has settled with regards to the portal. Texas does have three spots left to fill, but that means 12 spots out of the 15 total are known. Despite the freshness of the end of the season, data exists to know about what the Longhorns (and other teams) could potentially be.

Here’s what ESPN had to say about why it put the Longhorns in the top 25.

It’s an offseason of change in Austin. Rodney Terry was fired shortly after the Longhorns’ NCAA tournament exit, with Xavier’s Sean Miller announced as his replacement less than a day later. Miller brought guard Dailyn Swain with him from the Musketeers and is taking over a roster that brings back three starters in Jordan Pope, Chendall Weaver and Tramon Mark. He also landed a key transfer Sunday when Florida Atlantic big man Matas Vokietaitis committed.

Remaining needs for Texas include a true point guard to help Mark shoulder the workload and to keep Pope from having to operate in a spot he may not be comfortable with, another big man to pair with Vokietaitis, and a shooter who can help stretch the defense to the perimeter.

ESPN’s projected starting lineup featured returners in Pope, Weaver, and Mark plus transfer additions in Swain and Vokietaitis.

Miller’s offensive acumen, another year playing together for significant contributors who were on the roster, the addition of some much-needed size, and the energy of a fresh start has given optimism the chance to grow on the 40 Acres. But the specter of another difficult SEC slate plus the likelihood of first-year growing pains can also bring up reasons for concern in Austin.

Speaking of, other SEC teams in the top 25 included No. 6 Kentucky, No. 7 Arkansas, No. 11 Alabama, No. 12 Auburn, No. 19 Florida, and No. 21 Tennessee. Houston was the No. 1 team.

Ahead of the 2024-25 season, ESPN labeled Texas as the No. 22 team in its way-too-early top 25. Texas started the 2024-25 season No. 19 in the AP poll. The Longhorns were eliminated in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament after a 19-16 campaign.

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ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25

Houston Cougars

Purdue Boilermakers

Louisville Cardinals

UConn Huskies

Michigan Wolverines

Kentucky Wildcats

Arkansas Razorbacks

Duke Blue Devils

St. John’s Red Storm

UCLA Bruins

Alabama Crimson Tide

Auburn Tigers

Iowa State Cyclones

Wisconsin Badgers

Kansas Jayhawks

BYU Cougars

Arizona Wildcats

Michigan State Spartans

Florida Gators

Gonzaga Bulldogs

Tennessee Volunteers

Texas Tech Red Raiders

Ohio State Buckeyes

Texas Longhorns

North Carolina Tar Heels

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