Texas basketball and head coach Rodney Terry have one more game to play before the calendar year turns to 2025 and SEC play begins in early January. Texas will host the Northwestern State Demons at the Moody Center on Dec. 29, then face the rival Texas A&M Aggies in College Station in the final tune-up game before SEC play begins in early January.
Where Texas basketball needs to progress before SEC play begins in January 2025
Texas won double-digit games (10-2, 0-0 SEC) with just one game remaining before SEC conference play begins late next weekend. Terry and the Longhorns are coming off a dominating victory over New Orleans at the Moody Center in their final game before the Christmas break.
Junior guard Jordan Pope broke out on Dec. 19, scoring a career-high 42 points in the University of Texas’ 98-62 win over New Orleans.
The Longhorns had some positives to begin their first regular season campaign as a member of the SEC Conference, but Terry and his staff have some notable areas for improvement in the coming weeks.
Here are three New Year’s resolutions for Terry and the Longhorns as they enter the SEC in the 2024-25 season.
Making Tramon Mark comfortable on offense
Senior guard Tramon Mark scored six points in a win over the Syracuse Orange in the Legends Classic in late November, making his season debut with the Longhorns after missing the first four games with an injury.
The first three games Mark played this season, he came off the bench as he returned from a lower ankle injury and played more minutes in each game. Since appearing in the starting lineup for five consecutive games, he has reached double-digit points in three games.
Since returning to the starting lineup, Mark has been instrumental in contributing and strengthening the Longhorns’ offense. He is averaging a career-high 4.5 defensive rebounds per game. Mark gave Texas a big boost with backcourt and wing rebounding in three consecutive games with at least six boards dating back to a Dec. 12 win over New Mexico State.
It’s his shooting percentage that Terry and the Longhorns still hope will improve Mark’s offensive efficiency. Mark struggled at the free throw line and found his spot from inside the arc as the Longhorns’ secondary playmaker and shot creator.
Mark shot a career-low 61.1 percent from the charity stripe for the Longhorns this season.
The Texans are still working on finding their true identity on the offensive side of the floor in their backcourt rotation. The Longhorns haven’t been able to fully adapt to playing in Terry’s system, considering that many key players have suffered injuries and missed multiple games early in the regular season.
